Prosecutor: Ala. pastor murdered wife to marry boyfriend

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Richard Shahan, a former Alabama pastor, is accused of stabbing his wife to death so that he could leave the country to marry his boyfriend, reports AL.com.

Prosecutors leveled that theory against Shahan during a hearing in the case Thursday in which the former pastor’s bond was set at $100,000.

Prosecutors contend information obtained from Shahan’s emails show he was planning to leave the country and never return. They say he was intending to travel to Kazakhstan via Germany and ultimately planned to reside in the United Kingdom, reports the news site.

"He planned to become a citizen there and begin a new life with his boyfriend... who he intended to marry," Deputy Jefferson County District Attorney Leigh Gwathney reportedly told the court. "He had no intention of ever returning to the United States. He had no home to return to and he had said his goodbyes to his family."

Lawyers for the 53-year-old Shahan say prosecutors are trying to “manufacture a murder case” and that the pastor’s planned travels were part of a three-year trip with a Bible mission group, reports AL.com.

Karen Shahan was found stabbed to death July 23, 2013 inside the family’s Birmingham home. Authorities reportedly said that Richard Shahan told investigators that he was out of town visiting one of the couple's two sons when his wife was killed.

Shahan wasn’t charged in the case until Jan. 1 when he was arrested at a Nashville, Tenn. airport while trying to board a plane to Germany, according to the news site. He reportedly resigned from the church he oversaw just a day before his arrest.

If Shahan makes bond, he must remain on house arrest and electronic monitoring, reports CBS affiliate WIAT. He must also turn over his passport until a final decision is made in the case.

A preliminary hearing in the case is scheduled for Feb. 5.