‘I STABBED MY FAMILY’

Youth Pastor Says He Tried to Kill His Family to Save Them From Eviction

He allegedly referred to himself as a “monster” in an interview with cops and said he didn’t want his family to “find out the truth.”

A youth pastor charged with trying to kill his family by setting their home on fire then going room to room to stab them in their sleep allegedly did so because they were set to be evicted that day. In a police interview, detailed in an affidavit obtained by The Kansas City Star, Matthew Lee Richards, 41, allegedly admitted to stabbing his wife and five kids, saying he didn’t want them to “find out the truth” about their financial woes. He called himself a “monster” and told cops he thought “it would be better if they all died,” the affidavit says. Thankfully, Richards’ attack failed miserably: His wife and children survived, and some of the kids managed to call 911 or run to neighbors for help, screaming that their dad was trying to stab them . Fire crews were able to put out the basement fire, which appeared to consist of a pile of clothes and some wood. Richards is charged with attempted first-degree murder and arson.