(José Niño, Headline USA) Adam Christopher Sheafe, now in custody, told investigators he killed Pastor Bill Schonemann in April as the first step in a plan to execute religious leaders for “misleading their flocks.”
Sheafe, 51, confessed to committing the gruesome murder of Pastor William “Bill” Schonemann in New River, Arizona, revealing a chilling plot to kill religious leaders nationwide. Sheafe’s campaign, which he called “Operation First Commandment,” was rooted in a personal, extremist obsession with the Old Testament.
Sheafe admitted in multiple jailhouse interviews that he targeted Pastor Schonemann at random after seeing him in the neighborhood, later following him home from church services. “I just drove there like two in the morning, maybe, and parked,” Sheafe revealed to ABC15. “And then I just went in there and did it.” He luridly described crucifying the 76-year-old pastor and placing a handmade crown of thorns on his head, actions he said were planned for all his intended victims.
🚨SICKENING🚨
Adam Sheafe has admitted to murdering Arizona pastor Bill Schonemann and crucifying his body.
He claims he planned on murdering 14 pastors around the country.pic.twitter.com/0NebhzsHPQ
— Breanna Morello (@BreannaMorello) July 1, 2025
Sheafe believed Christian pastors and priests were “preaching that Jesus is God’s only son, and God also. That’s not what God said. Very clearly he said that he alone is God; it’s the first commandment.” He repeatedly alluded to the Old Testament’s First Commandment as justification for violence, claiming that pastors who teach the divinity of Jesus are “leading the flock astray.”
“If anybody is to preach that anyone other than Him is God, we are to stone them to death, or we are to execute them, and so I’m following that law,” Sheafe proclaimed.
The Old Testament is a collection of ancient religious writings that form the first part of the Christian Bible. It is composed of books written primarily in Hebrew, with some portions written in Aramaic. It reflects the religious history, laws, poetry, prophecies, and moral teachings of the ancient Israelites.
The Old Testament is known in Judaism as the Tanakh, an acronym referring to:
- Torah (Law)
- Nevi’im (Prophets)
- Ketuvim (Writings)
The Tanakh is the foundational scripture of Judaism and is central to Jewish religious life, law, and identity.
Christianity, on the other hand, interprets the Old Testament through the lens of the New Testament. Christians see it as preparing the way for Jesus Christ, whom they believe fulfills its prophecies.
Despite Sheafe’s use of Old Testament language and symbolism, which includes references to the tribes of Israel and the crafting of crowns of thorns—there is no evidence Sheafe is Jewish by faith or ancestry, contrary to social media speculation.
NEW:
🇺🇲 A 51-year-old Jewish man with a Hebrew neck tattoo was arrested after crucifying a Christian pastor in Arizona and placing a crown of thorns on his head.
Adam Christopher Sheafe admitted to planning the ritualistic killing of 14 Christian leaders across 10 states.… pic.twitter.com/ct1iw8eKrE
— Megatron (@Megatron_ron) June 26, 2025
In fact, Sheafe has stated he was raised Christian and had a positive childhood, telling journalist Briana Whitney that no one from the Christian faith had ever mistreated him. He also claimed to be of sound mental health.
Sheafe’s arrest in Sedona, where he allegedly planned to kill two more priests, ended his self-declared mission.
Currently in custody at Coconino County Jail, Sheafe faces charges of burglary, stolen vehicle possession, and aggravated assault, per a report by ABNA. Murder charges are pending in Maricopa County.
José Niño is the deputy editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/JoseAlNino
