Teen Accused in Bali Suitcase Murder: “I Loved My Mom”

Heather Mack, 19, faces death by firing squad if found guilty of pre-meditated murder

A Chicago teen accused of killing her mother and helping her boyfriend stuff the body inside a suitcase at an exclusive resort hotel in Bali says she loved her mother and is innocent of all the charges she faces.

"I believe my lawyer, who has worked relentlessly on my behalf, will prove this in court. I ask that the public reserve judgment on my case until the judge passes his verdict," Heather Mack, 19, said in a series of telephone interviews with Chicago Tribune.

"I loved my mom with all my heart and miss her every day," she said.

Mack and her boyfriend Tommy Schaefer, 21, are being tried separately with the same judges and prosecutors. They are charged with the premeditated murder of 62-year-old Sheila von Wiese-Mack and face a maximum penalty of death by firing squad if found guilty by a three-judge panel. 

Mack, who is pregnant, told the Tribune she's "petrified," particularly for her daughter, who is due in April. She said she plans to name the girl Stella.

The teen said she contacted the publication because her Indonesian criminal defense attorney has not been paid from her trust fund as ordered.

She says the attorney has received just one payment of three that have been expected, and she said she plans to fire her Chicago-area attorneys. Those attorneys said they're unaware of plans to remove them from the case.

Cook County Judge Neil Cohen on Jan. 20 approved the release of $150,000 from her mother's estate fund to help pay for her legal fees in Indonesia.

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