The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office in Arizona has named Adam Christopher Sheafe, a troubled ex-convict who was released early from prison, as the main suspect in the murder of beloved New River Bible Chapel Pastor William Schonemann, who was found dead in bed with his hands pinned to a wall inside his home on April 28.
Sheafe, 49, is currently in custody at the Coconino County Detention Center in Flagstaff. He faces multiple charges, including second-degree burglary, unlawful flight from a pursuing law enforcement vehicle, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, leaving the scene of an accident with an injury, criminal damage, theft or control of stolen property, first-degree trespassing, possession of a stolen vehicle and resisting arrest, Sedona Red Rock News reported.
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s office made Sheafe’s connection to 76-year-old Schonemann’s murder before he was arrested on those charges in Sedona on April 30, but he was also being investigated for other crimes by authorities, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
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At a press conference Thursday, it was noted that official charges against Sheafe in Maricopa County had not yet been completed. But Maricopa County Sheriff Jerry Sheridan called the pastor’s murder “probably one of the most bizarre cases I have ever seen in my 40 years with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office.”
While he was unable to share many details in the case due to the ongoing investigation, Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office Capt. David Lee of the major crimes division told reporters that investigators believe Sheafe’s targeting of Schonemann and others was “religious in nature.”
“The information we have has indicated that the motive was religious in nature, and that there were a number of future victims planned, some of those in Arizona, and that he had taken action in furtherance of those additional crimes. We have been in contact with those identified victims, and we are investigating or assisting with those incidents as well,” Lee said.
Investigators previously told The Christian Post that Schonemann was found dead in his home on April 28. They observed evidence of “foul play” at the scene.
Multiple sources told Fox 10 Phoenix that Schonemann suffered significant injuries and was reportedly found on his bed with his arms spread out and his hands pinned to a wall. Authorities declined to elaborate on the nature of the pastor’s murder on Thursday out of respect for his family.
“Out of respect for Pastor Schonemann and his family, I won’t be sharing details of the crime scene today. The scene and Bill’s church were processed for about two days … where we were looking for possible evidence and signs of a motive,” Lee said. “Based on what we found, it did not appear that robbery or theft was a motive in this case.”
According to Sedona Red Rock News, Sheafe was arrested in January 2013 by Oro Valley police outside Tucson for domestic violence, aggravated assault and kidnapping for choking a woman and holding her against her will. After a warrant was issued for his arrest, he surrendered to police.
On Nov. 1, 2018, he was also sentenced to 94 months in prison after he was found guilty of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud and aggravated identity theft after an investigation by the U.S. Postal Service and the FBI. He allegedly stole approximately $500,000 using credit card numbers obtained from co-conspirators to process hundreds of transactions through merchant accounts at Bank of America and Compass Bank.
His release date was set for September 2026, but he was released early in February 2023 after serving just 51 months. After his release, he moved to Oceanside, Calif., north of San Diego. He reportedly attempted to change his name to “Adam Christopher Sheaf” but a San Diego court denied that request in 2023.
Lee said Sheafe traveled from his home state to Arizona in early April after walking away from his job with his religiously motivated plan. He also noted that prior to the murder of the pastor, Sheafe committed a burglary in the area of Schonemann’s church but authorities were unable to arrest him.
“In late April, he was in the area of the New River Bible Church, where Bill is the pastor, and a community member noted his suspicious behavior. In the days following, Adam Sheafe is alleged to have committed a burglary in the area, and as he fled, law enforcement was arriving and law enforcement was unable to apprehend him at that time, unfortunately,” Lee said.
Even though Sheafe was not arrested at the time, MCSO officials took some of his property as evidence.
In the days preceding Schonemann’s murder, Lee said, Sheafe returned to the area and stole a vehicle. Pastor Schonemann was last seen alive on April 27.
Officers in Sedona responded to a report of a burglary in progress at 9:50 a.m. on Tuesday, April 29, Sedona Red Rock News reported. The owner of the house reported that she saw Sheafe walking around the property through interior cameras. Neighbors described him as a white man wearing a cowboy hat and a light blue short-sleeved shirt over a long, white-sleeved shirt and black jogger pants. He reportedly entered the area at 9:34 a.m. and left at 9:53 a.m. Witnesses say he was carrying bolt cutters and driving a red, four-door truck with a full cover over the truck bed.
Sedona Patrol Commander Christopher Dowell told the publication that on the afternoon of April 29, an officer spotted Sheafe driving the truck and pursued him until he left the city limits. During the chase, he collided with another motorist, causing minor damage to that vehicle. The officer said he abandoned the chase due to public safety concerns.
Sheafe would later abandon the truck and flee into the wilderness. Police later determined that Sheafe, through communication with MCSO on April 30, was connected to Schonemann’s murder.
Dowell said at about 6:22 p.m. on April 30, Sedona officers responded to a report of a burglary in the Chapel area. The homeowner witnessed Sheafe through security cameras rummaging through his garage.
In an alert issued by Sedona police at about 7:58 p.m. on April 30, Sheafe is described as a white man, 6 feet 2 inches tall, with short hair, a blue shirt, black pants, and a possible neck tattoo. He has a tattoo reading “יהוה,” or “YHWH” in Hebrew characters on his neck. Sheafe fled police after they arrived but was eventually arrested that night in a residential area after a lengthy foot chase through rugged terrain in the Coconino National Forest.
Lee said the MCSO learned about Sheafe’s suspicious behavior at New River Bible Church on April 30, which was a significant bit of information in solving the case.
“This was a crucial link in our investigation. MCSO and Sedona PD began to collaborate in this case, and Adam Sheafe was subsequently taken into custody,” Lee said.
“At this time, I’d like to stress that William Schonemann is a true victim in every sense of the word. We are unaware of any tie between Schonemann and Sheafe, and there are no known credible allegations of criminal activity, criminal association or activity by William Schonemann that would have led to this tragedy,” Lee added. “He was targeted at random. At this time we have information that suggests Sheafe acted alone, and there is no further danger to the community from Adam Sheafe.”
Adam Sheafe’s father, Chris Sheafe, told Arizona Family that his son has a long history of substance abuse problems and an obsession with the Old Testament.
“We have not talked about anything he did to get himself incarcerated, and part of that is because it is recorded and I didn’t want to cause problems that don’t need to be caused. But he assured me that he was more than willing to explain to the authorities what he did, and he said he would just plead guilty and let the system handle it the way it needs to be handled,” Chris Sheafe told the news outlet.
He said his son’s decades-long substance abuse issues stemmed from a motorcycle crash and prescription pain medication.
“I hadn’t talked to him for a while prior to all this. So, the first time I had a chance to talk to him. He was there. And he was very open and explained to me that he was very sorry about things that had occurred, but he was more than willing, he wasn’t going to hide anything,” Chris Sheafe added. “He said, ‘Just tell police to come and talk to me. And I’ll sit them down and tell them everything that I’ve done.’ And as far as I know, that’s what he’s done.”
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