Bali ‘Suitcase Murder’ Suspect Arrested in Chicago After 11 Years in Indonesian Prison

Chicago, IL – Tommy Schaefer, the American man convicted in Indonesia for the 2014 murder of his girlfriend’s mother in Bali, was arrested by the FBI upon his arrival at O’Hare International Airport on Wednesday morning. Schaefer, 32, faces federal charges in the U.S. Related to the death of Sheila von Wiese-Mack, a 62-year-old Chicago socialite.

The Bali ‘Suitcase Murder’

The case, dubbed the “Bali suitcase murder,” gained international attention after von Wiese-Mack’s body was discovered stuffed in a suitcase at the St. Regis Bali Resort in August 2014. Schaefer and his then-girlfriend, Heather Mack, then 19 and pregnant, were arrested the following day. Prosecutors alleged the couple plotted to kill von Wiese-Mack to gain access to her $1.5 million trust fund The Guardian.

Indonesian Prison Sentences and Deportation

Schaefer was sentenced to 18 years in prison in Bali for premeditated murder. He was deported to the U.S. On Tuesday evening after serving his sentence and receiving remissions for good behavior, according to Indonesian immigration officials AP News. Mack served seven years of a 10-year sentence in Indonesia and was deported to the U.S. In 2021.

Federal Charges in the United States

Upon her return to the U.S., Mack pleaded guilty to helping kill her mother and was sentenced to 26 years in federal prison in January 2024 Chicago Sun-Times. Schaefer now faces federal charges in Chicago, including conspiracy to kill a U.S. National in a foreign country, conspiracy to commit murder, and obstruction of justice. He was arrested mid-flight at O’Hare and is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday morning Chicago Sun-Times.

The Motive

Authorities believe the murder was motivated by financial gain, with Schaefer and Mack allegedly hoping to inherit von Wiese-Mack’s wealth The Guardian.