A Maricopa County judge declined to immediately accept Adam Sheafe’s bid to short-circuit the capital process in the killing of New River pastor William “Bill” Schonemann.

PHOENIX, Ariz. — The man charged in the killing of an Arizona pastor found dead with his arms outstretched and his hands pinned to a wall told a judge March 12 that the state should stop delaying and sentence him to death, but the case remained on its normal track.

That hearing turned a murder prosecution already known for its brutality into a fight over procedure, timing and the limits of a defendant’s control in a capital case. Adam Sheafe, 51, is charged in the death of 76-year-old William “Bill” Schonemann, a longtime New River pastor known as Pastor Bill. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. Even so, the judge did not let the case jump straight to sentencing, underscoring that Arizona’s rules still govern how a guilty plea, aggravating factors and any waiver of a jury must be handled.

Sheafe, who is representing himself with advisory counsel, used the March 12 hearing to demand speed. He first tried to enter a no-contest plea, then shifted to a request to plead guilty to all counts. In court, he argued there was no point in dragging the case out because, in his view, the major facts were no longer in dispute. He told the judge he had already confessed to investigators and spoken publicly about the killing. He also pointed to what he described as clear aggravating factors, including the victim’s age and the cruelty of the crime. The judge did not rule from the bench in the way Sheafe wanted. Instead, she kept the case in the ordinary legal lane and set another hearing for April 24.

The underlying case began nearly a year earlier. On April 28, 2025, two members of Schonemann’s congregation went to his home on Calvary Road in New River to check on him and found him dead. Deputies responded about 7:31 p.m. and quickly said the scene showed signs of foul play. Prosecutors later alleged the body had been arranged with the arms outstretched, similar to a crucifixion. The victim, known across the community as Pastor Bill, had led New River Bible Chapel and was remembered by friends and relatives as warm, steady and deeply woven into daily life in the rural area north of Phoenix. The killing stunned neighbors who had described the area as a place where people felt safe and often left doors unlocked.

As the investigation widened, authorities tied the homicide to a string of other alleged crimes in Arizona. The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office said Sheafe was accused of breaking into a Cave Creek home two days before the pastor was found and stealing a pickup truck. That truck later surfaced in Sedona, where police were investigating another burglary captured on surveillance video, according to prosecutors. Authorities said Sheafe was caught the next day after another break-in in Sedona. Detectives then linked him to Schonemann’s killing through evidence from the pastor’s home, evidence from the Cave Creek burglary, and items recovered from a backpack and the stolen truck. Prosecutors have also alleged the killing fit into a broader plot to target 14 Christian leaders in several states.

A grand jury indictment filed in July 2025 expanded the case well beyond a single murder count. Prosecutors announced charges that included first-degree murder, three counts of attempted first-degree murder, burglary, kidnapping, theft of means of transportation and criminal trespass. Months later, in October, the county attorney’s office filed notice that it intended to seek the death penalty. That step raised the stakes and added layers of required process. Legal analysts following the case have said a defendant cannot simply force a capital sentence by asking for one. A judge must still determine whether any plea is knowing and voluntary, whether the required findings can legally be made, and whether the sentencing process follows Arizona law.

That legal tension is now one of the defining features of the case. Sheafe told the court he wanted closure for himself and for the victim’s family, framing delay as unfair to everyone involved. But the judge made clear that speed does not override the rules. The court’s approach also reflects a basic concern in high-stakes criminal cases: when a defendant is asking for the harshest possible punishment, the record must be especially clear that the request is informed, voluntary and legally sound. For Schonemann’s loved ones and congregation, the practical result is that the case remains unresolved. Instead of ending with a dramatic plea, it moved one step at a time toward the next hearing and whatever rulings come after that.

Sheafe’s case stands where it did at the close of the hearing: capital charges remain in place, the judge has not granted an immediate guilty plea for sentencing purposes, and the court is scheduled to revisit the matter on April 24. That hearing is the next clear marker in a prosecution that has moved from a shocking death in New River to a courtroom battle over how quickly justice can proceed.

Author note: Last updated April 7, 2026.