Shahancollage.jpg

The Rev. Richard Shahan is being held in the Homewood City Jail for "investigative purposes" in connection with the death of his wife, Karen Louise Shahan.

HOMEWOOD, Alabama - The Rev. Richard Shahan, an associate pastor at First Baptist Church of Birmingham, was taken into custody Wednesday

, AL.com has learned.

Shahan, 53, is being held for "investigative purposes" at the Homewood City Jail. He has not been charged with any crime in connection with his wife's death. Church officials said they have no comment.

Sources say Shahan came in voluntarily Wednesday for an interview. Based on that interview police decided to hold him, Homewood Police Public Information Officer Lt. Ken Atkinson confirmed.

Karen Louise Shahan's body was discovered about 11:15 a.m. July 23 inside the family's Hugh Circle home. Police, dispatched there by concerned co-workers when she failed to show up for work at Hobby Lobby, found the victim dead on the couch.

Police have not publicly confirmed how the woman was killed, but sources tell AL.com she was stabbed to death. The church's interim pastor, The Rev. Charles Carter, quoted one of the investigating detectives as saying it was "the most brutal murder that he had ever examined." The house appeared to be in disarray, and a window was broken.

Rev. Shahan is the Children and Families Pastor and the Facilities Director at First Baptist. Authorities said he was out of town visiting one of the couple's two sons when his wife's body was found.

The couple lived in a rental home owned by First Baptist. All of the homes on that circle are owned by the church.

At Karen Shahan's memorial service held July 27, Carter told those in attendance: "I've said privately and I will say to you publicly - I do not know any minister of children anywhere in the southern Baptist convention that is equal to Richard Shahan,'' Carter said. "And always by his side helping and assisting and praying was Karen."

Other than the memorial service, church officials have not discussed the couple or the slaying. Family members also have not publicly discussed the case.

Shahan's ministry

Richard Shahan was licensed as a minister in 1980 at South Del Baptist Church in Del City, Oklahoma. He graduated from the University of Okahoma in 1982 as a psychology major, then earned a master's degree in childhood education from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1985.

He was ordained in 1983 at Wedgwood Baptist Church in Fort Worth. He was on staff at Wedgwood Baptist from 1982-86 as minister of childhood education, and from 1984-86 as business administrator. At Wedgwood, he oversaw a building program, ran a $2 million budget and developed and opened the Mother's Day Out program.

Wedgwood became nationally known on Sept. 15, 1999, when a gunman burst into an evening youth service, fired more than 100 rounds from two handguns and set off a pipe bomb. Seven young people were killed and seven wounded before the gunman killed himself. Shahan wasn't there during that time.

From 1986-89, Shahan was on the staff at First Baptist Church in Bryan, Texas, as associate pastor in education and family development.

Shahan moved to Birmingham in 1989 and worked as associate pastor for childhood education and family growth at Shades Mountain Baptist Church until 1999.

From 1999-2006, he was associate pastor in education and administration for Hickory Grove Baptist Church in Charlotte, N.C., where he was responsible for an $11 million budget.

From 2007-2009, he worked for Kimble Knight Ministries in Brentwood, Tenn., where he created materials for client churches.

Shahan returned to Birmingham in 2009, becoming associate pastor, business and facilities administrator and families pastor.

In addition to his full-time church staff work, Shahan also had his own business enterprises on the side.

In 2003, Shahan formed his own company, One Vine Inc., an internet-based curriculum company for which he wrote church curriculum materials which he marketed to churches. He ran that business through 2010. His numerous publications included such titles as "Proverbs for Life for Men: Everyday Wisdom for Everyday Living" and "Advent: Preparing Our Hearts for Jesus' Birth."

He did event and travel planning for the Franklin Classical School in Tennessee from 2007 through this year.

In 2004-05, Shahan was an adjunct professor at Gardner-Webb University's White School of Divinity in Boiling Springs, N.C.

Shahan spent the 2012-2013 school year as a visiting professor at the Bible Institute in Almaty, Kazakhstan, teaching with the assistance of a Russian interpreter.

Bankruptcy filing

Richard L. Shahan and Karen L. Shahan filed a voluntary petition for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Alabama on Feb. 5, 2010.

The couple listed $443,350 in assets and $505,565 in liabilities, according to the bankruptcy court record.

The assets included a house in Franklin, Tenn., valued at $415,000. The other $28,350 was personal property including: cash in checking accounts, $5,000 in an IRA, clothing, furniture, a riding lawnmower, interests in North American whole life insurance policies and State Farm term policy valued together at $700, a 2003 Mazda MX-3 co-signed with son, a 2002 GMC Jimmy owned jointly with Richard Shahan's mother, and mineral rights on land owned jointly with his mother.

The couple listed $388,649 in debt held by creditors holding secured claims, including two mortgages on the Franklin, Tenn., house totaling more than $379,000, and the remainder with a bank for the 2003 Mazda MX-3 car.

The couple listed also listed $116,916 in unsecured debt, most of it credit cards either jointly in their names or in Richard Shahan's name. The couple also listed $5,874 in monthly income, including a $2,516 housing allowance.

When the couple filed for bankruptcy Richard Shahan had been working as a minister at First Baptist Church of Birmingham for 8 months and Karen Shahan had been working at Hobby Lobby for six months, according to the bankruptcy court filing.

The couple listed two lawsuits they had been involved in within a year prior to filing. One of them was a collection lawsuit by American Express and the other was a personal injury lawsuit, Richard Shahan v. John Doe in the Circuit Court of Madison County, Tenn., that resulted in a settlement of $14,539, according to the court document.

The court document states that Karen Shahan had worked at Franklin Classical School.

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Tamara O Mitchell signed an order discharging the couple from bankruptcy on May 4, 2010.

AL.com reporters Greg Garrison and Kent Faulk contributed to this report.