Indonesian authorities have deported American citizen Tommy Schaefer following his 11-year incarceration for the notorious 2014 “suitcase murder” that shocked the resort island of Bali. Schaefer, now 33, was released from Kerobokan Prison on Tuesday morning after receiving sentence reductions for good behavior during his imprisonment.
The case dates back to August 2014 when Schaefer and his then-girlfriend Heather Mack conspired to murder Mack’s mother, Sheila von Wiese-Mack, during a family vacation. Court documents revealed the couple’s motive centered on accessing the victim’s $1.5 million trust fund. The brutal killing occurred when Mack, then 18 and pregnant, covered her mother’s mouth while Schaefer delivered fatal blows with a metal fruit bowl.
In a macabre attempt to conceal the crime, the couple stuffed the victim’s body into a suitcase and abandoned it in a taxi trunk. The taxi driver discovered the gruesome contents and alerted authorities, leading to the couple’s arrest at a different Bali hotel.
During the 2015 trial, Indonesian prosecutors characterized the killing as “sadistic,” resulting in Schaefer receiving an 18-year sentence while Mack received a 10-year term. The court considered Mack’s pregnancy and lesser direct involvement as mitigating factors.
Before boarding his deportation flight to Chicago, Schaefer expressed remorse to journalists, stating: “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.”
Schaefer now faces federal charges in the United States for conspiracy to kill a US national abroad and is scheduled to appear in Chicago court on Thursday. His case mirrors that of his accomplice Heather Mack, who was deported in 2021 only to be immediately arrested upon US arrival and subsequently sentenced to 26 years in federal prison after changing her plea agreement.