Arizona | Man who murdered pastor crucifixion style requests plea deal after parents killed in plane crash

Adam Sheafe, the California man who admitted to killing a New River, Arizona, pastor in a crucifixion-style attack, has asked prosecutors to offer him a plea deal that would result in a natural life sentence rather than the death penalty he had previously sought.

Advisory council attorneys representing Sheafe sent a formal plea offer to prosecutors this week, about two weeks after his father and stepmother died in a plane crash at Marana Airport on April 8, according to 12 News.

Sheafe, 51, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of William Schonemann, 76, pastor of New River Bible Church, who was found dead inside his home last April.

Sheafe’s father, Chris Sheafe, and stepmother, Jacque Sheafe, died after their single-engine Piper PA-32R-301T went off the runway while attempting to land and caught fire. Chris Sheafe had been a longtime member of the Rio Nuevo Board, a tax increment finance district created by voters in 1999 to revitalize downtown Tucson.

The accused's offer was presented after Sheafe’s advisory attorney, Denise Dees, said he would plead guilty to all counts and all aggravating factors in exchange for a natural life sentence, AZ Central reported.

Prosecutors said they had received the request but had not yet approved or denied it, as it needed to go through the capital review process, including consultation with the victim’s next of kin.

Prosecutors told Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Patricia Starr their office could complete its review by April 29. After that, County Attorney Rachel Mitchell would need about two weeks to decide whether to press ahead with the death penalty. Starr set the next hearing for June 5.

In previous jailhouse interviews, Sheafe told 12 News he had traveled from California to Arizona with plans to kill religious leaders throughout the state. He admitted to murdering Schonemann inside his home and crucifying his body to a wall, placing a crown of thorns on his head.

Sheafe was initially charged with one count of first-degree murder and several additional offenses, including first-degree burglary, second-degree burglary, kidnapping, theft of means of transportation, second-degree criminal trespass, and three counts of attempted first-degree murder.

Authorities linked Sheafe to the killing through evidence recovered from Schonemann’s home, items connected to a nearby burglary committed days earlier, and materials found in Sheafe’s backpack and a stolen truck.

He was arrested in Sedona last April while being investigated for separate crimes, including matters involving the FBI.

At a prior court hearing, Sheafe told the court the crime was deliberate and that he had never contested the facts. “It’s an undisputable fact that the victim, Pastor Bill Schonemann, was over 70 years old. It’s an undisputable fact that the crime was heinous in nature. I intended it to be heinous,” Sheafe said. He added that continuing proceedings would only prolong the process for the victims’ families.

Sheafe told Arizona Family in an interview last year that he had planned to kill pastors or priests in multiple cities, including Las Vegas, Portland, Seattle, Billings, Detroit, New York, Charlotte, Mobile, Beaumont and El Paso. He said he intended to target religious leaders when they were alone so as not to harm others. Authorities believe his plan involved targeting as many as 14 pastors or priests across the U.S., and that Schonemann was chosen because of his Christian faith.

Schonemann had led New River Bible Church for decades. He was discovered after investigators responded to his home and found his arms outstretched and his hands pinned to a wall in a position authorities said resembled crucifixion.

Sheafe previously lived in Oceanside, California, and had worked at a restaurant in Carlsbad. He filed a lawsuit against a trading platform and later sought Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2024 after losing more than $40,000.

Source: christianpost.com, Anugrah Kumar, April 25, 2026

"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted."

— Oscar Wilde

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