In what could be the start of the final chapter in a story that that has captivated attention worldwide, the man convicted of helping his ex-girlfriend kill her mother and stuff her in a suitcase made his first appearance today in a Chicago courtroom.
Tommy Schaefer told a federal judge that he wanted to represent himself in his upcoming trial over the killing of Chicago socialite Sheila von Weise Mack.
“In a matter like this, where my life is on the line,” he said. “I would like to speak for myself.”
U.S. District Judge Matthew Kennelly told Schaefer that the choice was his, but said he thought it was a “really bad idea.” Schafer could face up to life in prison if convicted.
The so-called “suitcase murder” drew press coverage from around the world in August 2014 when Schaefer and Heather Mack were arrested in Bali, Indonesia, after her mother’s body was discovered inside a bloody suitcase.
The pair were leaving the country at the time but were arrested and charged with the killing. The motive was reportedly to access a $1.5 million estate that Mack would potentially have inherited. Mack and Schaefer were both convicted in Indonesia.
Mack served seven years of a ten-year sentence; during which she gave birth to a child and raised her part of the time in prison. She was deported from Indonesia in 2021.
Schaeffer has spent the last 11 years in custody in Indonesia. He was flown to Chicago late Tuesday night accompanied by FBI agents.
The Bureau released a statement Wednesday saying, “The FBI is the long arm of the law and we remain committed to bringing violent criminals to justice, no matter where in the world their crimes are committed.”
“Through our extensive law enforcement and prosecutorial partnerships around the world, Heather Mack and Tommy Schaefer are now facing full accountability on U.S. soil for the senseless murder of Sheila Von Wiese-Mack,” Special Agent in Charge Douglas S. De Podesta said. “We remain hopeful that healing and closure may finally begin for all those that loved her.”
Mack was sentenced to 26 years in prison when she pled guilty in the United States a little more than two years ago. Prison records show she is serving her sentence at the Hazelton Federal Correctional Institution in West Virginia.
Schaefer is due back in court in May. Judge Kennelly has set his trial date for January 11, 2027. For now, he will remain in custody.
