GUILTY IL - Sheila von Wiese Mack, 62, in suitcase in Bali, 12 Aug 2014 *fnd guilty in Bali* #6

[otto]

The beginning: August 13, 2014

Relatives didn't believe it when they heard her name. Mother and daughter's relationship was troubled and they phoned police on each other. We know that Heather broke her mother's bones. We know that she terrorized her mother by running off for a few days while her mother worried. She stole from her mother, especially partying on her mother's credit card without permission. I can't think of any reason why Mack would call police on her mother.

"A Chicago-area woman has been found dead and stuffed inside a suitcase in Bali, where she was vacationing with her daughter ... Sheila von Weise-Mack, 62, was discovered by a taxi driver ... in his trunk outside the Saint Regis Bali resort.
...

Von Weise-Mack was last seen alive on Monday at the Saint Regis. Surveillance footage from the hotel shows her arguing with her daughter in the lobby.
...

Neighbors in the family’s Oak Park, Illinois, community say the mother and daughter’s relationship was troubled. “Police were here all the time,” said one neighbor. “They would call police on each other. It turned very abusive and volatile.”

... going past the TV set and I heard something about Heather Mack, which is a very rare name,” said a family member. “But I just thought the world was too big for that to be her I don’t believe this.”​

American Woman Found Dead, Stuffed in Suitcase in Bali

 

[Marysmith]

Refreshing my memory. Murder: August 11, 2014

This photo was taken the first time they saw each other after the arrest, four months of separation. Perhaps they were thinking that, even though they were caught, they keep the money through the child. It sounds like they concocted a story that Sheila threatened to kill the unborn baby, she attacked him, he defended himself with a fruitbowl, she tried to strangle him, he accidentally killed her.

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"It was a tearful reunion for Chicago residents Heather Mack and Tommy Schaefer, who were arrested by Bali police in August for the brutal murder of Mack’s mother – whose battered body was found stuffed in a suitcase and left in the back of a cab at a luxury resort on the island ... quickly began hugging one another and sobbing.
...

The murder on Aug. 11 allegedly occurred hours after Schaefer arrived in Bali, unbeknownst to Wiese-Mack, who had been vacationing on the island for several days with her daughter. Schaefer, at the urging of Heather, went to visit Wiese-Mack in room 317 at the hotel, carrying a bowl of fruit.

According to police, an argument quickly broke out over Heather’s pregnancy, with Wiese-Mack reportedly making offensive comments about Schaefer and his baby, allegedly threatening to kill the unborn child. Schaefer ended up beating Wiese-Mack to death with the fruit bowl after the argument escalated to the point that the victim wrapped her hands around Schaefer’s throat."
​

December 08, 2014
Couple Accused of Murdering Chicago Socialite Sheila von Mack Reunite in Bali Prosecutor's Office

Next, texts and email from February - August 11 between Mack, Schaefer and his cousin planning the murder were released. That discredited the fruit-bowl gift accidental-death story. Tommy took the blame, but Heather did not get off as the damsel in distress hiding in the bathroom because of the texts planning the murder.

towards the bottom, email and text:
https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndil/file/777641/download

Question for a lawyer: If the text and email were used to secure a prior conviction, can that same evidence be used to convict for an international offence?

Wow. So disgusting. JMO.

 

[Marysmith]

It seems that a good portion of the money came from a wrongful death suit related to Sheila's husband after his foot injury was improperly treated and he died. I'm guessing that a portion of that money, plus perhaps whatever money her father had, was put in trust or set aside for Heather Mack, but Mack wanted the money now - not later - and she believed that her mother was spending her money. I think she was also deluded about the amount of money that was involved.

I did read that Sheila tried to get a refund for the Bali trip due to Mack's violence. When she could not be refunded, she decided to take the trip with Mack. What I don't understand is why she didn't invite a friend to take Mack's place. The money was spent, it was non-refundable, but that didn't mean that Mack should vacation with her.

Yeah… unfortunately she was in danger no matter what at this point. :/

 

[otto]

The Argument in the Lobby

They argued about the bill at 3:27 AM. Schaefer was probably checking-in and he needed to produce Sheila's credit card for his room. Sheila knew by then that she paid $12,000 for Schaefer's business class plane ticket, so she told Mack and Schaefer to pay for the hotel.

Mack and Schaefer texted about the murder. Around 8 AM Mack was waiting for Sheila to fall asleep. They had a code, something like "saying hi" to mean they were murdering Sheila no matter what. At 10:30 AM, Mack answered a wake up call and declined coffee.

Has the autopsy report been released? Toxicology for pain killer overdose? Did she try and fail, or did she lie to Schaefer?

So they tried to get their passports, left out the back door and went to the airport. They were found in a hotel 6 miles away. Sounds like they had a good plan to fly out of Bali to Italy or France after leaving the suitcase in the taxi. Sheila kept them in the country.

​

"Wealthy socialite Sheila von Weise Mack had a blazing row with her daughter and the teenager's boyfriend over a hotel bill hours before her body was found crammed into a blood-stained suitcase on the holiday island of Bali.
...

Witnesses have told police that Mrs Mack, her 19-year-old daughter Heather and boyfriend Tommy Schaefer, 21, had a row at the reception desk of the luxury St Regis Hotel on Wednesday morning before her body was shuffled from the hotel in a silver suitcase.

Staff have told police that the three argued about who should pay the bill when they were due to check out on Thursday.
...

Witnesses reported that she and her mother were seen arguing on a number of occasions at the hotel, causing some staff to be concerned that the couple might even come to blows.

'The mother had all the appearances of one of our upmarket guests,' said a staff member, 'but the behaviour she and her daughter showed did not belong in our hotel.

Staff at the $650 St Regis hotel told of the strange behaviour of Miss Mack, who would instantly change from being friendly with them to storming around the opulent lobby and the pool area in an aggressive manner and glaring angrily at those who approached her.

According to a staff reconstruction of the argument, Mrs Mack, from Chicago, was seen pointing at Mr Schaefer, who had checked in after the couple earlier in the week, and telling her daughter:'I’ve paid for his flight here, so the two of you should pay for the hotel.'

The three of them left the lobby area after the row but a few hours later, at 11.26am, Ms Mack and Mr Schaefer arrived in the reception area with a large suitcase wrapped in a bed sheet, refusing to allow a porter to take it out to a waiting taxi."
...

After carrying the suitcase containing Mrs Mack’s body out to the taxi, Ms Mack and Mr Schaefer returned to the reception desk and said they would not be paying the bill - it would be taken care of by Mrs Mack when she checked out later.

But it is claimed they did ask for a safety deposit box, believed to contain Mrs Mack’s jewellery and their passports, to be opened and its contents given to them. The staff refused because they said Mrs Mack had left instructions that only she should be allowed to open it.

Ms Mack and Mr Schaefer said they had more bags to collect - but instead they went out through the back entrance and later ordered another taxi to take them to the airport.​

Sheila von Weise Mack had row with daughter hours before her murder | Daily Mail Online

 

[otto]

They blamed an armed gang?

"In a bizarre twist, the couple, who are being interviewed separately, have told police that Mrs Mack had been killed by an armed gang who had then taken the two of them captive before they were able to escape.

'They have both told the same story about the armed gang, but clearly this is something they have concocted before their arrest, as there is absolutely no evidence from the CCTV cameras to show they were captured by a gang,' police said."
​

Sheila von Weise Mack had row with daughter hours before her murder | Daily Mail Online

 

[otto]

Plan A : soft kill Sheila, head to the airport, leave before the body is found; wait for the Will to be read
Plan B : put Sheila in a suitcase, leave it in the taxi, collect passports, go to airport
Plan C : hide out at a dingy hotel, outta town, try to order new passports at Embassy,
Plan B : armed gang did it
Plan C : Schaefer defended himself from violent Sheila, who wanted to kill their unborn child; Mack hid in the bathroom
Plan D : get access to Sheila's money for legal defence
Plan E : let Schaefer starve, party in prison
Plan F : make documentary & movie about murder with mom's friend for profit

 

[otto]

Thinking about Mack and what brought her to today, it seems that she believed that she was entitled to spend her inheritance whenever she wanted. That explains stealing her mother's credit card and charging outrageous expenses while she partied at hotels with friends. It was her money, she could spend it when and how she wanted.

She promised Schaefer that she was a millionaire teen whose abusive mother was stealing her money. She claims that her mother killed her father during a cruise in Greece. She claimed the estate was worth $11 million.

Was Heather Mack some sort of outcast before her father died and suddenly she was prancing around like a "rich girl"? Why was she so twisted up about money - was that the only way she could get attention from others?

Somewhere the point of 30% came up. Was Sheila entitled to 30% of the total value of the $1.6 million estate? That's $500,000? She downsized to an apartment before the murder, perhaps house proceeds belonged to Sheila, Mack disagreed?

 

[otto]

If Schaefer has had a religious epiphany between malnutrition, TB and covid, perhaps he would like to enlighten us on what happened after he boarded the plane to Bali on August 9, 2014. What happened after he entered Sheila's hotel room? Was Sheila sleeping on her side facing away from the door?

We know that she was killed in bed ... blood on the bed sheets proves as much.

'Suitcase Killer' Heather Mack 'scared' to return to US

"From both the US and Indonesia, reports have emerged telling of Mrs Mack’s troubled daughter, who is understood to have been adopted.

An insight into the family background and Ms Mack’s psychological problems has come from a writer to the Jakarta Post who said she was the same age as Heather, having been friends with her for years.

'Heather has always been a very disturbed girl. She was extremely spoiled and would often scream and throw things until she got her way,' the writer said.

'In 2006, Sheila and her husband were vacationing on a cruise ship when something went wrong and her husband cut his foot due to negligence. Sheila sued the cruise ship and won a sizeable amount of money.

'Heather became even crazier with the newly-inherited millions.'

The former friend added: 'I have absolutely no idea what Tommy saw in Heather or what would bring him to' - allegedly - 'participate in the murder'.

'Tommy recently lost the love of his life. In April, Tommy’s long-time girlfriend, Rachel Smylie, passed away in a car accident in Cape Town, South Africa.

'I guess Tommy and Heather started dating after Rachel’s death and I’m saddened that he got caught up in Heather’s insanity. Sheila was an incredibly nice, educated woman.
...

If I close my eyes and try to visualise Sheila, an image of wearing a fur coat and stiletto heels while shopping at the local Jewel-Osco comes to mind.'"
​

Sheila von Weise Mack had row with daughter hours before her murder | Daily Mail Online

 

[otto]

In Heather Mack's twisted mind, perhaps she'll put her 6 year old daughter in a feather boa and aim for the movies ... memories of fur coats and stiletto heels.

'Suitcase Killer' Heather Mack 'scared' to return to US

 

[Kamille]

Here is the quote from the Chicago Tribune indicating that by the time the court cases regarding the trust were settled, it was worth about half the original amount.

"Months before her death, Sheila von Wiese-Mack tapped her brother, Bill, to serve as trustee of a $1.56 million trust fund of which her daughter was sole beneficiary. From her Bali cell, Heather Mack fought her uncle for years to gain access to the money. During the court battle, a judge allowed her to have about $150,000 to put toward her criminal defense.

After multiple hearings involving several attorneys and court experts, only about half of the money was left by the time a settlement was reached. The terms were kept confidential, but available court records made it clear Mack would not receive anything. Instead, her daughter Stella was named beneficiary."

Days after release from prison overseas, Heather Mack faces new reality, pleads not guilty to federal charges related to gruesome 2014 killing of her mother

 

[Marysmith]

For real does HM have a psychiatric diagnosis? She is a nightmare and cannot be reasoned with.
I can’t imagine the stress that Sheila was under dealing with her.

 

[Kamille]

They blamed an armed gang?

"In a bizarre twist, the couple, who are being interviewed separately, have told police that Mrs Mack had been killed by an armed gang who had then taken the two of them captive before they were able to escape.

'They have both told the same story about the armed gang, but clearly this is something they have concocted before their arrest, as there is absolutely no evidence from the CCTV cameras to show they were captured by a gang,' police said."
​

Sheila von Weise Mack had row with daughter hours before her murder | Daily Mail Online

I believe they actually did have a plan to dispose of the suitcase on the way to the airport and then to get a ticket to destinations unknown until that went south pretty quickly when they couldn't get their passports from the hotel safe.

I guess if they had gotten out of the country, they were going to claim that they fled this "gang" in fear of their own lives and that they had no idea what they had done with Sheila. I think they watched too many bad movies.

MOO

 

[Kamille]

For real does HM have a psychiatric diagnosis? She is a nightmare and cannot be reasoned with.
I can’t imagine the stress that Sheila was under dealing with her.

Her health records have been sealed all along so we do not know if she has an actual diagnosis. Apparently we might get some info at her bond hearing as the prosecution has asked, and received permission for the records to be unsealed to determine if she's a danger to the community at large.

 

[Chelly]

Paternal grandmother requests custody of Heather Mack's daughter
The paternal grandmother of Heather Mack’s daughter wants custody of the young girl as the ‘suitcase murder’ investigation into her parents unfolds.
“She’s going to need a lot of therapy,” Kia Walker told NewsNation Prime. “And I would love to have the opportunity to guide her through that process.”

Walker said she was angry that she was not given custody of her granddaughter.

“I think, you know, it’s in her best interest that she gets to know her grandma, and the relationship between a granddaughter and the grandmother is very, very, very important,” Walker said.

 

[otto]

Paternal grandmother requests custody of Heather Mack's daughter
The paternal grandmother of Heather Mack’s daughter wants custody of the young girl as the ‘suitcase murder’ investigation into her parents unfolds.
“She’s going to need a lot of therapy,” Kia Walker told NewsNation Prime. “And I would love to have the opportunity to guide her through that process.”

Walker said she was angry that she was not given custody of her granddaughter.

“I think, you know, it’s in her best interest that she gets to know her grandma, and the relationship between a granddaughter and the grandmother is very, very, very important,” Walker said.

I agree that relationships between children and extended family are very important. However, I would like to know why the grandmother's son is currently suffering malnutrition in his Bali prison. He must rely on friends and family for support while in prison. Has she visited her son at any time other than when the child was born?

 

[LinasK]

Paternal grandmother requests custody of Heather Mack's daughter
The paternal grandmother of Heather Mack’s daughter wants custody of the young girl as the ‘suitcase murder’ investigation into her parents unfolds.
“She’s going to need a lot of therapy,” Kia Walker told NewsNation Prime. “And I would love to have the opportunity to guide her through that process.”

Walker said she was angry that she was not given custody of her granddaughter.

“I think, you know, it’s in her best interest that she gets to know her grandma, and the relationship between a granddaughter and the grandmother is very, very, very important,” Walker said.

I disagree because her son was one of the murderers. I think it's far more important that Sheila's siblings have an opportunity to get to know their grandniece.

 

[Kakidoll]

I agree that relationships between children and extended family are very important. However, I would like to know why the grandmother's son is currently suffering malnutrition in his Bali prison. He must rely on friends and family for support while in prison. Has she visited her son at any time other than when the child was born?

Sadly, I believe she just is after that trust fund.

 

[otto]

Sadly, I believe she just is after that trust fund.

I suspect that Sheila would be rolling over in her grave if she knew that Schaefer's mother wants control of her money. Sheila did not want Schaefer in her life.

The child needs to be placed in a stable home environment with a family that can afford to raise a child; a family that will leave the inheritance untouched until the child is an adult age 25 or 30. Anything less will look like a money grab, similar to what has happened in the past six years.

 

[BUF]

I disagree because her son was one of the murderers. I think it's far more important that Sheila's siblings have an opportunity to get to know their grandniece.

I’m not sure if Sheila’s siblings want to raise Stella. Think about it…the way they feel about HM and the short sentence she got for her mother’s murder, the constant manipulation HM has done, and all the battles and hearings about the trust. No matter if HM was to be sentenced here for life, she will always try to control this child with all the head games.

I still feel Stella deserves a life apart from everyone involved in this nightmare (agree with you @otto in your post above). She is 6 years old, first grade…before you know it, she will be a lot older and even more memories to have to be worked out with the help of the right therapist.

Sadly, I am afraid there will be many more hearings and fights about who will gain custody of this child.

 

[LinasK]

I’m not sure if Sheila’s siblings want to raise Stella. Think about it…the way they feel about HM and the short sentence she got for her mother’s murder, the constant manipulation HM has done, and all the battles and hearings about the trust. No matter if HM was to be sentenced here for life, she will always try to control this child with all the head games.

I still feel Stella deserves a life apart from everyone involved in this nightmare (agree with you @otto in your post above). She is 6 years old, first grade…before you know it, she will be a lot older and even more memories to have to be worked out with the help of the right therapist.

Sadly, I am afraid there will be many more hearings and fights about who will gain custody of this child.

That's why I wanted to know if Heather's parental rights can be terminated. She should have no say who raises this child, and Stella should be adopted by whomever does get custody.