Gambling problems
The main suspect in the gruesome murder case of Pastor William Schonemann in New River, Arizona, was struggling with a gambling addiction, according to Fox 10.
previously had a lawsuit against trading platform Ninjatrader dismissed
Adam Christopher Sheafe, 51, was arrested on April 30 in connection with the murder and held on multiple charges. However, it was also revealed that he previously had a lawsuit against trading platform Ninjatrader dismissed in February of this year.
In his complaint, Sheafe spoke of his “unhealthy gambling addiction” and accused Ninjatrader of negligence for not closing his account. He later filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy.
Shocking crime
The brutal murder of Schonemann shocked residents of New River, which has been described as a safe rural community where residents often do not lock their doors.
The pastor was found dead in his home with his hands nailed to the wall in a twisted scene reminiscent of a crucifixion, leading Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office Captain David Lee to state that he believed the motive for the killing was “religious in nature.”
Lee also stated that there were “a number of future victims planned, some of those in Arizona, and that he had taken action in furtherance of those additional crimes”, while Maricopa County Sheriff Jerry Sheridan said the murder was “one of the most bizarre cases I have ever seen in my 40 years.”
Unclear motives
Whether the gambling addiction had influenced Sheafe to commit the murder or not remains to be established, but when filing for bankruptcy he stated that he “lost everything I had owned and had worked for.”
Sheaf has a previous criminal record for financial crimes, having been sentenced to 94 months in prison in 2018 for bank fraud and identify theft of over $500,000. He also has a prior 2013 conviction for domestic violence.
with no clear financial motive for killing Schonemann, it is believed he was chosen at random.
Sheaf is also currently charged with several burglaries in Sedona as well as the theft of a car prior to the murder. Yet with no clear financial motive for killing Schonemann, it is believed he was chosen at random. The pastor’s son, Randy, said: “It’s amazing to think that somebody drive down the road in New River and just happened to pick him out.”
“We wanna understand what happened. We want to understand why, as much as we can. And you know, we know that this is a long race.”
