A former youth pastor in southern Missouri told police he stabbed his wife and children before he set their house on fire because he was facing financial troubles and the family was about to be evicted, according to court documents.
Matthew Richards, 41, of Shawnee, attacked his family members with a knife after starting the fire in the basement. The Kansas City Star reports Richards' wife and two of his children were seriously wounded, and three other family members in the house suffered minor injuries.
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Richards told investigators he had not been honest with his wife about the seriousness of their financial troubles. He said the family was not aware they were about to be evicted that day, and had not prepared to move so he “formulated the plan to burn the house down,” according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by NBC affiliate KSHB.
Richards said he believed “it would be better if they all died rather than for his kids to have to deal with the trauma of finding out the truth and for his wife to find out the truth.”
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Firefighters responded to the home around 3:45 a.m. on Sept. 16 after calls of a house fire and reports of someone chasing people with a knife.
When firefighters arrived, they extinguished a fire in the basement. Richards told police he set fire to wood and clothing in an attempt to burn the house down.
Some of the victims fled to a neighbors house to ask for help and three others were found injured in the front yard, according to the affidavit.
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Richards was taken to a local hospital and treated for smoke inhalation. He admitted to investigators that he stabbed his wife and kids and called himself a "monster."
Richards was arrested and charged with five counts of premeditated murder first-degree murder and one count of arson. He is being held on a $5 million bond.
