Heather Mack, a Chicago native, has been sentenced to 26 years in prison by a federal judge in Chicago for her involvement in the infamous “suitcase murder” case. The sentencing, delivered on Wednesday, is the latest chapter in a gruesome saga that garnered global attention for its shocking details.
In 2014, Mack, then 18 years old and pregnant, conspired with her boyfriend, Tommy Schaefer, to kill her mother, Sheila von Wiese-Mack, during a vacation in Bali, Indonesia. The pair meticulously planned the murder, which took place in the room at the St. Regis Bali Resort. Following the killing, they placed von Wiese-Mack’s lifeless body in a suitcase, left it bloodstained in the trunk of a taxi, and fled the scene.
Mack faced charges of “deliberately aiding in the commission of premeditated murder” in Indonesia and served seven years in prison. In 2021, upon her release, she was deported to the United States but was subsequently rearrested on murder charges, leading to her recent sentencing.
In June 2023, Mack pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to kill a U.S. national, a charge carrying a maximum sentence of 28 years in prison. The recent sentencing fell just two years short of the maximum, and the judge ordered Mack to pay $262,708 in restitution to her mother’s estate, along with a $50,000 fine.
The case has been marked by its horrifying details, including Mack’s active role in planning and executing her mother’s murder. Prosecutors portrayed her as “devoid of empathy and remorse,” emphasizing her efforts to conceal the crime, such as using her mother’s credit card to book Schaefer’s plane ticket to Indonesia. The prosecution also alleged that Mack killed her mother to access her $1.5 million trust fund, a claim Mack has denied.
Despite Mack’s claims of suffering domestic abuse and violence throughout her life, including witnessing her father abusing her mother, the prosecution argued that she displayed a lack of remorse and empathy. Mack’s lawyers highlighted her troubled family history but ultimately faced an uphill battle in securing a more lenient sentence.
Heather Mack’s legal team had requested a 15-year sentence, subtracting the seven years she served in Indonesia. However, the judge delivered a harsher sentence, emphasizing the brutality and premeditation of the crime.
Heather Mack lawyers anticipate that, with time served in federal custody and potential reductions for good behavior, she might spend close to 20 years in prison. The saga continues to unravel, leaving behind a tale of familial discord, violence, and a daughter sentenced for her role in her mother’s tragic demise.