Indonesia has deported US citizen Tommy Schaefer after he spent 11 years in prison for the 2014 killing of his girlfriend’s mother in Bali.
Schaefer, now 33, was released early from a Bali jail after receiving sentence reductions for good behaviour. Authorities placed him on a flight to the United States, where he now faces federal charges. He is expected to appear in court in Chicago.
The case shocked international audiences when Sheila von Wiese-Mack’s body was found inside a suitcase at a Bali hotel. Prosecutors said Schaefer and his then-girlfriend, Heather Mack, planned the killing to gain access to a $1.5m trust fund.
An Indonesian court sentenced Schaefer to 18 years in prison in 2015. Mack received a 10-year sentence for her role in the crime. Judges described the killing as “sadistic.”
Prosecutors said Mack held her mother’s mouth shut while Schaefer struck her with a fruit bowl. They then placed the body in a suitcase and left it in a taxi. The driver later alerted police.
Schaefer claimed during the trial that he acted in self-defence after an argument. The court rejected that defence.
Before leaving Indonesia, Schaefer apologised and said he took responsibility for his actions.
Mack was released early in 2021 and deported to the US. Authorities arrested her upon arrival. She later pleaded guilty to conspiracy to kill a US national and obstruction of justice. A US court sentenced her to 26 years in prison.
The case remains one of the most high-profile crimes involving foreign nationals in Bali.
