A Chicago man accused of helping plot the death of Sheila von Wiese-Mack changed his plea to guilty in a federal court on Tuesday.
Robert Bibbs, 26, is accused of conspiring with his cousin, Tommy Schaefer, and Schaefer's girlfriend Heather Mack, in the murder of Mack’s mother Sheila. [[406329365, C]]
Von Wiese-Mack was bludgeoned to death with a metal fruit bowl and her body found stuffed inside a suitcase in a taxi at a Bali resort in August 2014.
In 2015, Schaefer was found guilty of battering von Wiese-Mack to death and was sentenced to 18 years in prison in Indonesia. Mack was convicted of helping with the killing, and sentenced to 10 years in prison in Indonesia.
Prosecutors in the US said Bibbs texted Schaefer tips to get away with the crime from more than 9,000 miles away in Chicago, and that he had hoped to cash in on the inheritance.
In October 2015, Bibbs pleaded not guilty in Chicago federal court to conspiracy to kill a person in a foreign country, conspiracy to commit foreign murder of a United States national, and solicitation of a crime of violence.
It was not immediately clear why Bibbs chose to change his plea, but speaking to the judge on Tuesday, he revealed that he was aware of the plot, but never thought Tommy would do it and instead believed Heather would commit the crime. [[406330025, C]]
Local
If convicted, Bibbs faces up to 20 years in prison. He remains out on bond until his sentencing in March.
