Woman pleads guilty to assisting in mother’s murder, stuffing body in suitcase.

A shocking crime unfolded on the beautiful tourist island of Bali in 2014. Heather Mack, a young woman from Chicago, pleaded guilty to her involvement in the murder of her own mother. This gripping story captivated the world’s attention.

At the time of the heinous act, Heather was just 18 years old and pregnant. She was convicted of the crime in Indonesia in 2015 and received a 10-year prison sentence. However, after serving seven years, she was deported back to the U.S. and immediately apprehended by U.S. authorities.

The details of the crime are chilling. Prosecutors revealed that Heather covered her mother’s mouth while her boyfriend, Tommy Schaefer, mercilessly beat Sheila von Wiese-Mack to death with a fruit bowl. Heather has since given birth to their child, while Tommy remains incarcerated in Indonesia, serving an 18-year sentence for the murder. He also faces charges in the U.S.

Initially, Heather pleaded not guilty, but on a fateful Friday, she changed her plea to guilty on one count of conspiracy to kill a U.S. national. Dressed in an orange prison jumpsuit, Heather reportedly spoke calmly as she addressed the judge.

The mother-daughter relationship between Heather and Sheila was troubled, with police frequently being called to their home in Oak Park, Illinois, according to the Associated Press. On the day of the murder, hotel surveillance cameras captured Heather and Tommy arguing with Sheila in the hotel lobby shortly before the crime took place.

Reports suggest that Heather committed the murder in order to gain access to a substantial $1.5 million trust fund.

Another shocking revelation came to light when Robert Bibbs, Tommy’s cousin, pleaded guilty in 2016 to assisting in planning the murder in exchange for $50,000 from Heather’s inheritance. He received a nine-year prison sentence.

Prior to her conviction in Indonesia, Heather gave birth to her and Tommy’s daughter, Stella. For the first two years of her life, Stella lived in a jail cell with her mother until custody was granted to an Australian woman until Heather’s release from prison. When Heather was arrested in the U.S., Stella was six years old. Currently, she is under the care of a relative after a custody battle, as reported by NBC.

In 2021, after Heather’s arrest in the U.S., her attorney Brian Claypool told the AP that the charges were “clearly a witch hunt” fueled by public pressure following Heather’s release from the Indonesian prison.

The initial coverage of this crime gained worldwide attention, partly due to the shocking images of the suitcase that held Sheila’s body. The suitcase appeared too small to contain the remains of an adult woman, adding to the intrigue surrounding this tragic event.