A man was arrested in Arizona, United States for crucifying a priest and placing a crown of thorns on the latter’s head. The accused also confessed to having more targets.
The accused identified as 51-year-old Sheafe. Upon interrogation, he confessed to the murder of Pastor Bill. However, Sheafe was arrested for a different crime and has not been charged with the pastor’s murder. The accused is lodged in the Coconino County jail.
The pastor led the New River Bible Chapel, in Sedona; his body was found on April 28. When asked if he killed the pastor, Sheafe said “yes” and showed no remorse. He justified the murder stating that Christian pastors were leading people astray by following Jesus.
According to a report by Fox News, Sheafe made a list of people he wanted to get rid of as part of his mission titled “Operation First Commandment”. Pastor Bill was the first name on the list of 14 pastors across the US.
Sheafe wanted to crucify all his targets. The accused confessed to killing another pastor who worked at the same church before his arrest. In his confession statement, the accused said, “The day I was going to execute the priest, I got into the back of his car. There was like a little lady on a bike that got in my way, and I was going to get in the back seat and tell him to drive to his house”
When asked if a Christian wronged him at any point in time, Sheafe denied adding that his family is Christian and that he had a sound childhood. The accused denied being mentally unstable and showed no regret. “Will I apologies for my actions? Absolutely not” he said to the police.
Sheafe confessed to being a drug addict; however he denied that it impacted his mental state. He also confessed to creating a crown of thorns which he placed on the pastor’s head after crucifying the latter. The accused told the police he collected thorns from a tree in the desert.
Sheafe’s hit list comprised 14 pastors from 10 cities across 10 states in the US. He further reveled his plan to target clergymen from various faiths. “Christian, Catholic, Mormon. Anyone preaching that Jesus is God, essentially, the Trinity, a concept created by man, by Paul. He’s not God. God, the father alone, is God,” he told the police.
Althou he had no remorse, Sheafe said he would apologise to the pastor’s family. However, there was caveat. “”I will apologize to them in that aspect. I’m sorry that they got caught in the crossfire. Will I apologize for my actions? Absolutely not. I’m defending my father,” Sheafe said.
Following the pastor’s death and Sheafe’s confession, the pastor’s family released a statement.
“What we have seen over the last week is this suspect enjoying the attention. His side of the story is half of the whole story, and we see the need to cover it however challenging that may be for us. We are quite surprised by his ability to freely message with county-supplied devices,” read the statement.
The family expressed concerned over the accused’s notoriety and possibly gaining a following. “He has clearly stated his intentions to continue his mission. From the beginning, our focus has been to stop the suspect before anyone else got hurt. We see the surge of media attention and his ability to communicate freely as a very serious threat to that end,” the family added.
