Pregnant Chicago teen accused of murdering mom in Bali appears in court with boyfriend
Heather Mack, 19, showcased a growing baby bump during her first trial hearing with her boyfriend, Tommy Schaefer, 21. Both face the death penalty in the murder of Sheila von Wiese-Mack, whose body was found stuffed inside a suitcase last August.
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Wednesday, January 14, 2015, 4:15 PM
- A
- A
- A
SONNY TUMBELAKA/AFP/GETTY IMAGESHeather Mack, the 19-year-old Chicago woman being held in Bali while charged with murdering her mother, is seen with a hand resting on her pregnant belly inside a holding cell on Wednesday.
A pregnant Chicago teen accused of murdering her mother and stuffing her body in a suitcase with her boyfriend in Bali showcased a growing baby bump in court Wednesday, as the expecting mother faces death.
Heather Mack, 19, who's charged with the premeditated murder of her mother Sheila von Wiese-Mack in a luxury hotel last August, entered the courtroom seven-months pregnant while handcuffed to her boyfriend, Tommy Schaefer, 21.
Rather than previous smiles seen exchanged between the two, there were tears — at least by Schaefer, who was seen burying his face into his hands.
PreviousNext
Both are being tried separately in von Wise-Mack's grisly murder. They were filmed dropping off a bloody suitcase, which opened to reveal the 62-year-old's body, prosecutors said.
Mack's mother is said to have vocally disapproved of the couple's relationship when Schaefer allegedly crashed their family vacation in Bali last summer.
PreviousNext
The mother and daughter arrived in Bali on Aug. 4 before moving to the St. Regis hotel in Nusa Dua, where they planned to stay until Aug. 14.
Two days before that end date, Schaefer arrived at the hotel and into a room that had been booked by Mack under her mother's name.
SONNY TUMBELAKA/AFP/GETTY IMAGESThe young couple previously appeared lovey-dovey while behind bars after their August arrest.
That surprise appearance by Schaefer allegedly led to an argument, during which prosecutors claim von Wiese-Mack criticized Schaefer, who is black, with a racial slur.
Van Wiese-Mack's late husband and Mack's father was the highly regarded jazz and classical composer, James Mack, who was black.
FIRDIA LISNAWATI/APProsecutors have accused Mack, seen with her boyfriend shortly after their arrest, of suggesting that they hire someone to kill her mother, who didn't approve of their relationship.