An Indonesian judge has confirmed that a Chicago teen and her boyfriend will stand trial for the murder of her mother and if they're found guilty they will face a firing squad. INSIDE EDITION spoke to a family friend who said he is still stunned by the
The pregnant American heiress accused of murdering her mom rubbed her baby bump in court.
Nineteen-year-old Heather Mack, who is due to give birth next month, and her boyfriend Tommy Schaefer, are accused of beating her wealthy mom to death on a dream vacation to Bali.
Now, a family friend is speaking out about the case for the first time. Elliott Jacobson says Heather is a troubled teen who had a tempestuous relationship with her mom, but he never thought it could lead to murder.
Jacobson told INSIDE EDITION's Les Trent, “It's just shock and disbelief. I don't know how to articulate the feeling. I just didn't see it coming.”
An exclusive home video shows Heather and her mom, Sheila Mack, in happier times at their antique-filled mansion outside Chicago.
The holiday in Bali which ended in Sheila Mack’s violent death was supposed to bring them closer together until Heather's boyfriend joined them.
Jacobson told Trent, "The last person Sheila would have wanted to join them in Bali would have been Tommy Schaefer. Apparently Heather used her mother's credit card to pay for the ticket.”
Schaefer is accused of beating the 62-year-old socialite with a fruit bowl in a suite in the luxury island resort hotel. Her body was stuffed into a suitcase. Prosecutors say Heather Mack sat on it so her boyfriend could snap it shut.
On Monday, the Americans failed in a last ditch effort to have the charges thrown out on a technicality. A three-judge panel ruled they must stand trial.
Before the hearing, Heather ate avocado salad from a plastic container as she and her 21-year-old boyfriend chatted with diplomats from the U.S. consulate.
Heather was seen wearing a ring she made in an arts and crafts class behind cars. She says it's a symbol of her love for her boyfriend.
After the hearing they were handcuffed together and returned to the prison known locally as Hotel K. Heather is living in a shack with 11 other inmates.
Heather could be allowed to keep the baby with her behind bars until the baby is of two years of age.
