Prosecutors say the death of New River pastor Bill Schonemann was part of a broader plan targeting Christian leaders in multiple states.
NEW RIVER, Ariz. — The killing of a beloved pastor in this desert community has become more than a local homicide case, with prosecutors alleging the attack was the opening act in a broader plot to target Christian leaders across the country.
That wider claim has changed the meaning of the case for investigators, worshippers and the public. What first looked like a horrifying single killing now sits inside a larger narrative of alleged planning, movement across Arizona and threats that authorities say did not end with one victim. Even as the murder prosecution moves through Maricopa County court, the alleged scope of the plan continues to shape how officials describe the danger and why the case drew intense statewide attention.
The victim was William “Bill” Schonemann, pastor of New River Bible Chapel, a church in the rural community north of Phoenix. On April 28, 2025, two members of his congregation went to his home to check on him and found him dead, according to prosecutors. Authorities later said his body had been positioned with arms outstretched in a way similar to a crucifixion. The details stunned residents who knew Schonemann as a steady church leader and familiar local figure. Neighbors and church members remembered him in news coverage as kind, approachable and deeply rooted in the area. The manner of death quickly turned a local tragedy into a case that spread far beyond New River.
Investigators say Adam Sheafe was linked to the killing through evidence found at the victim’s home, evidence from a burglary in Cave Creek and items recovered from a backpack and a stolen truck. In a July 2025 announcement, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office said a grand jury indicted him on first-degree murder, three counts of attempted first-degree murder, burglary charges, kidnapping, theft of means of transportation and a misdemeanor trespass count. Prosecutors also said the killing was part of a larger plot to murder 14 Christian leaders around the country. That allegation took the case from a brutal homicide to one with national overtones, even though the murder charge itself centers on what happened to Schonemann in New River.
Public reporting added more detail to that alleged plot. In a jailhouse interview months after the killing, Sheafe said he had called the plan “Operation First Commandment” and claimed he intended to move from city to city targeting pastors and priests. He said Schonemann was the first person on that list. He also said he had been headed toward Sedona, where he planned to attack clergy at the Chapel of the Holy Cross, before he was stopped on unrelated burglary matters. Those statements were made outside court and remain separate from what prosecutors must prove at trial. Still, they gave the public its clearest view of how investigators and the defendant himself were describing the alleged motive and scale of the case.
The route authorities laid out is a key part of the story. Prosecutors said Sheafe is accused of breaking into a home in Cave Creek two days before Schonemann’s body was found and stealing a pickup truck. That truck later drew attention in Sedona, where police were investigating another burglary and had surveillance video that allegedly showed Sheafe with the vehicle. He was then caught after another break-in in Sedona, prosecutors said. Those events matter because they tie together the movement of the suspect, the stolen vehicle and the evidence trail that investigators say connected the Sedona incidents back to the killing in New River. They also help explain why the indictment includes charges that reach beyond the murder itself.
Now the public face of the case has shifted back to court, where Sheafe recently tried to plead no contest and then guilty while asking for the death penalty. A judge rejected those efforts, and the case is set for another hearing on April 24. But outside the courtroom, the broader impact remains clear. For New River Bible Chapel, the case is still about the violent loss of a pastor. For law enforcement, it is also about what officials say was interrupted before it could spread farther. And for the legal system, it is a test of how to handle a defendant who has publicly confessed, seeks execution and stands accused in a case that prosecutors say had a much larger target list.
As of now, the murder case is still pending, the larger allegations remain part of the prosecution’s theory, and the next milestone is the April 24 hearing in Maricopa County, where the court is expected to decide the next steps in a case that began in one church community and grew into something much wider.
Author note: Last updated March 16, 2026.