{"id":1295,"date":"2026-06-05T21:06:14","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T21:06:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/?p=1295"},"modified":"2026-06-05T21:06:14","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T21:06:14","slug":"accused-pastor-killer-changes-plea-avoids-death-penalty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/?p=1295","title":{"rendered":"Accused pastor killer changes plea, avoids death penalty"},"content":{"rendered":"
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NEW RIVER, AZ \u2014 The man accused of murdering a New River pastor and attempting to harm other religious leaders has reached a plea agreement with the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.<\/p>\n

Read more NTSB report details how a United Airlines jet struck a light pole on approach to Newark airport<\/a><\/p>\n

Adam Scheafe officially changed his plea Friday morning.<\/p>\n

In court, Scheafe pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including first-degree murder.<\/p>\n

The judge outlined aspects of the agreement in court, including that he would be sentenced to natural life for the murder charge.<\/p>\n

See previous coverage in the video player above<\/i><\/p>\n

NEW RIVER MURDER\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

Scheafe has now pleaded guilty in the death of Bill Schonemann.<\/p>\n

Schonemann was a beloved pastor from New River who was found dead in his home<\/u> at the end of April 2025.<\/p>\n

Scheafe sat down with ABC15 last year, detailing his cross-country plan to kill religious leaders<\/u>.<\/p>\n

Originally, he told ABC15 he wanted the death penalty and had already confessed to the FBI.<\/p>\n

Read more Senate passes $70B ICE, Border Patrol funding after fight over Trump settlement fund<\/a><\/p>\n

At the time, he was being held in Coconino County, where he was arrested by law enforcement.<\/p>\n

He was later charged with Schonemann’s death and extradited to Maricopa County.<\/p>\n

In July 2025, he first pleaded not guilty<\/u>.<\/u><\/p>\n

Then in December, he filed to represent himself, and in March of 2026, he attempted to plead no contest.<\/p>\n

Jude Starr said they would meet again in April and discuss it more.<\/p>\n

When everyone arrived at court, prosecutors said Scheafe had a “change of heart” following the death of his dad and stepmom in a plane crash.<\/p>\n

After court, Scheafe sent ABC15 a message saying he had still planned to plead guilty.<\/p>\n

“…but it just didn’t work out that way. I have to trust God in all things so if it’s a life sentence, then that’s what it is. At this point I just want closure for everyone.”<\/p>\n

Read more Court overturns immigration restrictions that left thousands in legal limbo<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The man accused of murdering a New River pastor and attempting to harm other religious leaders has reached a plea agreement with the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1294,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1295","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-crime"],"yoast_head":"\nAccused pastor killer changes plea, avoids death penalty - Arizona Moving Insider<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/?p=1295\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Accused pastor killer changes plea, avoids death penalty - 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