Suspect in Crucifixion of AZ Pastor Receives Huge Prison Sentence

The suspect in the crucifixion-style murder of a beloved Arizona pastor has been denied his goal of receiving the death sentence and has been sentenced to spend the rest of his natural life in prison instead.

As CBN News reported last year, 76-year-old Pastor William "Bill" Schonemann was found dead in his New River, AZ home in late April of 2025. The scene was described as unsettling after the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office responded to a 911 call.

The elderly pastor was killed and mutilated. The perpetrator placed a crown of thorns on his head after positioning his body with the arms outstretched, similar to a crucifixion.

The suspect, Adam Sheafe, confessed in court to the premeditated murder of Pastor Schonemann, entering a "no contest" plea and asking for the death penalty to be given to him. But 12News, KPNX, reports Sheafe has been given life in prison, without the possibility of parole, along with being sentenced to an additional 102 years in prison.

Earlier this year, Sheafe had admitted in court, "It's an undisputable fact that the victim, Pastor Bill Schonemann, was over 70 years old. It's an undisputable fact that the crime was heinous in nature. I intended it to be heinous. ... That's why I'm saying, why do we have to drag this on and on and on? Why can't we just go to sentencing? I'm not contesting anything."

Sheafe said he wanted to speed up the process to put an end to the whole case. But he told AZ Family in a jailhouse interview, "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... I want the death penalty because I want to show that you can't kill God's son."

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The suspect's father, Chris Sheafe, told AZ Family last year his son had an extensive criminal background, but recently had become obsessed with the Old Testament. 

The Maricopa County Attorney's Office reports that Pastor Schonemann's death was part of a larger plot by Sheafe to kill 14 Christian leaders around the country. He reportedly decided to start the killing spree in Arizona where he was baptized as a child. 

Sheafe reportedly told officials at his arrest that he intended to kill the pastors for "breaking the first commandment" by declaring that Jesus is God. 

Sheafe was indicted by a grand jury on six felony charges, including first-degree murder, related to Schonemann's murder.  He was caught in Sedona, where authorities say he was planning to kill a second pastor.

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