Heather Mack

Last updated

Lois Heather Mack (born October 1995) is an American heiress convicted of murdering her mother, Sheila von Wiese, while on vacation in Bali, Indonesia, in August 2014. [1] The murder was widely publicized internationally because Mack and her boyfriend stuffed von Wiese-Mack's body in a suitcase. She was sentenced to 10 years, of which she served seven. However, in 2021 on her arrival to United States, Mack was arrested on conspiracy and obstruction charges. [2] In June 2023, Mack pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to kill a U.S. national, and was later sentenced in January, 2024 to 26 years in prison. [3] [4] [5]

Contents

Personal life

Mack was born to notable jazz musician and composer James L. Mack (November 9, 1929 – August 6, 2006) and Sheila Ann von Wiese (June 10, 1952 – August 12, 2014) in 1995. She attended Oak Park and River Forest High School in Oak Park, Illinois, as did her future co-conspirator, Tommy Schaefer (born July 13, 1993). Mack and her mother reportedly had a contentious relationship, with police reporting that they'd made 86 visits to the home between 2004 and 2013. [6]

Death of James L. Mack

The Macks went on a Royal Caribbean Mediterranean cruise in 2001. During the trip, James L. Mack suffered a foot injury, for which he did not receive adequate medical treatment from the ship's doctor, resulting in partial paralysis. He filed suit [7] against Royal Caribbean, saying that he was partly paralyzed, and had to urinate in a bottle, but this case took many years to resolve.

In 2004, police were called to the Mack residence over claims that the children from James' previous relationships were denied access to their father by Heather's mother who would turn off the lights and pretend not to be home.

In 2006, the Macks went on a vacation to Greece. During the trip, James L. Mack died in his hotel from a pulmonary embolism, on August 6. [8]

A settlement in the 2001 lawsuit was reached in 2011. After legal fees, $340,667 was awarded to Sheila Mack, and $500,000 to the estate of James Mack. Despite the existence of a will dated 5 days prior to James L. Mack's death, willing his entire estate to Heather Mack, the $500,000 was awarded to Sheila Mack by a judge in Cook County, Illinois. No transcript for the case is available. [9]

Relationship between Heather Mack and her mother

It is reported that the police were called to the Mack home on 86 occasions on theft and domestic violence reports cases between January 2004 and June 2013 [10] all relating to domestic incidents between mother and daughter. [11] In January 2010, Heather punched her mother's broken ankle. She was also accused of stealing $1000. In February 2011, Heather broke her mother's arm, and then removed the phone cord to prevent her mother from calling 911. In July 2011, Heather again threatened her mother. In November 2012, she bit her mother, leaving a bruise, but her mother refused to allow police to photograph it. [12]

Heather attended Oak Park and River Forest High School from 2010-2014. While a senior at Oak Park, Heather began dating Tommy Schaefer, an unemployed rapper also known as Tommy EXX. Heather's mother did not approve of the relationship and so she sold their house and moved Heather and herself to the Gold Coast neighborhood of Chicago. Despite this, Heather became pregnant by Tommy. According to her lawyer, Heather had had two abortions under her mother's control and her mother was seeking to obtain a power of attorney over her daughter to enforce the third abortion, at the time that Sheila booked their final trip to Bali, where she was still waiting for blood work to find out if Heather was really pregnant. [13]

Murder

In August 2014, Sheila and Heather arrived at the St. Regis Hotel in Nusa Dua, Bali, where they had flown first class. Heather stole her mother's credit card and booked a business class flight to Bali for her boyfriend Tommy.

Tommy claimed that he had gone to Bali to tell Sheila about Heather's pregnancy, but emails later released showed that this was a lie.

On the night of August 7, 2014, security camera video at the St. Regis showed Sheila having an argument with Schaefer in the hotel lobby. Shortly after, Tommy Schaeffer killed Sheila with a metallic blunt object in the room, which then led to Heather and Tommy stuffing the body of Sheila Von Wiese Mack into a suitcase. The two then put the suitcase with the body into the trunk of a cab outside the St Regis. After the couple did not return, a security guard found blood outside the suitcase and advised the cab driver to go to the police station. [14] After police found the body inside the suitcase, both Mack and Schaeffer were arrested at a nearby motel. The couple told police that Sheila was killed by robbers, but they were able to escape [15]

Trial

On August 15, 2014, both Mack and Schaeffer were designated as prisoners. On August 20, a urine test confirmed that Mack was pregnant, which was initially thought to be a ruse for her to be sent home. On September 19th, Schaeffer admitted to killing Sheila and Heather admitted to helping him stuff the body into the suitcase. They were both charged with premeditated murder on January 14, 2015, for which the punishment could have been death by firing squad.

Schaeffer claimed that he had killed Sheila Von Wiese Mack after she had threatened to kill their unborn baby, and choked him for half a minute. Heather Mack was sentenced to 10 years in prison, and Tommy Schaeffer to 18 years in April 2015. Judges said during sentencing that they were lenient to Heather because she had given birth to a baby.

On September 23, 2015, the cousin of Tommy Schaefer, Robert Bibbs, was arrested in Chicago on federal charges for conspiracy for advising Mack and Schaefer about how to kill Mack's mother. He was sentenced to 9 years in prison on June 2, 2017, on one count of conspiracy to commit foreign murder. [16] The plea deal stated that Bibbs was aware that Heather had offered Tommy $50,000 to kill her mother, and that Bibbs advised Schaefer on how to kill her, and that he encouraged him to kill her.

Trust fund lawsuits

Mack was the beneficiary of a $1.6 million trust fund from her mother, which would pay her small annual payments until the age of 30, and then the balance at that time.

During the court case, up to $150,000 was initially approved to cover legal expenses, plus smaller payments for food and personal expenses. [17] Sheila's brother, Bill Wiese, the administrator of the estate, expressed concern that the money was being used to cover bribes, when a demand came from her Indonesian lawyer for a further $200,000 lump sum. [18]

The final disposition of the trust fund was resolved in a 2018 settlement in favor of Heather's daughter. [19]

2021 release from prison

Heather Mack received a total of 34 months remission from her prison sentence, including a six-month Independence day remission awarded by President Joko Widodo in August 2021, and was freed from prison on 29 October 2021. [20] Mack wanted to stay in Indonesia with her daughter, claiming it was safer than Chicago. [21] Indonesian immigration indicated that both would be immediately deported, as her daughter was born American under Indonesia's jus sanguinis nationality law.

On her arrival to the United States Mack was arrested on conspiracy and obstruction charges. [22] Her federal trial was scheduled for July 2023, but in June, Mack pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to kill a U.S. national. Under the terms of her plea agreement, she faced a maximum of 28 years in prison. [23] [24]

On January 17, 2024, Mack was sentenced to 26 years in prison. [25]

Related Research Articles

Contract killing is a form of murder or assassination in which one party hires another party to kill a targeted person or people. It involves an agreement which includes some form of compensation, monetary or otherwise. It is an illegal agreement. Either party may be a person, group, or organization. Contract killing has been associated with organized crime, government conspiracies, dictatorships, and vendettas. For example, in the United States, the Italian- and Jewish-American organized crime gang Murder, Inc. committed hundreds of murders on behalf of the National Crime Syndicate during the 1930s and '40s.

The Chicago Tylenol murders were a series of poisoning deaths resulting from drug tampering in the Chicago metropolitan area in 1982. The victims consumed Tylenol-branded acetaminophen capsules that had been laced with potassium cyanide. Seven people died in the original poisonings, and there were several more deaths in subsequent copycat crimes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matricide</span> Act of killing ones own mother

Matricide is the act of killing one's own mother.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murder of Bobby Kent</span> Murder of Iranian American man in Florida, U.S.

Bobby Kent was a 20-year-old American man who was murdered by seven people, including his best friend, Martin Joseph "Marty" Puccio Jr in Weston, Florida. The murder was adapted into the 2001 film Bully.

Rae Theotis Carruth is an American former professional football player who was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder. He played as a wide receiver for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). Carruth played college football for the Colorado Buffaloes, earning first-team All-American honors in 1996. He was selected by the Panthers in the first round of the 1997 NFL Draft and spent three seasons with the team.

The Bali Nine were a group of nine Australians convicted for attempting to smuggle 8.3 kg (18 lb) of heroin out of Indonesia in April 2005. The heroin was valued at around A$4 million and was bound for Australia. Ringleaders Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran were sentenced to death and executed on 29 April 2015. Six other members, Si Yi Chen, Michael Czugaj, Tan Duc Thanh Nguyen, Matthew Norman, Scott Rush and Martin Stephens, were sentenced to life imprisonment and another, Renae Lawrence, to a 20-year sentence but was released after the sentence was commuted in November 2018. The Indonesian authorities reported on 5 June 2018 that Tan Duc Thanh Nguyen had died of stomach cancer.

Renae Lawrence is an Australian woman who was convicted in Indonesia for drug trafficking as a member of the Bali Nine.

Martin Eric Stephens is an Australian former bartender who was convicted in Indonesia for drug trafficking as a member of the Bali Nine. In 2005, on his first trip to Bali, Stephens was arrested at Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar with 3.3 kg (7.3 lb) of heroin taped to his chest and concealed under his clothing. After a criminal trial, on 14 February 2006 Stephens was sentenced to life imprisonment. His appeal to the Indonesian Supreme Court to have the sentence reduced to 10 years was rejected in January 2011.

Tan Duc Thanh Nguyen was a Vietnamese–Australian citizen. He was convicted in Indonesia for drug trafficking as a member of the Bali Nine. In 2005, Nguyen was arrested in a room at the Melasti Hotel in Kuta together with three others. Police uncovered 334 g (11.8 oz) of heroin in a suitcase in the room. After a criminal trial, on 15 February 2006 Nguyen was sentenced to life imprisonment. His appeal to the Indonesian Supreme Court to have the sentence reduced suffered a shock when the Supreme Court imposed the death penalty on 6 September 2006.

Joseph Wayne Wallace was a three-year-old boy who was murdered by his mother in their Chicago, Illinois apartment in 1993. Wallace's mother, Amanda Wallace, was known to be mentally ill. Despite this, Joseph and his younger brother Joshua were removed from a foster family and returned to Amanda, who killed Joseph with an electrical cord. The circumstances of Wallace's death and the ensuing public outcry precipitated large changes in the Illinois child welfare system and the Cook County juvenile court.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murder of Sheila Bellush</span> 1997 murder in Florida, U.S.

Sheila Bellush was a 35-year-old mother of six who was murdered on November 7, 1997, by a hired gunman named Jose Del Toro, on the orders of her ex-husband, Allen Blackthorne. Blackthorne, who had stalked Bellush since their divorce in 1987, allegedly wanted custody of their two children.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ripper Crew</span> American cult and organized crime group

The Ripper Crew or the Chicago Rippers was an organized crime group of serial killers, cannibals, rapists, and necrophiles. The group composed of Robin Gecht and three associates: Edward Spreitzer, and brothers Andrew and Thomas Kokoraleis. They were suspected in the murders of 17 women in Illinois in 1981 and 1982, as well as the unrelated fatal shooting of a man in a random drive-by shooting. According to one of the detectives who investigated the case, Gecht "made Manson look like a Boy Scout."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Dugan</span> American rapist & serial killer

Brian James Dugan is a convicted rapist and serial killer active between 1983 and 1985 in Chicago's western suburbs. He was known for having informally confessed in 1985 to the February 1983 abduction, rape and murder of 10-year-old Jeanine Nicarico of Naperville, Illinois, which was a highly publicized case. He was already in custody for two other rapes and murders, one of a woman in July 1984 and the other an 8-year-old girl in May 1985. He was sentenced to life after pleading guilty to the latter two crimes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">War Machine (mixed martial artist)</span> American criminal and former mixed martial artist

Jonathan Paul Koppenhaver is an American incarcerated rapist, former professional mixed martial artist, and former pornographic actor. He is serving a life sentence for multiple counts of rape, kidnapping, domestic battery, and other charges.

The body of Dean Shillingsworth was discovered by children in a pond in Mandurama Reserve at Ambarvale, New South Wales, Australia on 17 October 2007. The child's body was wrapped in two plastic bags contained within a tartan suitcase. Due to the length of time the child was in the water, the body was decomposed. The local police set up a crime scene which was investigated by NSW Police Forensic Services Group. The forensic evidence and investigation led to the boy's mother. Police subsequently arrested his mother, Rachel Pfitzner, who lived in nearby Rosemeadow. She was charged with Dean's murder. She pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced to a maximum of 25½ years in prison.

Operation Family Secrets was an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) into mob-related crimes in Chicago. The FBI called it one of the most successful investigations of organized crime that it had ever conducted.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jerinx</span> Indonesian songwriter, singer, and activist

I Gede Ari Astina better known Jerinx or JRX is an Indonesian musician and conspiracy theorist on COVID-19. He is the drummer of the Bali-based rock group Superman Is Dead. In 2020, he was sentenced to jail for defamation, after he accused Indonesia's chief medical association of being servile to the World Health Organization for mandating COVID-19 testing for pregnant women, which he claimed could kill them and their babies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murder of Atcel Olmedo</span> Murder of an American toddler

Atcel Olmedo was an American toddler who was allegedly murdered by his abusive stepfather and his mother in 2005 and disposed of in Naperville, Illinois. His body was not positively identified until 2011. The case received national attention and was broadcast on several different television shows. Forensic evidence obtained from the body during the investigation was analyzed to assist in his future identification. His case remains unprosecuted; the two main suspects were released on a bond, and promptly disappeared. Authorities believe the suspects fled to the Mexico City area.

Chester Otto Weger is an American man who was convicted in 1961 of the murder of one of three women found slain at Starved Rock State Park the previous year. He was held at Pinckneyville Correctional Center and at one time was the longest serving inmate incarcerated by the State of Illinois as well as the third longest in state history before his release on February 21, 2020. On November 21, 2019, the Illinois Prisoner Review Board granted parole to Weger by a vote of 9–4. He was released on parole February 21, 2020.

Joseph Miedzianowski is a former Chicago Police Department officer who was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for racketeering and drug conspiracy. He is known as Chicago's "most corrupt cop" for his part in a cocaine sales ring with street gang members and other corrupt police officers. During his 22-year police career he received 59 citations for valor and arrests and was publicly praised for his high number of drug and illegal weapon busts. During this time he was also secretly leaking the identity of undercover police officers to gang members, extorting protection money from drug organizations, distributing crack cocaine, and supplying gang members with ammunition.

References

  1. ↑ "Woman Whose Body Was Found in Suitcase Was Warned Not to Go to Bali". NBC News. Retrieved 2021-06-08.
  2. ↑ Meisner, Jason (November 10, 2021). "Heather Mack waives detention hearing, will be held without bond on federal conspiracy charges stemming from mother's Bali slaying". Chicago Tribune.
  3. ↑ Seidel, Jon (9 September 2022). "Heather Mack set for trial all over again, this time on U.S. charges in Chicago". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2022-10-26.
  4. ↑ "Heather Mack, convicted in Bali of killing mom and stuffing body in suitcase, pleads guilty in US". AP NEWS. 2023-06-16. Retrieved 2023-06-17.
  5. ↑ https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/heather-mack-sentenced-murder-conspiracy-mother-sheila-von-wiese-mack/
  6. ↑ Group, Sinclair Broadcast (2014-08-15). "American couple in Indonesian resort charged with murder". KHQA. Retrieved 2022-08-29.
  7. ↑ "FindLaw's Appellate Court of Illinois case and opinions". Findlaw. Retrieved 2021-10-22.
  8. ↑ reporter, Trevor Jensen, Tribune staff. "James L. Mack: 1929 - 2006". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2021-10-22.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. ↑ Gutowski, Christy. "Heather Mack accuses slain mom of cheating her out of inheritance". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2021-10-22.
  10. ↑ "Bali Murder Suspects Refuse to Cooperate: Police". NBC Chicago. Retrieved 2021-10-22.
  11. ↑ "Woman accused of Bali suitcase murder had troubled family life in Chicago". the Guardian. 2014-08-22. Retrieved 2021-10-22.
  12. ↑ Walberg, Matthew. "Bali slaying: Police files show daughter abused late mother repeatedly". baltimoresun.com. Retrieved 2021-10-22.
  13. ↑ Gutowski, Christy. "Heather Mack's mother wanted her to get abortion, lawyer says". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2021-10-22.
  14. ↑ "Suspect confesses in Bali "suitcase murder," police say". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2021-06-08.
  15. ↑ "Murder charges likely for Bali pair". PerthNow. 2014-08-15. Retrieved 2021-06-08.
  16. ↑ "Chicago Man Sentenced to 9 Years in Prison for Conspiring to Murder U.S. Citizen in Bali, Indonesia". www.justice.gov. 2017-06-02. Retrieved 2021-10-22.
  17. ↑ Gutowski, Christy. "Heather Mack tells court boyfriend killed mother in Bali suitcase slaying". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2021-10-22.
  18. ↑ Gutowski, Christy. "Judge: I won't be 'emotionally blackmailed' to give Heather Mack more trust money". capitalgazette.com. Retrieved 2021-10-22.
  19. ↑ Gutowski, Christy. "Daughter imprisoned in Bali slaying settles mother's estate, 3-year-old daughter named beneficiary". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2021-10-22.
  20. ↑ "WN AS Pembunuh Ibu Dalam Koper di Bali Bebas Murni 29 Oktober 2021, Akan Langsung Dideportasi". KOMPAS.com (in Indonesian). 2021-10-21. Retrieved 2021-10-22.
  21. ↑ Coffey, Chris. "Heather Mack Could Be Released From Prison Within Next 2 Years: Report". NBC Chicago. Retrieved 2021-10-22.
  22. ↑ Meisner, Jason (November 10, 2021). "Heather Mack waives detention hearing, will be held without bond on federal conspiracy charges stemming from mother's Bali slaying". Chicago Tribune.
  23. ↑ Seidel, Jon (9 September 2022). "Heather Mack set for trial all over again, this time on U.S. charges in Chicago". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2022-10-26.
  24. ↑ "Heather Mack, convicted in Bali of killing mom and stuffing body in suitcase, pleads guilty in US". AP NEWS. 2023-06-16. Retrieved 2023-06-17.
  25. ↑ https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/heather-mack-sentenced-murder-conspiracy-mother-sheila-von-wiese-mack/
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.