GUILTY Bali - Sheila von Wiese Mack, 62, found dead in suitcase, 12 Aug 2014 #2

[RK77]

It was removed on 5/23/13 and then the very next day 647 Linden, Inc. filed their articles of incorporation. Maybe one of the savvy "flippers" was SWM? Either of the options is possible.

 

[SurfieTX]

I don't know, the interior pictures here do not reflect typical house flipping telltale signs (except for the master bath and the stainless steel stove in the kitchen). Most of the interior looks outdated and old - definitely not something I would expect after a professional flipper did his/her job.

ETA: Also, a professional flipper would definitely NOT leave the front yard so bare. There would be some shrubs or something in that bare space in the front of the home, I would think. Curb appeal is a big deal. Of course, the pictures could have taken place prior to that being done, so :shrugs:.

http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/647-Linden-Ave-Oak-Park-IL-60302/3802838_zpid/

 

[LinasK]

I agree with everything you said except for him expecting for someone else to pay for his flight & room. If somebody offers prior to leaving to take you on vacay with them by paying for your flight & room, then surely you'd expect not to have to foot that bill for said flight & room. Its absolutely obvious he didn't have the money to go to Bali so of course this trip would have had to of been offered to him. Therefore, to be put on the spot at the last moment once there is unfair and should be illegal if its not written as such. I agree that he is culpable of helping hide and clean up evidence, but I'm not of the opinion that he should be killed without proof that he's the one that did the killing of Sheila when so much more points to the culprit being Heather. The difference between Tommy & Heather is that Tommy showed promise but Heather didn't. Heather and her mother lived in a very vicious cycle. Tommy didn't. I automatically judged by media reports as well in the beginning. Then I dug into stuff. So now I'm of a different stance, not completely different but rather just a different facet.

Yeah, but Heather probably said, "Come join us" and used Sheila's credit card without her knowledge that Tommy would show up or that she'd be paying for it!
If you were planning a mother-daughter trip for a fresh start, you wouldn't invite her boyfriend along, whom you thought was a bad influence anyhow.

 

[SurfieTX]

And what's with the 2008 house sale, being both seller and buyer, but this time using Sheila's maiden name? I do think 647 Linden, Inc. is Sheila.

http://chicago.blockshopper.com/property/16064140090000/647_linden

 

[Kamille]

It was removed on 5/23/13 and then the very next day 647 Linden, Inc. filed their articles of incorporation. Maybe one of the savvy "flippers" was SWM? Either of the options is possible.

Or someone who had personally approached SWM about a private sale told her to remove it from the MLS and the real estate agent she was using so they could purchase it privately and save the real estate fees. If they were willing to give her around $690,000 for the house she would have had to pay around $40,000 in fees. So by taking it off the market, she gets the $650,000 that she would have gotten if she accepted a deal for $690,000 through an agent, and the buyer gets a deal. The only one who loses is the real estate agent. I bet they were po'ed by that.

I truly believe that SWM was the sole owner of the estate of her late husband, as decided in a court of law, and while she had likely intended for it to go to HM eventually, she certainly didn't see the prospect of having her daughter murder her in order to get her hands on the money. I also believe that the value of the estate was dwindling since it didn't appear she was working and just the maintenance of that property alone was likely around $50,000 per year so SWM was making adjustments to ensure that she would have enough to carry her into her old age and to leave some property to HM. After paying the mortgages on the property, SWM only really came out of the death of her husband and that cruise line settlement with about $500,000 and the Linden house. Plus whatever she made at the "estate sale" where she sold off a lot of her husband's works and belongings as well as probably a lot of furnishings. After buying the downtown condo, I'll bet her net worth was around a million dollars.

MOO

 

[quesarita]

Yeah, but Heather probably said, "Come join us" and used Sheila's credit card without her knowledge that Tommy would show up or that she'd be paying for it!
If you were planning a mother-daughter trip for a fresh start, you wouldn't invite her boyfriend along, whom you thought was a bad influence anyhow.

Yes, but if the plane ticket was paid for with Sheila's credit card and she filed a police report that the card was being used without her permission (illegally), wouldn't she have been able to remove the charge and cancel the ticket?

 

[Hiandmighty]

I believe if you go to the Secretary of State website, you can find out who the partners are in the 647 Linden LLC. I don't have time right now to do it.

ETA: oops, I was thinking LLC and not INC.

I'm guessing it was part of their estate planning to "sell" their house to themselves using an Inc. I personally am at the very beginning of estate planning and our CPA is having us make several LLCs to protect our properties from liability and from things like the government taking them if you get put in a home, etc. So I remember reading something about the lawyer with the will helped them with estate planning(?) so I do think she sold the house to her incorporated business as a protection against as assault on the estate.

That is just my guess. Happy Labor Day weekend everyone! We are going camping.

 

[Hiandmighty]

Oh heck, I don't know. I'm confused now.

 

[Curious Me]

I have questions on whether Heather was living away from home for awhile.
Why wouldn't SWM barely recognize her? That one statement has caused me hesitation. I've considered that perhaps it was because Heather was now pregnant and looked different. Or does it mean she was acting different?
Tracking her down before the trip sounds like Heather wasn't living at home anymore.

BBM

'She was a vicious little monster': friends warned widow...
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...dy-stuffed-suitcase-outside-5-star-hotel.html

snipped..."the wealthy academic and her daughter, Heather Mack, 19, a college drop out who was 'hanging out with a bad crowd' and had recently moved into a hotel."

"The two had an often tempestuous relationship, recalled close friend Mark Bacharach, and had been fighting prior to the vacation at the luxury St. Regis hotel on the Indonesian island resort."

"But Mrs Mack tracked down her daughter, and despite the fact she 'barely recognized her anymore' the two set off on the 10-day-plus trip to the other side of the globe, where the 62-year-old ultimately met a grisly end."

 

[Kamille]

I don't know, the interior pictures here do not reflect typical house flipping telltale signs (except for the master bath and the stainless steel stove in the kitchen). Most of the interior looks outdated and old - definitely not something I would expect after a professional flipper did his/her job.

ETA: Also, a professional flipper would definitely NOT leave the front yard so bare. There would be some shrubs or something in that bare space in the front of the home, I would think. Curb appeal is a big deal. Of course, the pictures could have taken place prior to that being done, so :shrugs:.

http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/647-Linden-Ave-Oak-Park-IL-60302/3802838_zpid/

I agree that I've seen much better flip jobs but I didn't say this group wasn't cheap.

Here is the original listing. Notice it says the home is being sold in As-Is condition and it is an opportunity to restore a landmark home. The place was run down IMO. And I don't believe SWM had anything to do with the INC company that bought it.

WOW Curb appeal on a double lot in the FLW Historic district. The Charles Castle House designed by Frederick Schock and designated an Oak Park Landmark March 15, 2010. This home is being sold AS-IS and will give the savvy buyer a unique opportunity to restore this elegant home. Grand room sizes with views of the expansive yard. This home is surrounded by fabulous architectural gems. 3 car garage plus storage.


http://www.koenigrubloff.com/homes-for-sale/IL/Oak-Park/60302/647-Linden-Avenue-86046955

I must admit I laughed out loud when I saw the word savvy in the ad. I swear I didn't see this ad before I wrote that post. Lol

MOO

 

[al66pine]

James Mack's estate

Has anyone here looked at the actual doc's filed in probate court? Are they avail online?

Is it poss -
- it is still open - that his estate. is still receiving royalties for his music compositions?
- his royalties from that were assigned to a trust he established,
so the $ does not go thru probate est, so is not a matter of pub record?

- that Sheila has income from royalties, either thru probate est, or trust?

Just wondering.

 

[quesarita]

I have questions on whether Heather was living away from home for awhile.
Why wouldn't SWM barely recognize her? That one statement has caused me hesitation. I've considered that perhaps it was because Heather was now pregnant and looked different. Or does it mean she was acting different?
Tracking her down before the trip sounds like Heather wasn't living at home anymore.

I took it to mean that she was acting differently - smoking, drinking, dressing differently, etc.

 

[Quester]

Yes, but if the plane ticket was paid for with Sheila's credit card and she filed a police report that the card was being used without her permission (illegally), wouldn't she have been able to remove the charge and cancel the ticket?

I would guess yes, but ... what if the ticket was non-refundable and in order to cancel the ticket SWM would have had to file a police/theft report and SWM was unwilling to get the little princess in that kind of trouble???

HM some how came out of the Conrad Hotel incident without any charges whatsoever against her ... at least as far as we know.

 

[quesarita]

I would guess yes, but ... what if the ticket was non-refundable and in order to cancel the ticket SWM would have had to file a police/theft report and SWM was unwilling to get the little princess in that kind of trouble???

HM some how came out of the Conrad Hotel incident without any charges whatsoever against her ... at least as far as we know.

Even so, Sheila would have surely known if her cc was used to buy the plane ticket, considering all that other activity, IMO.

 

[Jersey*Girl]

I think the house was purchased by a savvy group of home "flippers" who lowballed the price when they purchased the home from SWM and then put some extensive renovations into it to list it for a million dollars more than what they purchased it for. And because it's likely more than one person involved in that purchase, perhaps they "incorporated" themselves strictly for this purpose, hence the name? It appears that this was an older house and it's unlikely that it had many upgrades during the time the Mack's were living there. James Mack could have been living there during three separate marriages and raising 6 children for upwards of 40 years. So while it was a big house, and likely in a good functioning state, it was not up to par with the grandeur of other homes on the street most likely. And this group must have seen and known it's potential when it was listed for sale. I bet they put less than a couple hundred grand into the upgrades. Has anyone found the original listing for the house back in 2013 when it was sold to find out what figure SWM was originally asking for? And perhaps what the interior looked like at that point?

MOO

ETA: It looks like she was asking $879,000 when she first listed it 02/23/13. The price was reduced to $750,000 03/02/13. There was a pending sale 03/15/13 which fell through. The house was relisted for $750,000 03/22/13. Another pending sale on 04/07/13 fell through. The listing was removed 05/23/13. Some time after that, someone obviously approached her (647 Linden Inc.?) and offered her $650,000 likely in a private sale to avoid real estate fees. This was accepted. The sale went through on 07/17/13.

http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/647-Linden-Ave-Oak-Park-IL-60302/3802838_zpid/

Kamille, you hit the nail on the head! Thank you for thinking outside the box!

The following backs up exactly what Kamille suggested...

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/real...509992/rehabbers-list-historic-oak-park-home#

May 01, 2014
Rehabbers list historic Oak Park home
By Dennis Rodkin

A renovated 1920s Italian Renaissance-style home in Oak Park home was listed this week for $1.7 million. Baird & Warner Inc. agent Catherine Simon-Vobornik and Pam Whitehead, head of Oak Park construction firm P&P Ltd., paid $650,000 in July 2013 for the 6,000-square-foot home. The salmon brick and limestone house, now with five bedrooms and four full baths, was built in 1924, designed by Frederick Schock, the architect of many buildings in Oak Park and the adjacent city neighborhood Austin for bankerCharles S. Castle. In a nine-month gut rehab, Ms. Simon-Vobornik and Ms. Whitehead replaced the plumbing and electrical systems, gutted and rebuilt the second and third floors and reconfigured the first floor to accommodate a larger kitchen. They also rehabilitated the home's extensive mahogany and cherry woodwork and original light fixtures. The home “needed everything done to it,” Ms. Simon-Vobornik said. The house was owned from at least 1986 until his 2006 death by James L. Mack, a composer and music producer who worked with Ramsey Lewis, Nancy Wilson and Jerry Butler, the lead singer for the Impressions. Mr. Butler later became a Cook County Commissioner. Mr. Mack's widow, Sheila Vonwiese-Mack, is listed as the 2013 seller.

 

[Jersey*Girl]

Not that the above is pertinent but dagnabbit this is the exact reason I love Websleuths so much - bc of how intelligent minds can feed off of one another with their ideas.

So looking deeper into this, with all of the money Sheila supposedly had, why not do the upgrades herself through a contractor? Was there money issues to have to sell it for pennies compared to what it is worth? It's a famed house with alot of historical value behind it, which is why it's worth more than some other houses in the same neighborhood. Taxes alone on that piece of property are almost 30 grand! Jeesh I complain paying 6 lmao!

 

[Jersey*Girl]

Tommy posted that he was going to Indonesia the same weekend they were staying in that Conrad hotel in Chicago I believe. So the ticket was likely purchased online while they were at that hotel. On the same credit card they were using to stay in the hotel? Or did HM have a few to choose from? No wonder the credit card company called SWM about odd purchases that weekend. Now was she told about the plane ticket purchase or just about the hotel charges? Because from what I understand, when she was told about the hotel charges she called the police to go deal with it.

And I don't think Heather was missing for "several weeks" prior to the Bali trip. I think she was missing for "several days" about 3 weeks before the Bali trip. And she spent those days in the Conrad hotel with Tommy and a bunch of other friends.

MOO

I'll bet the ticket was put on a different card. This is assuming Tommy isn't the one to purchase the ticket, though. I mean, how could he? It's really expensive for an international flight to Bali.

 

[Jersey*Girl]

Lol those of us on Tapatalk, fighting autocorrect, sometime when I reread my post omg!! Lol[emoji5]

ciao

I don't do Tapatalk but I fired autocorrect months ago, spellcheck can kma, and Siri gets on my last nerve as she needs to go back to school!

 

[RR0004]

Kamille, you hit the nail on the head! Thank you for thinking outside the box!

The following backs up exactly what Kamille suggested...

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/real...509992/rehabbers-list-historic-oak-park-home#

May 01, 2014
Rehabbers list historic Oak Park home
By Dennis Rodkin

Do we know how much it sold for?

 

[RR0004]

Came across this interesting article. It makes me wonder why Sheila liked it there so much. Is this trash on the beach something recent or has it been ongoing for years? Could Heather have gotten there, saw the beach and became miserable, so didn't want to leave the hotel - racking up room charges in the meantime with her bf? Tommy didn't have money, he couldn't afford even one night in that room, so I'm positive he went there under the assumption Heather or her mom were paying for him to be there. Obviously he trusted Sheila since she put his passport in the safety deposit box at the front desk. The common denominator is Heather and the majority of the 86 police visits to her house backs that up.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/larissa-and-michael-milne/why-you-should-take-bali-_b_4925542.html

Larissa and Michael Milne
Why You Should Take Bali Off Your Bucket List
Posted: 03/10/2014 4:52 pm EDT Updated: 05/10/2014 5:59 am EDT

Note: We took the photo of the chairs above right behind the woman lying on the beach among all the trash. You can even see these chairs in the upper left hand corner of that photo. Because of the perspective the trash is hidden, creating the illusion of a sylvan beach.

Trust me...the beach at the St. Regis isn't like that.