‘I will execute every single priest and burn every church to the ground’
A man has been indicted for killing a pastor in a brutal attack that authorities say was part of a larger plot targeting Christian leaders across the country. The accused allegedly believed he was carrying out executions in accordance with Old Testament law.
On Friday, Adam Sheafe, 51, was charged by a Maricopa County grand jury with first-degree murder in the death of Pastor William Schonemann, who was found dead inside his home in New River, Arizona, on April 28.
Two members of his congregation discovered the body, which had been positioned with the arms stretched outward, in a posture resembling crucifixion, according to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.
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Investigators linked Sheafe to the killing through evidence recovered at the crime scene, as well as from two other burglaries in Cave Creek and Sedona that occurred in the days before and after the pastor’s death.
Authorities say Sheafe stole a pickup truck during the Cave Creek break-in, and that vehicle was later caught on surveillance footage at the Sedona burglary site. He was arrested shortly afterward, with detectives reportedly finding incriminating items in both the stolen truck and his backpack.
The indictment includes one count of first-degree murder, three counts of attempted first-degree murder, burglary in the first and second degrees, kidnapping, theft of means of transportation, and criminal trespass.
Prosecutors allege that Schonemann’s murder was not an isolated act, but the first step in Sheafe’s plan to kill 14 pastors and priests nationwide whom he viewed as violating religious law.
In a jailhouse interview with Arizona Family, Sheafe admitted to killing the 76-year-old pastor, claiming he did so because Schonemann had preached that Jesus is God’s only son. He described the act as a form of execution consistent with biblical commandments.
“There’s a commandment that if somebody is preaching that somebody other than God is God, we are to execute them,” he said during the interview.
Sheafe claimed he acted alone and without any personal connection to the victim, stating that his only criteria was whether a religious leader had, in his view, broken the first commandment. “There’s nothing worse than breaking the first commandment,” he said. “You replace who my daddy is, I’m going to nail you to the wall.”
He further said he placed a crown of thorns on the pastor’s head before killing him and denied that Jesus is divine, calling such teachings a deception. “All the preachers, in my perspective, are leading the flocks astray,” he said. “They’re preaching that Jesus is God’s only Son and God also. That’s not what God said.”
Sheafe said he intended to target 13 more pastors and priests, with a 14th victim chosen as a symbolic act for Adam, whom he described as “God’s one and only created son.”
He claimed his plan was to “rid the Earth of evil” and that he deliberately sought out pastors who lived alone. He said he followed Schonemann home from New River Bible Chapel and confirmed that the pastor lived by himself.
During the interview, Sheafe said he had no remorse and would carry out more killings if released. “Not only do I have zero remorse, I plan on fulfilling what I started,” he said. “If my father puts me in an authoritative position on this Earth, I will execute every single priest and burn every church to the ground.”
When asked if he believed murder was a sin, Sheafe responded that while it was, executing those who break the first commandment was divinely mandated. He repeatedly said that God alone is to be worshiped and that calling Jesus the son of God is heretical. “So what’s this ‘Jesus is only God’s son’ garbage that I was raised to believe?” he said. “That’s not what God said.”
He described his religious awakening as rooted in a literal interpretation of Old Testament commandments, denying that he was directed by God to carry out the killing. “Did God ask me to do this? Absolutely not,” he said. “I did it on my own because … I got sick and tired and fed up.”
Sheafe, who was born and baptized in Phoenix, said he returned there to end his life where it began. He recounted setting up a tent under a tree in the city and later another off Carefree Highway, where he surveilled local churches.
He also said he believed he would not face any consequences. “God would never allow me to spend the rest of my life in jail,” he claimed. “Set the execution date right now.”
The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office has not announced a trial date.
