(LifeSiteNews) — The man accused of murdering and then crucifying an Arizona pastor has admitted to the killing while also confessing he intended to kill 13 more religious leaders across the country.

Adam Sheafe, 51, described his barbaric actions in chilling detail to True Crime Arizona and Fox 10 Phoenix.

Sheafe said that he wanted to targeted Christian pastors because, in his words, they violate the First Commandment by proclaiming Jesus Christ as God.

“Yahavah (YHWH) alone is God,” he declared. “It’s the First Commandment. It’s the most important commandment of them all.”

The Hebrew letters “YHWH” are tattooed on Sheafe’s neck.

Sheafe repeatedly denied that Our Lord Jesus Christ was the Son of God during the interviews, whilst claiming a non-divine sonship for himself and Adam, the first man.

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Sheafe further said he followed Schonemann home after an Easter Sunday service and noticed he lived alone. Later that night, Sheafe broke into the house and suffocated him.

Initial reports said that the 76-year-old Schonemann was found dead in his bed, but Sheafe gives a more gruesome account. He claims to have used a power drill to affix the body to the wall in a cruciform position, placed a handmade crown of thorns on the pastor’s head while hanging a leather strap from his ear.

The strap was engraved with the Hebrew words of the First Commandment and the name “Benjamin” – intended to represent one of the tribes of Israel.

Sheafe referred to this as part of his Operation First Commandment, a nationwide plan to execute 14 pastors in symbolic protest against Trinitarian Christianity. He then said he selected targets based on the guidance of “the spirit,” and that his next intended victims were two Catholic priests in Sedona.

According to Sheafe, he was arrested only after triggering a home alarm while attempting to steal a vehicle to resume his attacks. He said he had been “in and out of prison” for years, and claimed to have fled police “a hundred times.” He also acknowledged a history of drug use, though he denied it impaired his judgement.

Sheafe, whose family are Christians, explained that nine years previously, he had received an epiphany in prison that led him to believe God was his “dad.”

“A light shot through the ceiling of my cell and into me,” he said, “And ever since then, I see the Star of David.”

Throughout the interview, Sheafe insisted he acted alone and without direct divine command — though claimed that such “executions” were nonetheless necessary “to rid Israel of evil.”

“I see myself as more of like a saint,” he said. “If anybody is to preach that someone other than [God] is God, we are to execute them.”

The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office described the murder as “religiously motivated.” The suspect’s father told Arizona’s Family that his son had become “extremely interested in the Old Testament” and “read it extensively.”

Sheafe has denied remorse and rejected claims of mental illness. “I plan on fulfilling what I started,” he said, “And 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.”

“You replace who my daddy is,” he added, “I’m going to nail you to the wall.”

Authorities in Maricopa County have not yet formally charged Sheafe with Schonemann’s murder but have confirmed the case is active.

Schonemann’s family has condemned the publicity surrounding Sheafe, claiming that he is “enjoying the attention,” while warning that his jailhouse visibility poses an ongoing threat to others.