Bali Murder Suspects Reportedly Confess

By Chuck Sudo in News on Sep 19, 2014 6:00PM

Heather Mack (pictured), allegedly confessed to watching her boyfriend Tommy Schaefer murder her mother, Sheila von Wiese-Mack, in Bali. (AFP/Getty Images photo)

Heather Mack and Tommy Schaefer have reportedly confessed to their roles in the murder of Mack’s mother, Sheila von Wiese-Mack, in Bali, Indonesia last month. Schaefer, 21, has allegedly confessed to killing Von Wiese-Mack, while Mack, 18 and three months pregnant, separately confessed to helping Schaefer shove her mother’s body in a suitcase.

Bali police spokesman Hery Wiyanto said Schaefer’s motive for murdering Von Wiese-Mack was that she disapproved of Schaefer’s relationship with her daughter. Bali Police Chief, Col. Djoko Heru Utomo, told The Associated Press, “He was hurt and offended by the victim’s words in an argument with him. That is the motive for the murder.” Utomo added that Mack’s and Schaefer’s attorneys were present at the time of the confessions.

The couple was arrested Aug. 13 in Bali after checking out of a luxury hotel. Von Wiese-Mack’s body was discovered in a suitcase that was placed in the trunk of a taxi. The two have not been formally charged with murder and are being held in jail while Indonesian authorities conduct an investigation. Under Indonesian law, if Mack and Schaefer are found guilty of premeditated murder, they could face death by firing squad.

Heather Mack has been placed on suicide watch since her arrest and has claimed to have been sexually assaulted while behind bars. An autopsy revealed Sheila von Wiese-Mack died from asphyxiation, but also suffered several blows to the head and face from a blunt object. Von Wiese-Mack’s relationship with her daughter was often contentious and fraught with confrontation, with Oak Park Police being called to von Wiese-Mack’s home 86 times over the past decade.