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A suspect accused by police of crucifying an elderly pastor in his Arizona home has given a chilling jailhouse interview confessing to his alleged crimes — and revealing a hit list of other targets across the country he reportedly planned to murder before he was caught.
Adam Christopher Sheafe, 51, confessed to killing 76-year-old William Schonemann, whose body was found in his bed covered in blood with his hands nailed to the wall on April 28, during an interview with Fox 10 News at the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office, where he is being held on charges unrelated to the killing of the beloved New River pastor.
Sheafe was previously named as a suspect in Schoneman’s murder, in what was described as the most “tragic and bizarre” case ever handled by Maricopa County Sheriff Jerry Sheridan in a press conference on June 12.
He described driving from Phoenix at around 2 in the morning on Easter Sunday before he allegedly “executed him” and then placed a crown of thorns on his head in a sick crucifixion ritual in the interview from prison.
Sheafe calmly said he planned to kill 14 Christian leaders in 10 states across the US using the same gruesome method of crucifixion.
“I was going to start in Phoenix and end in Phoenix, and circle the nation. Ten cities, 14 pastors, 10 states,” he said.
He was on his way to kill two priests in Sedona when he was arrested by police, he told his interviewer.
Justifying his sickening actions with religion, Sheafe claimed that Christian pastors were leading people onto a false path by following Jesus, and that Schonemann was the first in his plot that he called “Operation First Commandment,” he said.
“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,” he said.
Asked whether he was ever victimized by a Christian, he replied no, and said his family is Christian and that he had a good childhood.
“I don’t hate Christians. I’m after the pastors that are leading them astray,” he said.
Denying that he was mentally unwell, he added that he was not sorry for what he said he had done.
“Will I apologize for my actions? Absolutely not,” he said, although he added that he would apologize to Schonemann’s grieving family, but with a caveat.
“I will apologize to them in that aspect. I’m sorry that they got caught in the crossfire. Will I apologize for my actions? Absolutely not. I’m defending my father,” Sheafe said.
Asked if he regretted anything, he said “nothing,” adding that he had a history of drug use, but that he didn’t believe it had impacted him.
He also said he was OK with being executed.
Sheafe said he gathered the thorns that he used to make the crown from the desert, and that he placed it on Schonemann’s head after he allegedly murdered him.
Sheafe is being held in Coconino County Jail on charges unrelated to the death of Schonemann.
He has not been charged with killing the pastor, but is expected to be extradited to Maricopa County.
The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office and the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office did not respond immediately to requests for clarification.
Schonemann’s family released a statement in the wake of Sheafe’s alleged killer making his sickening statement.
“What we have seen over the last week is this suspect enjoying the attention. His side of the story is half of the whole story, and we see the need to cover it however challenging that may be for us,” the family said in a statement seen by Fox 10, although they criticized the granting of a platform to Sheafe.
“We are quite surprised by his ability to freely message with county-supplied devices. We are concerned about his increasing notoriety and possibly gaining a following,” the statement continued.
“He has clearly stated his intentions to continue his mission. From the beginning, our focus has been to stop the suspect before anyone else got hurt. We see the surge of media attention and his ability to communicate freely as a very serious threat to that end.”
English (US)