The Slatest

Suspect in Bali Suitcase Murder Has a Lawyer for Her Fetus

Mack.

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Heather Mack, the Chicago teen being detained on the Indonesian island of Bali along with her boyfriend on suspicion of killing her mother, is retaining a lawyer for her fetus. From Reuters

“I’m here to represent Heather’s unborn child,” lawyer Vanessa Favia told reporters late on Wednesday outside the police station where Mack is being detained in Bali’s provincial capital of Denpasar.

Favia said Mack was three months pregnant.

“I’m here to make sure that she’s getting proper nutrition and … all the medical attention she needs, so that she can have a healthy baby in the future,” Favia said.

The two suspects have not been formally charged with a crime. Under Indonesian law, charges would follow an investigation that could take weeks.

Mack’s mother’s corpse was found stuffed into a suitcase that had been seen in the possession of Heather Mack and her boyfriend, Tommy Schaefer. If found guilty of premeditated murder, the pair will be sentenced to life in prison or receive the death sentence, says USA Today. If deemed guilty of an unplanned crime, they’ll receive a 15-year sentence. Executions in Indonesia are carried out by firing squad; five took place last year, according to Amnesty International.

A spokesman for the Bali police previously told Reuters Mack’s unborn child could be raised in prison.