A Chicago police sergeant who had known the family for years has broken his silence on the notorious Bali 'suitcase' murder case, expressing shock and heartbreak over the involvement of a young man he once mentored.
Oak Park Police Sergeant Rasul Freelain had responded to multiple domestic violence calls at the home of victim Sheila Von Wiese-Mack and her daughter, Heather Mack. He had arrested Mack as a child and tried to help her access mental health support. A year before her death, Von Wiese-Mack confided in Freelain that she feared her daughter would kill her.
Freelain also knew Tommy Schaefer, Mack's boyfriend, and thought of him as a good kid. He was devastated when Schaefer was arrested alongside Mack in 2014 after Von Wiese-Mack's body was found stuffed in a suitcase outside a Bali resort. Schaefer was sentenced to 18 years in Indonesia but received time off for good behaviour. He is now facing federal charges in the US.
Freelain attended Schaefer's recent court appearance in Chicago, where he pleaded not guilty. He told The Independent that he felt 'heartbroken' and 'betrayed' after seeing text messages in which Schaefer appeared eager to inherit the victim's estate. 'I really liked Tommy,' Freelain said. 'I had a really good rapport with him when he was a kid. I had a lot of high hopes for him.'
