Chicago cousin pleads guilty to advising on Bali killing

CHICAGO – A 26-year-old has changed his plea to guilty for helping his cousin and the cousin’s girlfriend kill the woman’s mother in Indonesia by texting tips from 9,000 miles away in Chicago.

Robert Justin Bibbs pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court in Chicago to conspiracy to commit foreign murder of a U.S. national. He’ll be sentenced March 23. A plea deal recommends a maximum 20-year prison term.

Bibbs, of Chicago, hoped for a cut of 62-year-old Sheila von Wiese-Mack’s inheritance by offering advice on killing her while she vacationed in Bali. His texts included emoji symbols illustrating possible killing methods. Wiese-Mack was fatally bludgeoned with a metal fruit bowl and her body found in a suitcase.

Her daughter, Heather Mack, and Bibbs’ cousin, Tommy Schaefer, were convicted in Indonesia in 2015.

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