By admin 
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — A sentencing hearing has begun for the man who confessed to killing a New River pastor and plotted to kill more than a dozen religious leaders.
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Adam Sheafe is convicted of murder in the death of Pastor Bill Schonemann, 76. The New River Bible Chapel pastor was found dead inside his home in a crucifixion position in April 2025.
Schonemann’s son is expected to be present at the sentencing Friday afternoon. Family members say Schonemann loved to restore old planes, especially with his son.
Plea deal removes death penalty
In June, a judge accepted a plea deal that took the death penalty off the table for Sheafe. Sheafe, who is representing himself, previously pushed for the state to skip court proceedings and execute him. However, that changed after his father, Chris Sheafe, and stepmother died in a single-engine plane crash in Marana earlier this year.
After their deaths, Sheafe emailed prosecutors asking for a plea deal that would send him to prison for life in exchange for pleading guilty to all charges.
Initially, Sheafe pleaded not guilty to a slew of charges in Schonemann’s murder, stealing a car and breaking into multiple northern Arizona homes.
Jailhouse confession
Sheafe admitted to crucifying William “Pastor Bill” Schonemann at his New River home. Schonemann was found dead in his bed, covered in blood, on April 28, 2025. Sheafe said he had planned to kill 13 other Christian leaders around the country.
In a jailhouse interview with Arizona’s Family, Sheafe described how he killed Schonemann before placing a crown of thorns on his head.
“I drove from there (Phoenix) to Bill’s house, like two in the morning on a Sunday night, and I executed him,” he said.
“I’m not interested in executing anyone other than the pastors or the shepherds leading the flock astray,” he added.
RELATED: Suspect admits to crucifying pastor at New River home, had others on hit list
Sheafe said he targeted and killed Schonemann before traveling to Sedona, where he planned to kill two others. But he was arrested two days after Schonemann was found dead following a statewide manhunt.
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Court documents show that on April 29, 2025, Sheafe was attempting to burglarize a home in Sedona below the famous Chapel of the Holy Cross. He then fled from police after stealing a car from a woman in Cave Creek. During the pursuit, police said Sheafe crashed into another woman’s car and fled.
The next day, investigators say Sheafe was seen rummaging through boxes in a garage and hiding in a remote campsite in the rugged terrain surrounding the community. He fled into the national forest, but was taken into custody once he returned to the city.
Sheafe said he planned to travel to Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Montana, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Alabama and Texas to carry out other crimes. He claims he was “following God’s law” and that he’ll be forgiven.
Father highlighted substance abuse, Old Testament ‘obsession’
Arizona’s Family previously spoke with Sheafe’s father, Chris, before his death. During that interview, Chris Sheafe said his son had a long history of substance abuse issues and an “obsession” with the Old Testament. Adam Sheafe has a Yahweh tattoo on his neck.
“Adam became extremely interested in the Old Testament. He read it extensively. And part of that process became his interest; we weren’t excited when we’d learned that he’d done it, but to have the tattoo. It means God. It means he’s directly related to God. And he wanted people to know that was his allegiance,” Chris Sheafe explained.
Lengthy criminal past
Sheafe has a hefty criminal past spanning across Arizona and Nevada dating back to 1999. Court records show in 2013, he choked and held a woman against her will. He also spent three years in a Nevada prison for possession of stolen property and burglary.
He was also charged with using stolen credit card numbers to process transactions from two banks, stealing nearly $500,000. He was released from prison in Sept. 2023.
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