Tearful: Heather Mack was sentenced to 10 years in jail for the murder of her mother Sheila von Wiese-Mack
Jailed: Heather Mack and Tommy Schaefer pictured with their daughter in a prison bus after the court hearings
Jail sentence: Tommy Schaefer wept as he was jailed for 18 years for the murder of his girlfriend's mother
Mack's
sentence came just minutes after her boyfriend Tommy Schaefer, 21, was
jailed for 18 years at the same court in Denpasar, Bali and he violently
lashed out at photographers
No mercy: It had been widely
speculated that because of Schaefer's age and the fact he is the father
of a month-old baby, he would be given a lesser sentence than the
prosecution had demanded
Following
her sentencing, Mack spoke of her anger and sadness that her boyfriend
would still be in prison when she was eventually released.
'He will still be in prison when I am freed and he is the father of my daughter,' she said.
'She
will be a young girl and she is going to be without a father, while I
will be out of prison. He should not have received 18 years like that.'
Meanwhile,
Schaefer expressed anger outside the court for the first time since his
arrest by lashing out and swearing at photographers. He hit two
cameras.
It
was a spontaneous display of anger he had not shown before, prompting
observers to wonder if the same fury had surfaced in the hotel room
where he murdered Sheila von Wiese-Mack.
Murdered: The body of Sheila von Wiese-Mack (left) was found inside a suitcase (right) after her murder
Behind bars: Heather Mack pictured in prison after she was sentenced to 10 years in a Bali prison today
Motherhood: Mack is allowed to keep
her baby in prison with her for two years and she says she couldn't bare
to give up her one-month-old
Sentenced: Body in a suitcase teenager Heather Mack is sentenced to 10 years for the murder of her mother
Jail sentence: Tommy Schaefer, 21, pictured leaving court after being jailed for 18 years in prison earlier today
Mack spoke of her anger and sadness that her boyfriend would still be in prison when she was released
Tears rolled down Miss Mack's face as the interpreter told her the judges were sending her to jail for the next 10 years.
The
sentence has shown, however, that the judges had considered pleas by
the defence that she was a young mother with a month-old baby and she
had not contributed to the death of her own mother.
But Judge Suweda said: 'She failed to contact the police after the murder. Instead she had run away.'
Ni
Ketut Novi Sri Wirani, Mack's lawyer, said: '10 years is better than
the 15 years sought by the prosecution, so (we're) happy.'
Moments
earlier, the judge jailed Schaefer to 18 years in prison. He said the
violence of the crime - in which Schaefer was described as battering Mrs
Von Wiese-Mack to death - had shocked Bali by its brutality.
'Taking
into account the 340 chapter of criminal code and other related laws,
(panel) declared that the defendant Tommy Schaefer has been legally and
convincingly guilty of committing premeditated murder,' Judge Suweda
said.
'Therefore the defendant is sentenced to 18 years in jail.'Heather Mack jokes with journalists from behind bars
The prosecution had originally asked for Mack to be imprisoned in Bali’s Kerobokan Jail for 15 years
Mother: Heather Mack, pictured with her daughter Stella, was all smiles as she arrived at a Bali court today
Guilty: Mack, 19, from Chicago was found guilty of helping Schaefer stuff her mother's body into a suitcase
Mack spoke of the many years
separation she and her boyfriend now face. 'He will still be in prison
when I am freed and he is the father of my daughter,' she said Heather Mack speaks about baby Stella before sentencing
He
described Schaefer's actions as sadistic, but said his politeness and
remorse during the trial saved him from the heavier punishment - the
death sentence.
'Although I do take full responsibility for my actions, I am not a murderer,' Scahefer said after hearing the verdict.
Her newborn baby badly needs a mother's love and breastfeeding
The
sentences mean Schaefer will be 39 years old when he is released from
Kerobokan Jail. When Mack is released, her daughter will be 10 years
old.
The
judge said: 'In my decision I have made a special judgment because
Heather has a baby who needs a mother. For Tommy, I call the crime
sadistic.'
Mack
was found guilty of helping her boyfriend put her mother's body in the
case before it was loaded into a taxi at the upmarket St Regis Hotel in
Bali.
Her
lawyers told the court that her young age, the fact that she has a
one-month-old baby and the claim that she had no part in the actual
death of her mother should see her receiving a reduction.
All smiles: Heather Mack holds her baby daughter ahead of her sentencing for the murder of her own mother
Jailed: Tommy Schaefer has been
sentenced to 18 years in jail for the 'sadistic murder' of his
girlfriend's mother in the 'body in the suitcase' killing
The baby, Stella, was brought to the court building again today by Mack, who said the child was healthy
Earlier today, Mack was all smiles and showed no nervousness when she arrived at Denpasar District Court.
Asked
if she was concerned that the judges were expected to hand down long
prison sentences for her and Schaefer - who are both from the Chicago
area - she said she was ready for whatever they decided.
'Anything... I'm prepared for anything,' she said.
But
sitting in front of the judges in a white blouse, Mack's earlier
smiling bravado fell away and she began to weep as she listened to the
judge outlining the case.
The
prosecution claimed the couple had planned the death of Mrs Von
Wiese-Mack, based on text messages that had passed between them.
The
court has already heard from the prosecution that Schaefer went to Mrs
Von Wiese-Mack's hotel room, which she was sharing with daughter,
carrying the heavy fruit bowl, which was evidence that he intended to
use it on her.
Mack's
defence team claimed that during the fatal argument between her mother
and Schaefer, she had run and hid in the bathroom - but had then helped
her boyfriend push her mother's body into the suitcase because she
panicked and he was the father of the child she was carrying.
In the final hours before Mack learned of her fate, she told People magazine that tending to her newborn daughter keeps her from dwelling on what the coming day may bring.
Awaiting sentencing: Mack claimed she
had not been party to her mother’s death and had only assisted her
boyfriend in stuffing the body into the suitcase after she had panicked
Behind bars: Mack claimed she had not
been party to her mother’s death and had only assisted her boyfriend in
stuffing the body into the suitcase
Accompanied by her boyfriend,
21-year-old Tommy Schaefer, Mack, 19, showed no nervousness about the
fate which awaited her in the Denpasar District Court.
The sentence has shown that the judges
had considered pleas by the defence that she was a young mother with a
month-old baby and she had not contributed to the death of her own
mother
She is allowed to keep her baby in prison with her for two years and Mack said she could not bare to give her up.
'I don't want to separate my family,' she said. 'It's too painful to think about having to be separated from my angel.'
When
they were first arrested last August following the discovery of the
battered body of Mack's 62-year-old mother in a suitcase that had been
placed in the boot of a taxi, they could have faced a mandatory death
sentence for premeditated murder.
But
Mack claimed she had not been party to her mother’s death and had only
assisted her boyfriend in stuffing the body into the suitcase after she
panicked.
For
his part, Schaefer argued that he had hit Mrs Von Wiese-Mack with the
metal part of a fruit bowl after she grabbed him by the throat during an
argument in her room at the hotel.
He
claimed there had always been dissent between Mrs Von Wiese-Mack and
himself because she objected to his relationship with her daughter -
particularly after she learned her daughter was pregnant with his child.
Mrs
Von Wiese-Mack was the widow of highly regarded jazz and classical
composer James L. Mack, who died in 2006 at the age of 76.
THE OVERCROWDED PRISON WHERE MACK AND SCHAEFER ARE LOCKED UP
Kerobokan prison in Bali will be home to Chicago couple Heather Mack and Tommy Schaefer for 10 years and 18 years respectively.
The facility has previously been described as overcrowded, flooded with crime and overflowing with drugs.
Kerobokan Prison: Mack was sharing her cell at the prison with eight other inmates before the visit from the government minister
Earlier
this month, Mack and her baby Stella received a personal visit from a
government minister who offered them extra comforts.
Yasona
Laoly, Indonesia’s Justice and Human Rights Minister, checked on the
conditions in her cell, which she shares with eight other prisoners.
‘I’m not happy to be raising my baby here,’ said Mack, who is allowed to keep her baby in prison with her for two years.
Heather Mack is allowed to raise her baby in prison for two years
The minister later said he was perturbed that a three-week-old baby should start her life in a prison.
He said he had offered Mack the chance to place the baby with a family to care for the child.
‘I’ve given her the chance to think over the offer,’ Mr Yasona said outside the prison.
‘There are families in Bali who would be happy to take the baby in and care for her.
‘While
she is considering this, I have also told her that I will arrange for
her to have a room to herself inside the prison where she can care for
the baby properly without other prisoners being around.’
During
the minister’s visit, Mack not only told him of her concerns about the
crowded cell, but she also said she wanted baby Stella Schaefer to be
baptised.
Mr Yasona said he would make arrangements for a church pastor or priest to come to the prison to perform a ceremony.
Another prisoner, an Indonesian woman, is sharing a cell with her seven-month old baby and several other women.
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