Heather Mack is a 29-year-old American heiress found guilty in 2015, together with her boyfriend Tommy Schaeffer, for the 06 August 2014 murder of her socialite mother, Sheila von Wiese, in a luxury hotel room in South Bali.
Sentenced to ten years in prison, Heather Mack was released in 2021 and deported back to the USA together with her 8-year-old daughter Estelle “Stella’ Schaeffer, born while Heather was in prison in Bali. Stella is the daughter of Tommy Schaeffer (30), who remains in Bali’s Kerobokan prison, serving an 18-year sentence. Schaeffer may qualify for early release and deportation back to the USA as early as 2026.
Many in Bali voiced the opinion that Mack’s and Schaeffer’s prison sentences were far too lenient and did not reflect the premeditated and heinous details of the murder. Some of those who felt a sterner penalty should have been imposed on the couple cite the damage done to the tourism reputation of Bali by the crime and that the couple initially lied, claiming terrorists murdered the woman.
Sheila von Wiese in her hotel room. If that allegation had gained traction, the impact on Bali’s tourism industry could have been devastating.
US Federal authorities arrested Heather Mack on 03 November 2023 upon her return to Chicago, where she was immediately charged with conspiring and obstruction of justice in the death of a US national (her mother) in Indonesia. Those charges carry a maximum penalty of 28 years in prison. After waiting two years in a Chicago jail cell awaiting trial, last week Mack was sentenced to a lesser 26 years behind bars. After credit for time served while awaiting trial, Mack’s remaining prison term is 23 years. The new sentence is in addition to the seven years already served by Mack in a Bali prison for the same homicide.
The woman will receive no credit for the time served in a Bali prison.
The US Court also ordered Mack to pay $362,708 in restitution to her mother’s estate and a $50,000 fine. Heather Mack must complete 85% of her prison sentence before becoming eligible to apply for parole/ when she is 49 in 2044.
Under US law, Heather Mack is barred from receiving any “ill-gotten” gains from the substantial inheritance of her murdered mother.
The custody of Stella has been granted to the family of Heather’s murdered mother. A relative, quoted in the US press and now guardian of the child, said Stella has learned the “difficult truth” about her parents. Shocked, Stella reportedly no longer wants to speak to or be raised by her mother.
Related Link
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Bali Murderess Now Packing for US Prison
Baggage Declared, Heather Mack Leaves Bali
Heather Mack Set for Bali Prison Release
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