The skies above held a chilling reunion as Tommy Schaefer, a Chicago man haunted by a decade-old crime, was arrested mid-flight. He believed he was finally returning home after serving time for a horrific act, but instead, he was met with a new indictment – federal murder conspiracy charges stemming from a brutal killing in Bali.
In 2014, a paradise vacation turned into a nightmare when Sheila von Wiese-Mack was murdered in her hotel room at the St. Regis Bali Resort. Her own daughter, Heather Mack, and Mack’s boyfriend, Schaefer, were quickly implicated in the gruesome crime, a plot meticulously planned and shockingly executed.
The investigation revealed a disturbing sequence of events. Heather Mack allegedly orchestrated Schaefer’s travel to Bali, setting the stage for a calculated act of violence. Before the attack, Schaefer exchanged chilling messages with his cousin, Ryan Bibbs, detailing how to carry out the murder.
Bibbs, ultimately pleading guilty to conspiracy, admitted to advising Schaefer on the killing, even after Mack directly inquired about hiring a hitman. The couple discussed the timing and specifics of the attack, transforming a luxurious hotel room into a scene of unimaginable horror.
Von Wiese-Mack’s body was discovered concealed within a suitcase, abandoned in the trunk of a taxi. The motive, prosecutors allege, was greed – a desperate attempt to gain control of a $1.5 million trust fund. A mother’s life extinguished for financial gain.
At the time of the murder, Mack was just 19 years old and several weeks pregnant, while Schaefer was 21. The attack itself was brutal; Mack allegedly held her mother down while Schaefer repeatedly struck her with a heavy fruit bowl. The following day, both were arrested, their lives irrevocably altered.
Both Mack and Schaefer were convicted in Indonesia. Mack received a 10-year sentence, and Schaefer was sentenced to 18 years. Upon her return to the United States, Mack pleaded guilty to federal conspiracy charges and was sentenced to 26 years in prison in June 2023.
Schaefer completed his Indonesian sentence with time reductions for good behavior and was deported back to the U.S., believing his legal troubles were over. He was immediately taken into custody by federal authorities, facing a new set of charges that could send him to prison for life.
Now, Schaefer faces a three-count indictment: conspiracy to kill in a foreign country, conspiracy to commit foreign murder of a U.S. national, and obstruction of justice. If convicted, he could face life imprisonment and substantial fines, a stark reminder that justice, like a long flight, can eventually arrive.
