An attorney has been assigned to the unborn child of a Chicago teen accused of killing her mother and stuffing the body into a suitcase in Bali.
Heather Mack's legal team told Reuters that Mack, being held in an Indonesian jail, retained representation for the child. Mack is three months pregnant, according to Reuters.
Lawyer Vanessa Favia said Wednesday she would represent the unborn baby and make sure Mack gets proper nutrition and medical attention so Mack can deliver a healthy child. Bali police have said Mack will not get special treatment.
Mack and her boyfriend, Tommy Schaefer, were arrested last month in connection with the murder, a day after the body of Sheila von Wiese-Mack was found inside the trunk of a taxi parked in front of the St. Regis Bali Resort.
Authorities said an autopsy showed von Wiese-Mack, 62, died of asphyxiation from a broken nose bone resulting from a blunt blow.
Schaefer and Mack could be sentenced to death by firing squad if found guilty.
Mack's Chicago-based attorney, Michael Elkin, said his client is innocent of the allegations. Elkin earlier told NBC 5 he was in the process of organizing a team of attorneys, doctors and private investigators to help with Mack's defense.
Schaefer's mother has appealed for financial support for her son on the YouCaring.com website to raise money to pay for a lawyer in Indonesia.
Details of the fundraiser explain that donations will be used to help pay for legal services and Schaefer's welfare needs while in custody, including food and medicine. Prisoners are expected to pay for their basic needs, according to the site.
