Man sentenced to life in prison for killing New River pastor

The man who admitted to violently murdering a New River pastor last year was sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole on Friday.

The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office said Adam Sheafe was sentenced to natural life in prison with an additional 102 years in prison for killing 76-year-old William Schonemann, who was known as Pastor Bill by his congregation at New River Bible Chapel..

ABC15 reported that Sheafe pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including first-degree murder, in court.

Sheafe previously said he wanted to be executed for killing and crucifying Schonemann.

In June, however, a judge approved a plea deal that spared his life. Sheafe changed his mind and offered to accept a plea deal that took the death penalty off the table after his father and stepmother were killed in a plane crash in Marana in April.

Sheafe was arrested in Sedona and booked into jail in Coconino County for unrelated crimes, including burglary and possession of a stolen vehicle, on April 30, 2025, two days after Schonemann was found dead in his home in New River, an unincorporated Maricopa County community north of Phoenix’s Anthem area.

“As county attorney, I am thankful to the numerous law enforcement agencies who worked tirelessly and with an incredible sense of urgency to capture Sheafe before another attack could occur,” Rachel Mitchell said in a statement.

Adam Sheafe previously sought execution

Authorities later said they had evidence linking Sheafe to Schonemann’s murder at the time of his arrest, but they didn’t publicly identify him as a suspect in the pastor’s death until June 6, 2025.

Later in June, Sheafe told ABC15 that he believed Christianity was wrong and he intended to kill and crucify over a dozen priests and pastors in multiple states for “leading the flock astray.”

“I told the FBI agent, ‘Look, I want the death sentence. I’ll plead guilty right now, on the spot. … And I want the execution date right now,’” he said during a jailhouse interview.

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Senior Editor Kevin Stone contributed to this report. 

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