The man who murdered and mutilated the body of a New River pastor last year as part of a suspected plot targeting multiple faith leaders is expected to be sentenced to natural life in prison on the afternoon of Aug. 14.
Adam Sheafe, 52, accepted a plea deal back in June that would allow him to avoid the death penalty after admitting to killing William Schonemann, 76, who was known locally as “Pastor Bill,” along with other felonies.
Maricopa County Sheriff's Office investigators said the murder was both random and religiously motivated. Schonemann was found dead on April 28, 2025, and investigators deemed his death a homicide a few days later.
Schonemann’s body was discovered by two members of his New River Bible Chapel congregation, his arms outstretched
as if he were crucified, the Maricopa County Attorney's Office said. Sheafe planned to kill 14 other Christian leaders nationwide, according to the County Attorney's Office.
Sheafe was extradited from Coconino County to Maricopa County and was booked into jail where he was being held on a $10 million cash-only bond, according to court documents.
The Maricopa County Attorney's Office filed a notice of intent to seek the death penalty against Sheafe, alleging the killing was “especially heinous or depraved” and that he relished in murdering Schonemann.
Sheafe initially sought to forgo trial altogether and appeared to have no qualms with being put to death in a handwritten note he filed with the court earlier this year.
“The Defendant pleads no contest to all charges as he openly admits to committing all offenses charged against him,” the Jan. 29 motion states. “The defendant waives his right to all trials, which includes the penalty phase in capital crimes cases.”
But Sheafe changed his mind about being executed after his father and stepmother were killed in a plane crash at Marana Airport on April 8, and he requested a plea deal two weeks after the crash that would have him serve natural life in prison in lieu of the death penalty.
Prosecutors conferred and ultimately agreed to Sheafe’s request. He accepted the plea deal at a June 5 hearing in Maricopa County Superior Court.
Sheafe’s sentencing is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. in Maricopa County Superior Court.
Reach the reporter Perry Vandell at perry.vandell@arizonarepublic.com or 480-341-9433. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @PerryVandell.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Man who killed, mutilated New River pastor awaits sentencing
