The man accused of murdering a New River pastor and attempting to harm other religious leaders will be sentenced Friday afternoon.
This summer, Adam Sheafe officially changed his plea. In court, Sheafe pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including first-degree murder.
The plea agreement took the death penalty off the table; instead, Sheafe will spend the rest of his life behind bars.
NEW RIVER MURDER
In June, Sheafe pleaded guilty to the murder of Bill Schonemann.
Schonemann was a beloved pastor from New River who was found dead in his home at the end of April 2025.
Sheafe sat down with ABC15 last year, detailing his cross-country plan to kill religious leaders.
Originally, he told ABC15 he wanted the death penalty and had already confessed to the FBI.
At the time, he was being held in Coconino County, where he was arrested by law enforcement.
He was later charged with Schonemann's death and extradited to Maricopa County.
In July 2025, he first pleaded not guilty.
In December, he filed to represent himself, and in March of 2026, he attempted to plead no contest.
Judge Patricia Starr said they would meet again in April and discuss a possible change of plea.
When everyone arrived at court, prosecutors said Sheafe had a "change of heart" following the death of his dad and stepmom in a plane crash.
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PLEADING GUILTY
The plea agreement addressed a long list of charges, including kidnapping and attempt to commit murder.
The deal laid out dozens of years behind bars with certain terms running concurrently and consecutively to each other.
ABC15 spoke with Pastor Bill's son Randy Schonemann hours after the change of plea.
Our team asked what it was like to hear Sheafe plead guilty in court, especially after court hearings where there was so much uncertainty.
"Hearing him take responsibility or, you know, state his guilt in a clear manner instead of some of the things we've seen in videos," said Randy. "That was a good, a reassuring thing that we're moving down that path towards some final justice."
Sheafe sent a message to ABC15's Ashley Holden saying he felt good about his decision.
