6/30/25 Wisdom, Warnings & Wins – Interview With a Brutal Pastor Killer

Resources 6/30/25 Wisdom, Warnings & Wins – Interview With a Brutal Pastor Killer
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Faith Based Security NetworkFaith Based Security Network

Jun 30, 2025

The Deadly Force Incident study of the FBSN makes sure that applicable, truthful and vetted information is kept for institutional memory of every deadly force attack associated with a ministry in America. This began in 1999 as a tool to be used to quantify the frequency and define lessons learned in such violence affecting American churches.

Due to the abundance of mis-information in the immediate aftermath of most violence, the DFI study doesn’t seek fame through breaking news and shockvertising media tactics. It is usually well over a year after an incident before any details of composite data is released.

One of the stories the DFI study committee is evaluating now however, occurred in April of this year (April 28^th, 2025 to be exact). On that day, William Schonemann (known to his New River Bible Chapel congregation as, “Pastor Bill”) was found murdered in his home in New River, AZ.

We have been discovering some things every church security team should be aware of regarding the mind of some killers;

The killer had never met the pastor or visited with him or anyone else in his church.
The killer was a religious fanatic who says Jesus is a fake and American Preachers are leading people astray.
The killer had planned on killing 14 pastors (some selected for nothing but the name of their church). One for each tribe of Israel and one for Adam.
His next target was a pastor of the church in which he had first been baptized into when he was 3 years old.
He says while murder is a sin, “God has commanded us to execute anyone preaching that anyone but Him is God” (i.e. Jesus).
His first target was abandoned because there were other people around him at his home. So he decided one of his criteria would be those who live alone.
He was homeless, living in a tent, surveilling area churches. He stole his weapons and vehicles.
He selected cities across America where he was going to kill one or more priests and pastors: (Phoenix, AZ / Las Vegas, NV / Portland, OR / Seattle, WA / Billings, MT / Detroit, MI / New York City, New York / Charlotte, NC / Mobile, AL / Beaumont, TX / El Paso, TX / then back to Phoenix, AZ).
Considers himself a saint.

Watch the chilling interview with the killer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQdKPEHWSHc

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