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Indonesia has released an American man, Tommy Schaefer, who was imprisoned for 11 years for the premeditated murder of his then-girlfriend’s mother in Bali. Upon his return to the United States on Tuesday, Schaefer now confronts federal charges.
Schaefer was initially sentenced to 18 years following the 2014 murder of Sheila von Wiese-Mack during a high-end vacation on the picturesque island. The crime, steeped in intrigue, was reportedly driven by the couple’s desire to access a $1.5 million trust fund, as disclosed by prosecutors.
The grim discovery of 62-year-old von Wiese-Mack’s body inside a suitcase in a taxi at the St. Regis Bali Resort in August 2014 shocked many. At the time, Schaefer was 21 and Mack, who was nearly 19 and pregnant, allegedly assisted in the murder by covering her mother’s mouth while Schaefer struck her with a fruit bowl, according to reports from The Associated Press.
Both Schaefer and Mack were apprehended one day after Sheila von Wiese-Mack’s body was discovered. The high-profile case garnered significant attention, with the young couple’s actions and motivations scrutinized heavily in the media.
A poignant image from January 21, 2015, shows Tommy Schaefer arriving for his trial hearing at a district court in Denpasar, Bali. The photograph, captured by Firdia Lisnawati and filed by AP, underscores the gravity and international attention this case has attracted.
The U.S. District Court in Chicago charged Schafer and Mack with conspiracy to commit murder and obstruction of justice in 2017. The charges were listed in an indictment that remained sealed until Nov. 3, 2021, when Mack was arrested upon her return to the U.S. She had served seven years of a 10-year sentence in Bali for helping kill her mother, according to the AP.
In January 2024, Mack, who pleaded guilty on June 16, 2023, was sentenced to 26 years in prison in Chicago for her role in the murder.
In this March 12, 2015, file photo, Heather Mack, left, and her boyfriend Tommy Schaefer, both from Chicago, Ill., enter the courtroom prior to the start of their trial hearing at the district court in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia. (Firdia Lisnawati, File/AP Photo)
“Heather Mack planned to violently murder her own mother while on vacation in Bali,” then-Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division said in a 2024 statement. “In Bali, Mack stood by while her mother was savagely beaten to death and then callously and unsuccessfully tried to dispose of her mother’s body. This significant sentence holds the defendant to account for this heinous crime.”
On Tuesday, April 21, 2015, Heather Mack, of Chicago, Ill., center, is mobbed by reporters as he arrives in the courtroom for her sentencing hearing at a district court in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati, File)
It is unclear who will represent Schaefer in his U.S. case, as his former attorney, listed in court records as Thomas Durkin, died last year, the AP reported. Schaefer is reportedly expected to make his initial court appearance in Chicago on Thursday.
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