Overview
- William “Pastor Bill” Schonemann, 76, was found dead in his New River home on April 28, 2025 with wounds and his arms posed as if crucified, a killing later ruled a homicide by Maricopa County investigators.
- Authorities arrested Adam Sheafe after a multi‑county search, extradited him from Coconino County to Maricopa County, and booked him on charges while he was held on a $10 million cash‑only bond.
- Sheafe confessed in jailhouse interviews that he killed Schonemann and told investigators he had planned attacks on other faith leaders, with the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office saying he targeted 14 other Christian leaders nationwide.
- Prosecutors had sought the death penalty but agreed to a plea deal in June after Sheafe requested life in prison following the April 8, 2026 death of his father and stepmother in a plane crash, and a judge accepted that deal.
- Sheafe’s formal sentencing is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Friday in Maricopa County Superior Court and will finalize a life term that removes capital punishment while closing a case that unsettled the local faith community and prompted a statewide manhunt.