American released from Indonesia jail after serving 11 years for 'suitcase murder' as US case looms

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Indonesia has freed and deported an American who spent 11 years in prison for the premeditated murder of his then-girlfriend’s mother on the tourist island of Bali. Now, he’s facing federal charges in the U.S.

Tommy Schafer, who returned to the U.S. on Tuesday, was sentenced to 18 years in prison for the 2014 murder of Sheila von Wiese-Mack, the mother of his then-girlfriend Heather Mack, during a luxury vacation.

Prosecutors have said that the couple was trying to gain access to a $1.5 million trust fund, The Associated Press reported. In August 2014, the battered body of 62-year-old von Wiese-Mack was found in a suitcase in the trunk of a taxi parked at the St. Regis Bali Resort.

At the time of the murder, Mack was nearly 19 years old and a few weeks pregnant, while Schaefer was 21 years old, the AP reported. Prosecutors said that Mack covered her mother’s mouth while Schaefer hit the 63-year-old with a fruit bowl, according to the AP. The outlet noted that the two were arrested the day after von Wiese-Mack’s body was found.

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.

Heather Mack, left, and her then-boyfriend Tommy Schaefer in court

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“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.”

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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.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.