T

he Bali Police said on Friday that two US youths held in detention since last month had finally confessed to murdering US woman Sheila von Weise Mack and hiding her body in a suitcase.

Following intensive interrogation, Denpasar Police chief Sr. Comr. Djoko Hari Utomo said that Tommy Schaefer, 21, and his girlfriend Heather Lois Mack, 18, the daughter of the victim, had admitted to murdering Mack.

'€œBoth suspects have confessed to the murder,'€ Djoko said.

'€œHeather, however, has only confessed to witnessing the murder and claims to have taken no active part in the crime. She also claimed that Schaefer had no intension of murdering [Sheila von Weise Mack] in the first place,'€ he added.

The couple was arrested at Risata Bali Hotel in Kuta on Aug. 13, one day after they allegedly murdered Mack'€™s 62-year-old mother at the St. Regis Bali Resort where they had been staying during their vacation in Bali.

The police allege that following the murder, the couple placed the victim'€™s body in a silver suitcase, which they left in the trunk of a taxi at the resort in Nusa Dua on Aug. 12.

An autopsy by the Sanglah Hospital forensics team found that the victim died due to obstruction of the respiratory tract, which was caused by a broken nose. The autopsy also found a broken bone in the victim'€™s neck and several wounds to the left arm, an indication that the victim had tried to defend herself.

'€œThe murder took place after Schaefer took offense at a remark made by the elder Ms. Mack,'€ Djoko said.

He refused, however, to go into detail.

But according to the police, CCTV footage showed that Mack and her mother had had a heated discussion in the hotel lobby.

Several hotel staff stated to the police that the argument centered on who should pay Schaefer'€™s room bill.

It emerged later that the victim had paid for Schaefer'€™s airline ticket from the US to Bali.

Djoko said that police were now focusing on completing the legal dossier before the detention period ended in mid-October.

The police have charged both suspects with violating Article 340 of the Criminal Code on premeditated murder and Article 338 of the Criminal Code on murder; the violations carry a maximum penalty of death.

'€œWe are still intending to charge the suspects with premeditated murder,'€ said Djoko.

Since the arrest, the 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 under detention at the Denpasar Police office, while Schaefer is held at Bali Police headquarters.

The couple'€™s US lawyers arrived last week, and Schaefer and Mack agreed to give statements to the police.

Schaefer was interrogated on Friday of last week, while Mack underwent interrogation on Wednesday and Thursday.