A man who admitted to brutally killing an Arizona pastor and plotting attacks against more than a dozen other pastors is scheduled to be sentenced this week.
According to FOX 10 Phoenix, Adam Sheafe pleaded guilty to the April 2025 murder of 76-year-old Pastor Bill Schonemann, who was found dead inside his New River home in what investigators described as a “crucifixion-like scene.”
Sheafe confessed to killing Schonemann and admitted he had planned to target 14 pastors across the country before his arrest.
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Sheafe initially asked the court to skip a trial and execute him. However, he changed course earlier this year after his father and stepmother died in a plane crash in Marana.
In June, Sheafe accepted a plea agreement, pleading guilty to all charges in exchange for a life sentence. His sentencing is scheduled for Friday, Aug. 14.
Schonemann’s murder is a horrific reminder that hatred and violence against those who openly proclaim the name of Jesus are not confined to distant corners of the world.
Our brothers and sisters in Christ are being murdered in Nigeria. Christians in Pakistan continue to endure mob violence and attacks because of their faith. And here in America, a pastor was killed in his own home while his murderer admitted to plotting attacks against 14 pastors nationwide.
As Sheafe prepares to be sentenced, we must pray for Schonemann’s family as they continue to grieve this devastating loss.
We must also pray for our pastors, ministers, missionaries and brothers and sisters in Christ around the world. Pray for their protection, courage and strength. And pray that no amount of persecution or violence will silence our proclamation of the name above every name: Jesus Christ.
James Lasher, a seasoned writer and editor at Charisma Media, combines faith and storytelling with a journalism background from Otterbein University and ministry experience in Guatemala and at the LA Dream Center. A Marine Corps and Air Force veteran, he is the author of The Revelation of Jesus: A Common Man’s Commentary and a contributor to Charisma magazine. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact [email protected].
