Heather Mack: US teenager who could be executed by Indonesian firing squad gives birth in Bali while on trial for murder of mother
Body of Sheila von Wiese-Mack was found squeezed inside a suitcase
Your support helps us to tell the story
As your White House correspondent, I ask the tough questions and seek the answers that matter.
Your support enables me to be in the room, pressing for transparency and accountability. Without your contributions, we wouldn't have the resources to challenge those in power.
Your donation makes it possible for us to keep doing this important work, keeping you informed every step of the way to the November election
Andrew Feinberg
White House Correspondent
An American woman on trial in Indonesia for allegedly murdering her mother has given birth to a girl on the resort island of Bali.
Heather Mack was detained last summer along with her boyfriend, after police found the battered body of her mother, Sheila von Wiese-Mack, 62, apushed inside a suitcase on the Indonesian island of Bali.
Ms Mack, 19, and her boyfriend, Tommy Schaefer, 21, are currently undergoing separte trials for her murder. They could face execution by means of firing squad if convicted.
This week it was announced that Ms Mack had given birth to the child that investigators believe may unknowingly have played a part in the killing.
Mr Schaefer testified at Ms Mack;s trial last week that he got angry at von Wiese-Mack because she used a racial slur against him and threatened the unborn baby. He also said the victim strangled him briefly and he struck her with a metal fruit bowl.
Ms Mack testified that they panicked afterward and that she did not want her mother dead.
The teenager admitted to Sanglah Hospital in Denpasar about 1 pm on Tuesday and and gave birth about six hours later, accordig to prison chief Sudjonggo said.
The Associated Press said the hearings for the trials will be rescheduled pending Ms Mack’s condition. Their trials are to resume March 24, when prosecutors would submit their sentencing demands.
Prosecutors said Mack had suggested to Schaefer while they were in America that he hire someone for $50,000 to kill her mother.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments