Was Heather Mack adopted? Parentage explored as 'Suitcase Killer' sentenced to 26 years over 2014 death of her mother 

Heather Mack, born in 1995 to jazz musician James L. Mack and Sheila Ann von Wiese, is at the center of a gruesome crime that unfolded during a 2014 holiday in Bali, Indonesia. As far as Mack's adoption goes, she was not adopted. James L. Mack and Sheila Ann von Wiese were her biological parents.

Mack, along with then-boyfriend Tommy Schaefer, plotted and executed the murder of her mother, stuffing the lifeless body into a suitcase. Recently, federal prosecutors sentenced Mack to 26 years in prison for her role in this heinous crime as reported by The New York Times.

This sentence follows Mack's earlier conviction in Indonesia in 2015, where she initially received a 10-year term but was released in 2021.

Upon returning to the U.S., she faced charges of conspiracy to kill a U.S. national, spending the last two years in a Chicago prison awaiting sentencing.

---

Heather Mack's troubled relationship with her mother

The relationship between Heather Mack and her mother, Sheila Ann von Wiese, was fraught with turmoil and violence, as police records reveal. Between January 2004 and June 2013, authorities responded to the Mack residence 86 times for reports of theft and domestic violence, all involving altercations between mother and daughter as reported by People.

The incidents took a physical toll on Sheila, starting in January 2010 when Heather allegedly punched her mother's broken ankle and faced accusations of stealing $1000. The violence escalated in February 2011 when Heather broke her mother's arm, going so far as to disable the phone cord to prevent her from calling for help.

Threats continued in July 2011, and by November 2012, Heather had bitten her mother, leaving a bruise that went undocumented as Sheila refused police photography.

Heather's high school years at Oak Park and River Forest High School (2010-2014) were marked by these disturbing incidents. During her senior year, she began dating Tommy Schaefer, an unemployed rapper known as Tommy EXX. Heather's mother disapproved of the relationship, prompting a drastic move to Gold Coast, Chicago. Despite this, Heather Mack became pregnant by Tommy as reported by People.

The situation intensified when it was revealed that Heather had undergone two abortions under her mother's control. Sheila sought power of attorney to enforce a third abortion. This tumultuous background set the stage for their final trip to Bali, booked by Sheila. Heather awaited blood work to confirm her pregnancy.

---

Heather Mack's sentence reduced to around 23 years

On Wednesday, Judge Matthew Kennelly ruled that Heather Mack, aged 28, will receive credit for the time served, reducing her sentence to approximately 23 years, as per BBC. Prosecutors had initially recommended 28 years for Heather Mack, who, along with her then-boyfriend Tommy Schaefer, conspired to kill her wealthy academic mother, Sheila von Wiese-Mack.

The motive behind the murder was reportedly the desire to gain access to a $1.5 million trust fund. Prosecutors alleged that Heather Mack, 18 at the time and pregnant, covered her mother's mouth while Schaefer struck her in the head with a fruit bowl. The body was later found in a suitcase as reported by The New York Times.

After the murder, Mack and Schaefer left the suitcase with the remains in a taxi. The driver alerted the police, leading to the discovery of the crime. The couple was later found at another hotel in Bali.

Mack, initially pleading not guilty to the U.S. charges, eventually changed her plea after reportedly receiving a favorable deal from prosecutors who had initially sought a longer sentence.

During the sentencing, Sheila von Wiese-Mack's brother, Bill Wiese, urged the court to impose the maximum penalty, asserting that Mack had not demonstrated remorse for the crime. "If it were up to me, Heather would spend the rest of her life behind bars," stated Mr. Wiese.

"This was a brutal and premeditated crime," stated Judge Kennelly in court on Wednesday, as reported by CBS.

"We certainly didn't want her to continue to be incarcerated, but we're cognizant of the laws here, and the facts underlying this case," expressed defense attorney Mike Leonard as reported by CBS. "She's, as you saw, genuinely extremely remorseful about what happened."

Tommy Schaefer, Heather Mack's former boyfriend and also named in the U.S. indictment, remains imprisoned in Indonesia.