Arizona man accused of crucifying pastor requests death penalty to quickly wrap up case

An Arizona man accused of crucifying a pastor and placing a crown of thorns on the victim’s head has requested the death penalty so everyone “can move on with their lives.”

Adam Sheafe, who is representing himself, asked the judge last week to allow him to plead guilty so the case could conclude quickly, saying the justice system was “dragging this out,” according to Fox 10.

Sheafe, 51, is accused of murdering William Schonemann, the pastor of New River Bible Chapel, in April 2025 before mutilating the man’s body. Schonemann was found dead with his arms spread in his bed and his hands pressed against a wall, authorities said.

The suspect has already confessed to the crime and has never claimed his innocence.

PASTOR’S CRUCIFIXION MURDER SUSPECT SAYS IN VIDEO HE PLANNED TO KILL 14 MORE

Adam Sheafe said the killing was part of a plot targeting more than a dozen Christian leaders across the country. (FOX 10)

“From day one, I said I did this. These are the reasons why I did this, and I don’t dispute anything,” he said in court Thursday, according to Fox 10. “And my speedy trial rights went from five months to basically two and a half years. And we’re dragging this out in the interest of justice.”

“What about the victims’ families? What about me? What about my family? We want the end so we can move on with our lives,” he continued.

His request for the death penalty Thursday echoed comments he made a year ago, when he said he wanted to be executed immediately.

“Put me on death row, set the execution date for right away,” Sheafe told 12News at the time. “The victims want it. The victims’ families want it. I want it, and the taxpayers want it.”

A photo of Pastor William Schonemann and a sunset. (Randall Schoenemann)

Sheafe told Fox 10 last year that the killing of Schonemann, 76, was part of a plot targeting more than a dozen Christian leaders across the country in a mission he called “Operation First Command.”

He claimed that Schonemann and other Christian pastors were leading their followers down a false path. The defendant’s father, Chris Sheafe, told the Arizona family that his son had become obsessed with the Bible and had a large tattoo of a Hebrew word meaning God on his neck.

“Adam became extremely interested in the Old Testament. He read it a lot. And part of that process became his interest. We weren’t excited when we found out he had done it, but to get the tattoo,” his father said. “It means God. It means he’s directly related to God. And he wanted people to know that that was his allegiance.”

Sheafe, who says he is mentally healthy, initially filed a motion to plead “no contest,” but the Maricopa County District Attorney’s Office opposed the request. Sheafe then offered to plead guilty, but a judge said a future hearing had to take place first to ensure his guilty plea was entered voluntarily.

ARIZONA PASTOR FOUND DEAD WITH HIS HANDS PINED TO WALL IN HOMICIDE AT HOME

Pastor William Schonemann photographed in an antique airplane. (Randall Schoenemann)

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“It’s an indisputable fact that the victim, Pastor Bill Schonemann, was over 70 years old. It’s an indisputable fact that the crime was heinous in nature. I wanted it to be heinous. So those are two aggravating factors. And I don’t have any mitigating factors. That’s why I say, why do we have to drag this out over and over again? Why can’t we just move on to sentencing? I don’t don’t contest anything,” Sheafe told the court Thursday.

“Even before I was charged, I made a full confession to the FBI,” he continued, adding that he also admitted to the crime in interviews with several media outlets.