Alexandra Hardle– AZCENTRAL.COM
The small, sleepy town of New River has been left with more questions than answers nearly a week after the death of one of its beloved pastors.
76-year-old William Schonemann, who was locally known as “Pastor Bill,” was a pastor at the New River Bible Chapel in the small, unincorporated community, which has a population of about 17,000 at the 2020 census.
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call April 28 about an older deceased male. Preliminary observations suggested possible foul play, according to spokesperson David Moyer. That suspicion was confirmed as a homicide May 1, though further details have not been released.
Locals surprised in quiet, quaint community
Without any further information from law enforcement, locals have been left wondering where to pick up the pieces.
Jack and Anita Hogue, longtime neighbors of Schonemann, have lived in the community since 1969, when only a few houses dotted the area. When Schonemann and his wife, Kathy, moved in, the Hogues developed a closer friendship with Kathy than with her husband.
They knew the couple to be relatively quiet, with Schonemann always working on trucks. He was easily identifiable when he drove down the street since he was the only one with a certain type of truck, they said.
The couple recalled an incident from over 30 years ago in which a woman got shot, although it was presumed to be an accident. Many people would go out hunting for quail, deer or javelinas, and it’s possible she got shot from a stray bullet, they said.
But something like a murder is unexpected in such a tight community. While the Hogues said they aren’t particularly social these days, several of their neighbors make an effort to check in on them every few weeks.
While they’re concerned that something similar could happen again, the couple believes Schonemann was likely killed by someone he knew.
‘Why would anyone hurt Bill?’
Eric Asher referred to Schonemann as his “road buddy,” which he came up with since the two would often see each other on their daily morning walks and were somewhere between acquaintances and friends.
Asher first moved to New River about three years ago when he and his family were looking for more land. He ended up liking his neighbors and the tight-knit community.
“It’s kind of a place where, if you’re out walking or driving, people always wave to each other,” Asher said.
Asher started running and cycling and would see Schonemann out walking almost every day, and the two would stop and chat for a few minutes when they saw each other.
Schonemann frequently talked about spending summer in Montana with his son to work on airplanes or the custom pickup trucks he built.
Asher said Schonemann wasn’t necessarily the loudest person in the room, but he was very talkative and particularly enjoyed talking about his family.
Like the Hogues, Asher said there isn’t a sense that there is a mass killer roaming about in New River, and that it seems that Schonemann was likely killed by someone he knew. New River isn’t a place where one would test their luck at robbing houses since many people have weapons and aren’t afraid to defend themselves, Asher said.
But Asher said he will miss seeing Schonemann out on his walks every morning.
“Who would do that? Why would anyone hurt Bill? I don’t understand how someone could do something like that. It’s still unfathomable,” Asher said.