PHOENIX — The man who murdered and then mutilated the body of a New River pastor last year as part of a suspected plot targeting multiple faith leaders was sentenced Friday to natural life in prison.
The sentencing was held after Adam Sheafe, 52, accepted a plea deal in June that would allow him to avoid the death penalty after admitting to felonies including killing William Schonemann, 76, who was known locally as “Pastor Bill."
Schonemann’s body was found on April 20, 2025, by two members of his New River Bible Chapel congregation, his arms outstretched as if he were crucified, the Maricopa County Attorney's Office said.
In this screenshot from a video, Adam Sheafe is shown being booked into Maricopa County jail to face charges in the killing of New River Pastor Bill Schonemann. Sheafe was sentenced Friday to natural life in prison for the murder.
Sheafe wore a striped jumpsuit issued to Maricopa County jail inmates and a full beard as he sat next to defense attorneys assigned to advise him on the case after he opted to represent himself.
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Friends and family of Schonemann, as well as Sheafe’s family, packed the courtroom.
A victim advocate read aloud letters from Schonemann’s friends and family, who shared their anguish and horror over losing him by such violent means.
One letter from Schonemann’s sister shared her dismay over seeing jailhouse interviews of Sheafe broadcast on the news and watching as he bragged about killing and mutilating her brother’s body.
Schonemann’s son, Randy Schonemann, described cleaning blood from the walls of his father's home after learning about his father’s gruesome murder through news reports.
Randy Schonemann said he and his wife had stood by people suffering through similar tragedies in their jobs as EMTs.
"I've always worried I hadn't done my best for them when they're in these terrible situations," Randy Schonemann said. "This experience has shown me that people in the throes of this type of experience likely don't understand what they need and many times there is nothing you can do to help them."
That said, Randy Schonemann appreciated the support he had received from his family, friends and congregation.
While he felt the death penalty was the more appropriate punishment for what Sheafe had done to his father, Randy Schonemann said he found the capital punishment system to be “broken” and was willing to settle for natural life in prison without the possibility of parole.
"No sentence will change a single thing about what is done or how it's affected us," he said.
William Schonemann was known as "Pastor Bill."
Many of Schonemann’s friends and family said Schonemann hoped people would remember him for how he lived and for his faith in Jesus Christ, rather than the lurid details surrounding his death.
Despite growing up in a household with two parents who loved him and his siblings, Sheafe instead turned to a life of crime and accrued a litany of felony convictions throughout his life, according to Jennifer Linn, a prosecutor with the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.
Those crimes included selling illegal drugs, burglary, identity theft, bank fraud, DUI, trespassing and, now, first-degree murder, Linn said.
“Let’s be done with the defendant’s 15 minutes of fame,” Linn said.
After victims and prosecutors finished their remarks, Sheafe read a prepared statement in which he accepted responsibility for his actions and expressed remorse that his misguided beliefs caused so much pain and suffering.
“My actions and my actions alone are the sole reason we are here today,” Sheafe said.
Sheafe said he believed he was doing right by God at the time and asked for forgiveness.
"I now recognize that my method of delivering my message that our Heavenly Father alone deserves all praise and all glory was severely flawed," Sheafe said. "Not only did nobody receive that message, Pastor Bill Schonemann lost his life, Randy Schonemann lost his father (and) three more priests nearly lost their lives."
Sheafe had planned to kill 14 other Christian leaders nationwide, according to the Maricopa County Attorney's Office.
Sheafe also apologized to his own family for the suffering he inflicted on them due to his actions.
He thanked Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Patricia Starr for halting him after he repeatedly attempted to plead guilty and receive the death penalty. He thanked his attorneys for being the architects behind the plea agreement that would allow him to avoid the death penalty, as well as the prosecutors for offering it.
“Despite my actions, you have acted with integrity and kindness in every way,” Sheafe said.
The Maricopa County Attorney's Office previously filed a notice of intent to seek the death penalty against Sheafe, alleging the killing was “especially heinous or depraved” and that he relished in murdering Schonemann.
But Sheafe changed his mind about being executed after his father and stepmother — prominent Tucson businessman Chris Sheafe and his wife, Jacque — were killed in a plane crash at Marana Airport on April 8, and he requested a plea deal two weeks after the crash that would have him serve natural life in prison in lieu of the death penalty.
Starr proceeded Friday to sentence Sheafe to the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry, where he is to live out the rest of his days.
