{"id":2430442,"date":"2025-05-02T22:29:57","date_gmt":"2025-05-03T02:29:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/arizona-pastor-found-dead-in-home-foul-play-confirmed\/"},"modified":"2025-05-02T22:31:16","modified_gmt":"2025-05-03T02:31:16","slug":"arizona-pastor-found-dead-in-home-foul-play-confirmed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/arizona-pastor-found-dead-in-home-foul-play-confirmed\/","title":{"rendered":"Arizona Pastor Found Dead in Home, Foul Play Confirmed"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Farizona-pastor-found-dead-in-home-foul-play-confirmed%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2430442&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Authorities are investigating the death of William Schonemann, a 76-year-old pastor in New River, Arizona, who was found dead in his home on Monday night. Maricopa County Sheriff\u2019s deputies discovered him in bed, covered in blood, leading the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/flashback-former-ag-barr-initiated-spying-program-on-americans-back-in-1992\/\" title=\"FLASHBACK: Former AG Barr Initiated Spying Program on Americans Back in 1992\">medical examiner<\/a> to rule the death a homicide.Although Sheriff\u2019s officials stated the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/kamala-harris-breaks-precedent-skips-saluting-military-before-boarding-air-force-two\/\" title=\"Kamala Harris Breaks Precedent, Skips Saluting Military Before Boarding Air Force Two\">incident appears<\/a> to be isolated with no ongoing threat to the community, the investigation is ongoing, and no arrests have been made yet. Neighbors expressed shock, describing a heavy police presence at the scene. Known as &#8220;Pastor Bill,&#8221; Schonemann served for 25 years at the New River Bible Chapel and was respected in his community. His family and former congregation members remembered him as a positive influence and dedicated individual. The circumstances surrounding his death are still unclear, and authorities are <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">awaiting autopsy results<\/a>.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Officials have confirmed foul play was involved in the case of a pastor in New River, Arizona, who was found dead in his home Monday night.<\/p>\n<p>Maricopa County Sheriff&rsquo;s deputies found a deceased William Schonemann, 76, in bed covered with blood, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.azfamily.com\/2025\/04\/30\/foul-play-suspected-pastors-death-new-river-home\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">KTVK\/KPHO<\/a> in Phoenix.<\/p>\n<p>The Maricopa County Medical Examiner ruled the death a homicide, but the Maricopa County Sheriff&rsquo;s Office declared it an &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cybertruck-detonates-in-fatal-explosion-outside-trump-hotel-being-investigated-as-potential-act-of-terrorism\/\" title=\"Cybertruck Detonates in Fatal Explosion Outside Trump Hotel, Being Investigated as Potential Act of Terrorism\">isolated incident&#038;rdquo<\/a>; and said there is &ldquo;no further risk or safety concerns for the community,&rdquo; according to the news outlet.<\/p>\n<p>The deputies were responding to a wellness check at the pastor&rsquo;s home around 7:30 p.m. when they discovered his body.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;You <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hunter-biden-defector-emails-pipeline-to-obama-admin-seen-as-currency\/\" title=\"Hunter Biden Defector Emails: &#039;Pipeline&#039; to Obama Admin Seen as &#039;Currency&#039;\">didn&#038;rsquo<\/a>;t see what I saw in there,&rdquo; a neighbor of Schonemann&rsquo;s told KTVK\/KPHO.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadScript(src) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=src; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.async=true; \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.body.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadScript(\"https:\/\/embed.sendtonews.com\/player3\/embedcode.js?fk=s28Az7AY\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #stnvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#stnvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>Steve Dopke, another neighbor of Schonemann&rsquo;s, said he saw more than a dozen <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/black-community-feels-pain-alleged-slasher-gets-low-bail-murders-beloved-neighbor-momma-zee-police\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">police<\/a> cars near the pastor&rsquo;s house.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We tried getting some information out of them yesterday, but they said it was suspicious,&rdquo; Dopke said.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The only thing I can think is if it happened on a Sunday, I don&rsquo;t know, if somebody was trying to shake him down. Maybe he was trying to help somebody and it went bad or something, who knows,&rdquo; he said.<\/p>\n<p>The investigation is ongoing, and detectives are still waiting for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/richard-simmons-autopsy-shows-system-death-ruled-accident\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">autopsy<\/a> results.<\/p>\n<p>No arrests have been made.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Here&rsquo;s the latest on the mysterious death investigation of &ldquo;Pastor Bill&rdquo; in New River. He was a father and veteran.<\/p>\n<p>A first responder source confirmed he was found dead in bed covered in blood.<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/azfamily?\">@azfamily<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/TJ382PQ6Rg\">pic.twitter.com\/TJ382PQ6Rg<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Holly Bock (@HollyBockTV) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/HollyBockTV\/status\/1917800185058714015?\">May 1, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Schonemann, affectionately known in the community as &ldquo;Pastor Bill,&rdquo; ministered at New River Bible Chapel.<\/p>\n<p>The church is one of the oldest in New River, a town with a population of more than 18,000 people as of 2023, <a href=\"https:\/\/datausa.io\/profile\/geo\/new-river-az\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">according to Data USA<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;My heart just dropped,&rdquo; former congregation member Zane Sharpe told <a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc15.com\/news\/local-news\/mcso-investigating-suspicious-death-of-elderly-man-in-new-river\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">KNXV-TV<\/a>. &ldquo;It dropped to my core. Like what a sweet guy, a pastor too. Everyone holds pastors in high esteem, but this guy truly lived what he spoke.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Schonemann was a pastor at New River Bible Chapel for 25 years, his son Randall told <a href=\"https:\/\/www.azcentral.com\/story\/news\/local\/phoenix\/2025\/05\/01\/new-river-mourns-death-pastor-bill-foul-play-possible\/83369178007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">AZCentral<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>After serving in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/navy-seal-denied-exemption-covid-19-vaccine-now-key-part-trumps-task-force-anti-christian-bias\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">United States Navy<\/a> during the Vietnam War, Schonemann turned to faith.<\/p>\n<p>In his free time, he also liked working on cars and airplanes.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Our Dad had such a positive impact on people everywhere he went,&rdquo; the Schonemann family said in a statement to KTVK\/KPHO.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We will miss the loving guidance and patience. The happiness he showed just getting to walk around an airport, getting his steps in. The creativity of all machines he built. There are never enough words to say it all or to say it as well as a person would like. Simply, he is missed.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Authorities have confirmed that foul play was involved in the death of a pastor in New River, Arizona, who was discovered dead at his home on Monday night. Maricopa County Sheriff\u2019s deputies found 76-year-old William Schonemann deceased in bed and covered in blood, as reported by KTVK\/KPHO in Phoenix. The Maricopa County Medical Examiner has classified the death as a homicide; however, the Sheriff&#8217;s Office stated it is an &#8220;isolated incident&#8221; and there are &#8220;no further risks or safety concerns for the community.&#8221; Deputies were conducting a wellness check around 7:30 p.m. when they made the grim discovery. A neighbor recounted seeing numerous police vehicles near Schonemann&#8217;s residence and mentioned that authorities described the situation as suspicious. The investigation is ongoing, with detectives awaiting autopsy results, and no arrests have been made yet.<\/p>\n<p>Known affectionately as \u201cPastor Bill,\u201d Schonemann served at New River Bible Chapel for 25 years. He was also a veteran who had served in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War before turning to faith. His family expressed their sorrow over his loss, highlighting his positive impact on those around him and noting how much he will be missed<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2430443,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Pastors-death-ruled-homicide.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[4472,50403,35758,3976,14117],"class_list":["post-2430442","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-arizona","tag-crime-2","tag-foul-play","tag-investigation","tag-pastor"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Pastors-death-ruled-homicide.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2430442","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2430442"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2430442\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2430446,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2430442\/revisions\/2430446"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2430443"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2430442"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2430442"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2430442"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}