Adam Christopher Sheafe, who admitted to crucifying an Arizona pastor to death, was on his way to the Chapel of the Holy Cross of Sedona.
By Catholics for Catholics
A man who admitted to crucifying an Arizona pastor and had been planning to murder 14 Christian leaders, including Catholic priests, told his chilling tale in a jailhouse interview to reporters.
Adam Christopher Sheafe, 51, admitted killing William Schonemann, 76, a New River pastor. Authorities found his bloodied body in his bed, with his hands nailed to the wall on April 28, according to The New York Post.
Maricopa County Sheriff Jerry Sheridan called the case the most “tragic and bizarre” ever handled by his office.
Sheafe described driving from Phoenix, Arizona, on Easter Sunday morning around 2 a.m. before allegedly “executing him,” reported The Post. Sheafe had collected some thorns from the desert and confessed that in a bizarre ritual he placed them on Schonemann’s head.
In addition, according to Fox10 News from Phoenix, Sheafe planned to kill 14 Christian leaders from 10 states, applying the same ghastly crucifixion.
“I was going to start in Phoenix and end in Phoenix, and circle the nation. Ten cities, 14 pastors, 10 states,” Sheafe said.
Some news sources describe Sheafe as an “extremist jew,” while others said he was a lapsed Christian.
"A pastor in the USA was CRUCIFIED before having a Crown of Thorns placed on his head after death. His killer was later apprehended while en route to crucify two Catholic priests.
— Catholics for Catholics 🇺🇲 (@CforCatholics) June 26, 2025
His first target was a priest in Phoenix before being interrupted. In total, he had 14 targets,… pic.twitter.com/8RHJLpBtsq
After killing Schonemann, he was on his way to kill two priests in Sedona when police arrested him. The target was the priests of the Chapel of the Holy Cross, a striking church located in the midst of the red rock mountains, where priests say Mass and other liturgies in gorgeous rituals.
So, why did Sheafe kill Pastor Schonemann and wanted to go on a warpath and kill all those other priests and Christian leaders? Sheafe told his interviewers that he believed the pastors were leading people in a fake way by following Jesus, calling his grisly work “Operation First Commandment.”
“Christian, Catholic, Mormon. Anyone preaching that Jesus is God, essentially, the Trinity, a concept created by man, by Paul. He’s not God. God, the father alone, is God,” Sheafe said.
Sheafe said he had never been hurt by a Christian and added that his family was Christian and that he had undergone a good childhood.
“I don’t hate Christians. I’m after the pastors that are leading them astray,” he said.
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