American Woman Heather Mack Sentenced to 26 Years in Prison for Murdering Mother in Bali

Chicago Woman Conspired with Boyfriend to Kill Sheila von Wiese

WEB CHICAGO (CBS) -- Heather Mack, the so-called "suitcase killer," was sentenced to 26 years in federal prison on Wednesday for her role in the 2014 murder of her mother, Sheila von Wiese, in Bali, Indonesia.

Mack, now 27, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Illinois to one count of conspiring to kill a U.S. national in the death of her mother. She and her then-boyfriend, Tommy Schaefer, were initially charged with murder, but Mack agreed to cooperate with prosecutors in exchange for a reduced sentence.

According to court documents, Mack and Schaefer planned to kill von Wiese during a luxury vacation in Bali. On August 12, 2014, they strangled von Wiese and stuffed her body into a suitcase, which they then left in the trunk of their car.

The couple was arrested the following day after Indonesian police found von Wiese's body. Schaefer was convicted of murder in 2015 and sentenced to 18 years in prison. Mack pleaded guilty in 2018 and agreed to testify against Schaefer.

In a statement following Mack's sentencing, U.S. Attorney John Lausch Jr. said, "Heather Mack's actions were brutal and heartless. Today's sentence holds her accountable for her role in the senseless murder of her own mother."