Pastor who claimed he could cure cancer is found stabbed to death at church

A pastor who claimed that he was sent by God to the U.S. from Africa to cure cancer was found stabbed to death at his church in Windsor Mill, Maryland on Saturday.

Pastor Raphael Happy-Ikenwilo, 53, of Rahamis Ministry International Church was reportedly rammed with a car, then stabbed to death by a man who was dropping off his wife at the church.

The suspect, 41-year-old Daniel Patrick Degoto, allegedly rammed his car into Happy-Ikenwilo's vehicle as the pastor was retrieving items from the trunk. He then used a "large hunting knife" to stab Happy-Ikenwilo multiple times in the head, neck and leg as Ikenwilo's wife, Jennifer, watched helplessly.

The Baltimore Sun reported that Happy-Ikenwilo was found by the police around 10 a.m. with "multiple deep lacerations to his head." The pastor, who came to the U.S. from Africa in 2012, was taken to Sinai Hospital and pronounced dead about 4 p.m.

Degoto, who surrendered to the police following the attack, said that he began to notice "changes" in his wife, who had been worshipping at Happy-Ikenwilo's church for about a year. He believed that the pastor was "spiritually controlling his wife's thoughts and actions," according to the charging documents.

When the police asked the suspect if the attack was premeditated, he replied: "Yes, I tried to control it, but I can't control it. It was too much. Today was the end of it. Something had to be done."

Frank House, another pastor who lives near the crime scene, described the incident as a "terrible and horrible thing."

"It's just a sad time we're living in right now. The value of life is just not seeming important. We have to see and realize all lives are important," House said.

Degoto was charged with first-degree murder and has been placed in custody without bail. The pastor's wife has not been harmed in the incident.

Happy-Ikenwilo reportedly claims on his website that he was sent by God on special assignment to investigate and cure cancer that originates from the fourth dimension. He claimed to have met Jesus in 1992, and stated that he graduated from a university in the fourth dimension as a "Doctor of Spiritual Sciences."

In a 2014 Indiegogo campaign, the pastor suggested that his life, as well as the life of his family, was in danger from witch doctors who did not want him to expose their cancer-causing activities.

In his latest fundraising campaign, Happy-Ikenwilo planned to raise $20,000 for his ministry in July for his mission to heal Africa and the world.