An Arizona man in custody has admitted to murdering a pastor in northern Maricopa County and revealed intentions to kill dozens more religious leaders across the country.
During a jailhouse interview, Adam Christopher Sheafe detailed his religiously motivated crimes and outlined his chilling nationwide target list.
Sheafe confessed to killing 76-year-old Pastor William Schonemann, who was found dead at his New River home on April 28.
Deputies found Schonemann’s bloodied body during a welfare check at his residence.
According to the 51-year-old, he drove from Phoenix to Schonemann’s house at about 2 a.m. on a Sunday and carried out the attack.
“I executed him,” Sheafe said.
After killing Schonemann, Sheafe said he crucified the pastor and placed a crown of thorns on his head, claiming his actions were meant to counter what he called false preaching.
“Because what I’m saying is, what you’re preaching is not what God said. It’s the opposite of what God said,” Sheafe told True Crime Arizona correspondent Briana Whitney.
Before the murder, Sheafe stalked another religious leader, a priest in Phoenix, after Easter Sunday services but refrained from attacking when the priest’s female companions arrived home.
“I’m not interested in executing anyone other than the pastors or the shepherds leading the flock astray,” he said.
Sheafe revealed plans for a series of “executions” targeting 14 religious figures across multiple states.
“Starting in Arizona, where I was born,” he said. “Where it starts is where it ends, like the Garden of Eden.”
His list includes cities such as Las Vegas, Portland, Seattle, Billings, Detroit, New York, Charlotte, Mobile, Beaumont and El Paso, with four targets in Arizona alone.
Following Schonemann’s murder, Sheafe traveled to Sedona intending to kill two more people but was arrested two days after the pastor’s body was found.
His capture came amid a manhunt connected to recent burglaries, signaling ongoing law enforcement efforts to apprehend him, according to AZ Family.
Sheafe justified his violent acts by citing a divine commandment “to rid Israel of evil.”
He expressed a desire for the death penalty to demonstrate his point.
“I want the death penalty because I want to show that you can’t kill God’s son. The whole story is B.S.,” he said.
“I want to be executed quickly so we can get this show on the road and show exactly what I’m trying to do.”
Although Sheafe confessed to the murder of Pastor Schonemann, he expressed confidence that God will forgive him.
“Absolutely he will forgive my sins. He is a forgiving God and loving God,” he told Whitney.
When asked how he reconciles killing multiple people with divine forgiveness, Sheafe replied, “All you gotta do is worship Jesus and you go to Heaven; your sins are forgiven. That’s not what God said.”
Currently, Sheafe remains in custody and has not been extradited to Maricopa County, where formal charges related to the murder are expected.
Authorities continue to investigate the full extent of his actions and any potential additional targets.
The post Arizona Man Confesses to Pastor’s Murder, Reveals Nationwide Killing Spree Plans in Chilling Interview appeared first on Resist the Mainstream.
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Author: Gloriel Howard
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