An American man has confessed to killing his girlfriend's mother at an Indonesian resort in Bali, while the girlfriend has admitted to helping to hide the body in a suitcase, The AFP reported on Friday.
The beaten body of Sheila von Wiese-Mack, 62, was found in the luggage in the trunk of a taxi in front of a luxury hotel Nusa Dua resort area on August 12.
Von Wiese-Mack and her teenage daughter, Heather Mack, 19, and daughter's boyfriend, Tommy Schaefer, 21, had been staying together at the St. Regis hotel but fled to another part of the island after the killing. They were apprehended by police the day.
They are in custody in Bali while police investigate the crime. The couple could face the death in Indonesia penalty if found guilty of premeditated murder.
Indonesian authorities previously claimed they have strong evidence against the pair and on Friday Djoko Heru Utomo, police chief in the Balinese capital Denpasar, said they had confessed to the case during questioning in recent days.
"Both suspects have confessed," he said, adding that Schaefer had admitted to carrying out the killing after an argument with the victim.
Dozens of witnesses were interviewed by police, including the taxi driver and several hotel employees. Some had reported an argument among the three over who should pay for the rooms. Security camera video showed the von Wiese-Mack having an argument with Schaefer in the lobby of the hotel, The Guardian reported.
Police have said the couple hired the taxi and placed the suitcase inside the trunk. They then told the driver that they were going to check out of the hotel and would come right back. Hotel security guards then found blood on the suitcase and suggested that the driver take the taxi to the police station. There, officers opened the suitcase and discovered the body.
Von Wiese-Mack was the widow of highly regarded jazz and classical composer James L Mack, who died in 2006 at age 76.
