A well-known criminal who killed his girlfriend’s wealthy mother and concealed her body in a suitcase before attempting to flee has been released from custody.
Tommy Schaefer gained global attention in 2014 for the murder of his girlfriend’s mother during a vacation in Bali. He has now been freed from prison.
Schaefer, a US citizen, was imprisoned in Bali’s infamous Kerobokan Prison for fatally attacking Sheila Von Wiese-Mack, the mother of his girlfriend, Heather Mack.
Court proceedings revealed that Schaefer used a heavy fruit bowl to kill Sheila while they were staying at the luxurious St Regis hotel in a failed attempt to secure an early inheritance valued at $2.2 million.
At 32 years old, Schaefer was granted early release for good conduct after serving 12 years of his 18-year sentence. Meanwhile, Heather Mack, implicated in plotting the murder, served seven years of a 10-year sentence before her release in 2021.
Despite his freedom, Schaefer’s future remains uncertain as he was promptly moved to an immigration detention facility near Bali’s airport pending deportation to the US, where he may face re-arrest and charges for conspiracy to murder a US citizen, carrying a potential life sentence.
Similar circumstances awaited Mack upon her 2021 release, leading to her current 26-year sentence after confessing to conspiracy to commit murder in a 2024 trial.
Schaefer has allegedly claimed to journalists that he was coerced emotionally into the brutal crime and maintains his innocence regarding conspiracy charges in the US. He also stated that he embraced Christianity while incarcerated, dedicating himself to prayer and assisting fellow inmates in finding solace through religion.
In a 2023 interview from Kerobokan Prison, Schaefer expressed his intention to plead not guilty upon his return to the US, intending to present text messages he believes demonstrate his efforts to save Sheila Von Wiese-Mack.
