By Leonardo Blair, Senior Reporter Tuesday, November 04, 2025

Prosecutors in the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office in Arizona plan to seek the death penalty for Adam Christopher Sheafe, the man who confessed to the crucifixion-style murder of New River Bible Chapel Pastor William Schonemann in his home earlier this year.

The prosecutors filed their notice of intent to seek the death penalty against 51-year-old Sheafe, who reportedly targeted Schonemann as a result of his faith, Arizona Family reported.

Even though he confessed to murdering 76-year-old Schoneman, Sheafe pleaded not guilty to the charge in July, which criminal defense attorney Russ Richelsoph told Arizona Family is standard in the court process.

“A judge at a felony arraignment is never going to let a defendant plead guilty,” he said. “Crazy people will confess to crimes that they didn’t commit.”

He noted that if the case should go to a trial, prosecutors will likely play Sheafe’s news interviews in which he admitted to crucifying the pastor.

Sheafe, 51, told Arizona Family that he crucified Schonemann inside his home in April and placed a crown of thorns on his head. He said he also planned to kill a total of 14 pastors or priests nationwide, who he claims are leading their flock astray.

If authorities in Sedona hadn't thwarted his plans, Sheafe said he would have killed at least four pastors in the state. He further stated that he has no remorse for killing Schonemann and, if given the power to do so, would kill every pastor and burn down every church in the U.S..

"Not only do I have zero remorse, if my father puts me in an authoritative position on this Earth, I will execute every single priest and burn every single church to the ground," he told Arizona Family.

The Maricopa County Sheriff's office made Sheafe's connection to Schonemann's murder before he was arrested on those charges in Sedona on April 30. At the time, he was also being investigated for other crimes by authorities, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Sheafe said he targeted his victims when they were alone because he didn't want to kill anyone except the pastors and priests. He described in detail how he once followed a priest home but changed his mind about killing him after seeing two women emerge from his garage. He also noted that at least two pastors escaped death after he lost his car during a high-speed chase with police in Sedona.

"Had I had a vehicle, those two were done. They didn't have a chance in Hell," Sheafe said.

"From there, it was Las Vegas, Nevada; Portland, Oregon; Seattle, Washington; Billings, Montana; Detroit, Michigan; New York, New York; Charlotte, North Carolina; Mobile, Alabama; Beaumont, Texas; and El Paso, Texas," he said, highlighting other cities when he planned to kill pastors. "So, four of them were going to get hit in Arizona."

Prior to his attack on Schonemann, Sheafe admitted in a lawsuit against trading platform and futures broker NinjaTrader, which was dismissed in February, that he struggled with a gambling addiction.

"I had developed an unhealthy gambling addiction to trading futures contracts via their platform,” wrote Sheafe, who sought $1 million for "losses and damages."

Prior to his attack on Schonemann, Sheafe lived in Oceanside, California, and worked at a Carlsbad restaurant. He accused NinjaTrader of negligence for not closing his account to curb his addiction. He also filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2024 after allegedly losing more than $40,000. He said he "lost everything I had owned and had worked for."