Overview
- Adam Sheafe, 51, admitted killing New River pastor William Schonemann, 76, and told the court he wants a swift death sentence.
- At last week’s hearing he tried to plead no contest, then guilty; prosecutors opposed the no‑contest filing and the judge declined to accept a plea.
- The next court date is April 24, and case records show Sheafe is representing himself.
- Prosecutors are pursuing capital charges, and Sheafe told the court the victim’s age and the crime’s severity meet aggravating factors he says he intended.
- Investigators say evidence from the home, a Cave Creek burglary, a stolen truck, and items in his rucksack link him to the killing, and that he framed it as part of an alleged plot dubbed "Operation First Commandment" targeting 14 Christian leaders.