An American man has been released from an Indonesian prison after serving 11 years for the murder of his girlfriend's mother, and he now faces federal charges in the United States.
Tommy Schafer, who was convicted of the premeditated murder of Sheila von Wiese-Mack in Bali, Indonesia, has been freed and deported back to the United States after serving 11 years in prison. Schafer was sentenced in 2014 for the murder that involved the suspicious circumstances surrounding von Wiese-Mack's death. Prosecutors alleged that the motive for the crime was access to a trust fund valued at $1.5 million, raising questions about greed as a motive for the brutal act.
The murder incident occurred in August 2014 and involved both Schafer and his then-girlfriend, Heather Mack, who was also implicated in the crime. Prosecutors stated that during the act, Mack covered her mother's mouth while Schafer struck the victim with a fruit bowl, leading to von Wiese-Mack's death, and her body was later discovered stuffed into a suitcase. The media has since referred to the case as the 'suitcase murder' due to the gruesome details, which captured significant public attention during the trial.
Now that Schafer has returned to the U.S., he is facing separate federal charges related to the same incident. The implications of his imprisonment in Indonesia and subsequent return raise questions about the legal proceedings he may face in the United States, demonstrating how international legal systems can overlap in cases involving American citizens committing crimes abroad.
