Arizona man accused of crucifying pastor asks judge for death penalty, quick guilty plea

Adam Sheafe, 51, asked a judge last week to allow him to enter a guilty plea and sought the death penalty so families “can move on with our lives,” Fox 10 reported.

Sheafe is accused of killing William Schonemann, 76, pastor of New River Bible Chapel, in April 2025 and then mutilating the man’s body, authorities said. Schonemann was found with his arms spread out in his bed and his hands pinned to a wall, authorities told Fox 10.

Representing himself, Sheafe told the court he had confessed from the start and said the legal process was “dragging this out,” Fox 10 reported. “From day one, I’ve said I did this. These are the reasons why I did this, and I’m not contesting anything,” he told the court, according to Fox 10.

Sheafe previously told 12News he wanted to be executed immediately and told Fox 10 last year that the killing was part of a plot targeting more than a dozen Christian leaders he called “Operation First Commandment,” saying some pastors were leading followers onto a false path, according to those reports.

Sheafe’s father, Chris Sheafe, told Arizona Family his son had become obsessed with the Old Testament and had a large tattoo of a Hebrew word for God on his neck. The defendant has said he is mentally sound. He initially filed a petition to plead no contest, which the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office objected to, and a judge has said a later hearing must confirm any guilty plea is entered voluntarily, Fox 10 reported.

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