He pled guilty.
Former Crossroads Christian Church children’s pastor, Matthew Lee Richards, was sentenced to nearly 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to attempting to murder his family. Richards, 43, had initially faced multiple charges, including attempted first-degree murder, attempted capital murder, and aggravated arson. Last month, he pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted murder. On Wednesday, he was sentenced to two consecutive 188-month terms for the convictions.
The incident occurred in September 2023, when emergency responders were called to Richards’ home due to a disturbance and a fire. Investigators discovered that Richards had attacked his wife and children, leaving them with varying degrees of laceration injuries. His wife and two of his children were hospitalized, while his other children, including his 19-year-old son, were treated and released. Police reports noted that multiple 911 calls were made during the attack, including one from a child stating their father was chasing them with a knife.
Richards’ actions were allegedly motivated by his desire to hide the fact that the family was facing eviction from their home, which had gone into foreclosure. The family had lived in their Shawnee residence since 2016, but a foreclosure petition had been filed in November 2022, and the home was sold in June 2023.
At the time of the incident, Richards had been employed as a seventh-grade English teacher at Christ Preparatory Academy, and his wife, Stephanie, was the director of Crossroads Christian Preschool and Parents Day Out. The family owed over $155,000 on their mortgage at the time of the foreclosure.