Arizona pastor found dead with hands pinned to wall in homicide at home

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Brother of Arizona bus stop hatchet attack victim details ‘heinous’ crime in Dem-run city

Luke Couch, whose brother, Jacob Couch, was nearly decapitated by a hatchet-wielding suspect at a bus stop in Tucson, Arizona, detailed the heinous nature of the crime to Fox News Digital.

The death of a pastor in New River, Arizona, under bizarre circumstances has been ruled a homicide. 

Pastor Bill Schonemann, 76, head of the New River Bible Chapel, was found dead in his own bed last Monday, April 28, with his arms spread wide and pinned to the wall, according to FOX 10 Phoenix. Foul play is suspected. 

The Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office officially ruled Schonemann’s death a homicide, as police continue to investigate. 

Pastor William Schonemann was killed in New River, Arizona. (Randall Schonemann )

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According to FOX 10, the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) said there are “unique, specific circumstances to the case,” and that there is no ongoing threat to the community. 

Schonemann’s neighbor, Mike Anders, was puzzled by the pastor’s death. 

Pastor William Schonemann photographed in an antique airplane. (Randall Schonemann)

“I mean, we locked our doors last night. It’s just something that we are just not used to doing. Everybody is just, until we know what’s going on, we don’t know if it was a family member, or, we don’t know what, who could do this to him,” Anders told FOX 10.

New River, Arizona, home to Pastor Bill Schonemann’s church. (Getty Images)

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MCSO declined to offer an update on the case, citing the ongoing investigation. 

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Autopsy records were not immediately available. 

The Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office declined to comment. 

Peter D’Abrosca joined Fox News Digital in 2025 after four years as a politics reporter at The Tennessee Star. 

He grew up in Rhode Island and is a graduate of Elon University. 

Follow Peter on X at @pmd_reports. Send story tips to peter.dabrosca@fox.com.