American freed after 11 years for Bali 'suitcase murder'
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Tommy Schaefer has been sentenced to 18 years behind bars for the 2014 murder of Sheila von Wiese-Mack, a well-known socialite from Chicago. This brutal crime unfolded during what was supposed to be a lavish getaway in Bali.

Dubbed the “suitcase murder,” this case captured wide attention when Sheila’s body, showing signs of a vicious beating, was discovered inside a suitcase in the trunk of a taxi parked at a luxurious resort.

The badly beaten body of wealthy Chicago socialite Sheila von Wiese-Mack, was found in a suitcase.
The badly beaten body of wealthy Chicago socialite Sheila von Wiese-Mack, was found in a suitcase. (Supplied)

Prosecutors revealed that the motive behind this gruesome act was a $1.5 million trust fund. Heather Mack, Sheila’s daughter, reportedly assisted Schaefer by covering her mother’s mouth while he struck her repeatedly with a fruit bowl.

Police in Bali arrested Mack, nearly 19 at the time and a few weeks pregnant, and the then-21-year-old Schaefer a day later.

After serving time in Indonesia, Schaefer was deported to the United States, having received sentence reductions for good behavior. This was confirmed by Felucia Sengky Ratna, head of the Bali Regional Office of the Directorate General of Immigration.

Tommy Schaefer has now returned to the United States, but faces another legal battle in Chicago.
Tommy Schaefer has now returned to the United States, but faces another legal battle in Chicago. (AP)

Upon his arrival in Illinois on Wednesday, according to the US Marshals Service, Schaefer was taken into custody with the FBI overseeing his transportation.

Despite completing his sentence abroad, Schaefer still faces federal charges in the United States.

He was scheduled to make an initial court appearance in Chicago on federal charges of conspiracy to kill someone in a foreign country, conspiracy to commit murder and tampering with a victim.
Heather Mack, left, and her boyfriend Tommy Schaefer. Heather was jailed for over 20 years when she returned to the United States,
Heather Mack, left, and her boyfriend Tommy Schaefer. Heather was jailed for over 20 years when she returned to the United States, (AP)
Schaefer’s lawyer in the US case, Chicago-based Thomas Durkin, died last year. Court records showed a new attorney, Matthew Madden, also of Chicago, is now representing him. Madden did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

Mack served seven years of a 10-year prison sentence in Bali for helping to kill her mother and was deported in October 2021.

She was also sentenced to 26 years in prison in Chicago in January 2024, after she pleaded guilty to helping kill her mother and stuffing the body in the suitcase.

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