In a case that captured international attention, an American man convicted of murdering his girlfriend’s mother in a Bali hotel has been released after serving 12 years of his 18-year sentence. The crime, fueled by a motive to access a trust fund, saw Tommy Schaefer commit the gruesome act and conceal the body in a suitcase.
On Tuesday, Schaefer exited Kerobokan Prison around midnight local time, only to be immediately transferred to immigration authorities for deportation back to the United States. His release marks a significant moment in a saga that has long gripped both the public and media.
As Schaefer departed the prison facility, he faced a barrage of questions from the press. Despite the weight of his past, he expressed feelings of happiness, attributing his outlook to faith by stating, “God is good,” and expressing a desire to move forward and “enjoy life.”
In a turn of events that intertwine their fates, Schaefer’s former girlfriend, Heather Mack, who was also implicated in the crime, has already been released from the same prison years earlier. However, her freedom was short-lived. Upon her return to the United States, Mack was rearrested and is currently serving a 26-year sentence in a U.S. prison.
His former girlfriend Heather Mack, who was also convicted in the case, was released from Kerobokan prison several years ago.
After returning to the United States, she was rearrested and is now serving another 26 years in a US prison.
The case dates back to August 2014, when 62 year old Sheila Wiese-Mack booked a vacation with her teenage daughter Heather for what was meant to be a luxury stay at the renowned St Regis resort in Nusa Dua, Bali.
Sheila hoped the trip would help repair her strained relationship with her daughter, after tensions between the pair had escalated into repeated arguments and incidents that resulted in police being called to their Chicago home 80 times.
Heather, whose father was successful jazz musician James Mack, had grown up in a wealthy household and the family was known for enjoying extravagant holidays.
Tommy Schaefer (pictured) walked out of Kerobokan Prison at around 12am Bali time on Tuesday
Tommy Schaefer (pictured) was immediately handed over to immigration officials for deportation
Sheila (L) pictured with her daughter Heather (R)
But things took a painful turn for the family when in 2001 Mack got an infection from a cut on his leg and was left having to use a wheelchair.
Mack was ultimately awarded $1.5 million in compensation following a medical dispute, but tragically died in 2006.
After her father’s death, Heather became unruly as a teenager and began stealing, partying and even grew violent.
She dropped out of high school and ended up spending time in juvenile detention.
It was during this raucous period that she met Tommy Schaefer, a 21-year-old aspiring rap artist who came from a notably less affluent background than Heather.
Sheila did not approve of the romance and believed Tommy to be a bad influence.
Unbeknown to her mother, Heather was pregnant with Schaefer’s child at the time of the Bali trip and had secretly invited him to join them, using her mother’s credit card to purchase a $12,000 first class flight for her boyfriend.
Tommy Schaefer (R), a then 21-year-old aspiring rap artist, pictured with Heather (L) on a beach prior to the murder
Sheila’s death is believed to have been caused by Tommy (R) hitting her over the head with a fruit bowl while Heather (L) held her hand over her mouth
CCTV footage later showed Sheila discovering that two rooms had been booked under her name at the hotel, one of which was assigned to Schaefer.
After checking her bank details and learning about the flight purchase, she confronted her daughter.
Just eight days into the trip, on the evening of August 12, Sheila was killed in her hotel room.
Shelia’s cause of death was asphyxiation from drowning in her own blood.
It is believed that Tommy hit her over the head with a fruit bowl while Heather held her hand over her mouth.
The pair placed her body inside a suitcase and left it in the trunk of a taxi outside the resort. Indonesian police discovered the suitcase and traced it back to the hotel.
After police discovered the suitcase containing Shelia’s body, they swiftly descended on the hotel where they found a gruesome, bloody scene in the hotel room and quickly realized that Heather and Schaefer had fled, leaving their passports behind.
A nationwide search was launched and the couple were soon located in another hotel room, which had been booked using Sheila’s credit card.
Heather Mack pictured in court for her sentencing hearing at a district court in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia
Tommy Schaefer pictured in court in 2015 in Bali
Initially, the pair claimed they had been attacked by a masked gang and that Sheila had not escaped.
Schaefer later told police he had acted in self defense after Sheila allegedly threatened to harm Heather and her unborn baby.
However, CCTV footage showing Sheila and Heather arguing in the hotel lobby and further evidence undermined their account.
On September 19, Schaefer admitted to helping Heather kill her mother and conceal the body.
Both were charged with premeditated murder on January 14, 2015.
In April that year, Heather was sentenced to 10 years in prison for being an accessory to the murder, while Schaefer received 18 years for the killing.
Judges said Heather was given leniency because she had given birth to their daughter, Stella, while in custody.
Under Indonesian prison rules, she was allowed to keep Stella with her for up to two years and continued to have access to her afterwards.
Back in the US, however, the sentences were widely seen as lenient.
Heather Mack pictured with her daughter Stella, who was born while she was in custody awaiting trial for helping to murder her mother
It also later emerged that Schaefer had sought advice from his cousin Robert Bibbs in Chicago, promising him $50,000 from Sheila’s $1.5 million trust fund.
Bibbs was arrested in connection with conspiracy to murder and was sentenced to nine years in prison in June 2017 on one count of conspiracy to commit foreign murder.
His conviction ultimately led to Heather’s arrest when she returned to the US in 2021.
Heather was due to stand trial in July 2023 but pleaded guilty one month before. In January 2024, she was sentenced to 26 years imprisonment.
Kerobokan Prison Governor Hudi Ismono confirmed Schaefer’s release on Tuesday, saying: ‘Today, Tommy Schaefer is released and we have handed over him to the Immigration.
‘For foreign prisoners, the release should involve the Immigration for deportation process.’
Ismono said that Schaefer had spent at least 12 years in prison and had received a total of 75 months and 120 days in sentence cuts during his incarceration due to good behaviour.
There has been speculation that Schaefer could be rearrested by US police following his deportation.
However, Ismono said: ‘I don’t know about it. There is no communication from interpol regarding that.’
