H

eather Lois Mack, 18, and Tommy Schaefer, 21, the US couple who allegedly killed Mack'€™s mother and put her body into a suitcase, continue to deny the murder accusation leveled against them.

During separate interrogations conducted by the police, both continued to state there had been robbers at the scene.

Denpasar Police investigator I Nengah Sadiarta said the police had been unable to uncover a motive for the murder as the suspects had not confessed. '€œHow can we know their motive when they haven'€™t confessed that they committed the murder,'€ Sadiarta said Thursday.

However, Sadiarta insisted that the case would continue with or without a confession.

'€œWe are not pursuing their confessions. We will continue to process the dossiers, as we have all the evidence,'€ he said.

Sadiarta said that police intended to complete the dossiers before the detention period ended in mid-October. However, if they are not completed in time, he said, the detention period could be extended for another 30 days.

The couple were arrested on Aug. 13, one day after they allegedly murdered Mack'€™s 62-year-old mother, Sheila von Weise Mack.

Police believe the couple placed her body in a silver suitcase, which they put in the trunk of a taxi at the St. Regis Bali Resort on Aug. 12, before leaving the hotel, where they had been vacationing, via the beach.

Since the arrest, both suspects have repeatedly refused to speak to the police without their US lawyers being present. They have been held in separate locations to prevent communication. Mack is being detained at the Denpasar Police office, while Schaefer is being detained at Bali Police headquarters.

The US lawyers arrived last week and Schaefer and Mack finally gave their statements to the police. Schaefer was interrogated on Friday of last week, while Mack underwent interrogation on Wednesday and Thursday.

During the interrogation, Mack, who is three months pregnant, was accompanied by her lawyers Raja Nasution and Lily Lubis. Her US lawyer, Michael Elkin, was also present during the questioning.

'€œAs lawyers, we are here to give legal assistance so she gets her legal rights, as well as to give moral support so that our client can explain to the police what really happened,'€ Raja said.

Raja refused to clarify Mack'€™s statement, but stated it had been difficult to persuade her to talk.

'€œWe explained about the law, her rights and obligations as a suspect in the case. We explained the impact if she didn'€™t tell the truth. ['€¦] We told her this is the real world ['€¦] and she is responsible for her own life.'€

'€œIf she remains tight-lipped and doesn'€™t tell the truth, she will harm her life in the future,'€ he added.

Elkin said that he was in Bali only to assist the local legal team, as foreign lawyers could not practice in Indonesia. '€œI just hope that public opinion will be held until there'€™s more evidence and not to judge at this point because it'€™s a little bit early,'€ he said.

Meanwhile, Chicago-based lawyer Vanessa Favia has been appointed lawyer to Mack'€™s unborn baby. '€œAn unborn baby is also a legal subject, so the baby has rights too. Specifically, I could not explain, but obviously Vanessa will ensure the baby has its rights. Heather has the right to be examined by a gynecologist and receive vitamins for her pregnancy, among other things,'€ Raja stated.

'€œMy role here is to represent Heather'€™s unborn child. Currently, she is three months pregnant. I'€™m here to make sure that she'€™s getting proper nutrition, she is been taking care of, getting all the medical attention she needs, so that she can have a healthy baby in the future,'€ Favia said.