A 28-year-old American woman was sentenced to 26 years in prison on Wednesday in Chicago for her involvement in the brutal killing of her own mother, Sheila von Wiese-Mack, during a luxury vacation in Bali in 2014.
The sentencing, delivered by Judge Matthew Kennelly, came after federal prosecutors recommended a 28-year prison term for Mack, who pleaded guilty last June to conspiring with her then-boyfriend, Tommy Schaefer, to murder her mother, as per NPR.
The prosecutors had argued for a sentence that they deemed "warranted and sufficient, but not greater than necessary to serve a just and appropriate punishment for Mack's heinous crime."
Mack's attorney, Michael Leonard, anticipates that, with good behavior credits and accounting for her time in custody in both Indonesia and the United States, Mack could be incarcerated for approximately 20 years. Leonard also mentioned that Judge Kennelly gave Mack credit for the two-plus years she spent in custody in Chicago after being deported from Indonesia in 2021.
Before the sentence was pronounced, Mack addressed her mother's brother and sister, expressing remorse and acknowledging the pain her actions caused. She tearfully apologized to her aunt, Debbi Curran, who had audibly sobbed as Mack's daughter read a victim impact statement on her behalf.
"There's no excuse for trying to harm her," Mack said. "I miss and love my mother."
The prosecutors had sought additional penalties for Mack, including five years of supervised release, a fine of $250,000, and restitution of $262,708. The judge ordered Mack to pay the specified restitution amount and imposed a $50,000 fine.
Bill Wiese, Wiese-Mack's brother and Mack's uncle, testified during the sentencing hearing, urging the judge to impose the maximum sentence, citing Mack's lack of remorse. Wiese stated, "If it were up to me, Heather would spend the rest of her life behind bars," according to South China Morning Post.
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Conspiring for Trust Fund Murder
Mack's guilty plea last year included admitting to conspiring with Schaefer to kill her mother in order to gain access to a $1.5 million trust fund. Prosecutors detailed the gruesome crime, explaining that Mack, then 18 and pregnant, covered her mother's mouth while Schaefer bludgeoned Wiese-Mack with a fruit bowl in a Bali hotel room.
The couple had allegedly planned the murder for months, as evidenced by video footage showing them attempting to transport the suitcase containing Wiese-Mack's body into an Indonesian taxi.
Schaefer, convicted of murder, is currently serving an 18-year sentence in Indonesia and faces charges in the same US indictment. His mother, Kia Walker, attended Mack's sentencing in Chicago.
The case garnered international attention when Indonesian authorities sentenced Mack to 10 years for being an accessory to Wiese-Mack's murder in 2015. She served seven years in Indonesia before being deported in 2021. Mack's daughter, who was six at the time of her arrest, is now in the custody of a relative after a legal battle.
While Mack's lawyers sought a 15-year prison term, citing her time served in Indonesia, the plea agreement specified a maximum sentence of 28 years with the dismissal of two other charges against Mack. Leonard argued against an extended sentence, stating that the financial burden on taxpayers would be unjustifiable, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.
