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US man deported after 11-year sentence for Bali murder
Tommy Schaefer, convicted in the 2014 killing of his girlfriend's mother in Bali, was deported to the United States on Tuesday after receiving early release for good behavior. He now faces federal charges in Chicago.
Case background
Schaefer and his then-girlfriend, Heather Mack, were convicted of murdering Sheila von Wiese-Mack during a holiday in Bali. Prosecutors alleged the couple plotted the killing to access a $1.5 million trust fund. Von Wiese-Mack's body was found stuffed in a suitcase inside a taxi trunk in August 2014.
Trial and sentencing
An Indonesian court sentenced Schaefer to 18 years in prison in 2015, calling the crime "sadistic." Mack received a 10-year term, reduced due to her age (18 at the time), pregnancy, and lesser role in the killing. She was released and deported in 2021.
During the trial, Schaefer claimed self-defense, stating von Wiese-Mack became violent after learning of Mack's pregnancy. Prosecutors, however, argued Mack restrained her mother while Schaefer struck her with a fruit bowl.
Deportation and apology
Schaefer, now 33, was released from a Bali prison on Tuesday morning after earning remissions for good conduct. Hours before boarding his flight to the U.S., he apologized to von Wiese-Mack's family.
"I'm sorry. I'm always sorry. I was thrust into this situation, but I take full responsibility for everything I have done and I hope Sheila's family finds peace."
Tommy Schaefer, speaking to AFP
US legal proceedings
Schaefer is scheduled to appear in a Chicago court on Thursday to face federal charges. Mack, meanwhile, was arrested upon her 2021 deportation and later sentenced to 26 years in U.S. prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy and obstruction of justice.
Mack had initially pleaded not guilty but changed her plea after prosecutors offered a reduced sentence. From prison, she gave interviews detailing the crime and her strained relationship with her mother.
