Heather Mack has been sentenced in a federal court to serve 26 years for conspiring with her boyfriend, Tommy Schaefer, to murder her own mother, Sheila von Wiese.
On August 12, 2014, Mack was only 18 years old when she and Schaefer attacked her mom in a hotel room at a luxury resort in Bali, Indonesia.
Mack held Sheila’s mouth shut to muffle the screams while her boyfriend beat their victim to death with the handle of a fruit bowl.
Von Wiese and Mack were living together in suburban Chicago’s Oak Park when the pair traveled to Bali for a vacation.
However, unknown to von Wiese, Mack then used her mom’s credit card to pay for her boyfriend Schaefer to travel to Bali.
The two killers then plotted to kill von Wiese in the deluded belief that Mack would inherit a large amount of money. The cops would later uncover texts between the pair where they discussed the murder and fantasized about what they would spend the inheritance on.
Tommy Schaefer and Heather Mack stuffed Sheila von Wiese into a suitcase
After the brutal murder, Mack and Schaefer stuffed the remains into a suitcase, which they placed into a taxi. The taxi driver refused the fair, which caused the two killers to flee. Mack told the driver she had to speak to her mother before they fled.
Watch the Latest on our YouTube ChannelThe Indonesian cops picked the pair up at another hotel the following day, and they were both charged and later convicted of murder.
In 2015, Schaefer was sentenced to 18 years, and he is still serving his time in an Indonesian prison. Mack was given a ten-year sentence, but she was released after seven years.
In 2021, Mack was deported back to the United States, where she was immediately arrested by federal agents at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. Last summer, she pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to kill a U.S. national.
The killer’s defense team argued that Mack should serve only 15 years in jail and should be allowed credit for the time served abroad.
Federal prosecutors argued that she should be given the maximum sentence of 28 years. Yesterday, the judge opted for 26 years.
Suitcase killer Heather Mack showed remorse for killing mom, Sheila von Wiese
At the sentencing, Mack showed remorse for her actions. She tearfully claimed that the “worst punishment” was living with what she had done, and she apologized to von Wiese’s family.
Von Wiese’s brother, Bill von Weise, said, “That was the first time I heard her apologize, and I did appreciate that.”
Mack has an 8-year-old daughter who she gave birth to while in prison in Indonesia. The child was with her when she was arrested at Chicago Airport but has reportedly begun living with a relative following a custody battle.
Mack will likely serve her sentence in Illinois or in Colorado, where her daughter now lives. Her lawyer said he expects her to get out on good behavior in about 20 years when she will be in her 40s.