Chicago-area woman charged in mother's killing in Bali sues estate for cash to fund defense
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A Chicago-area teen accused of killing her mother on the Indonesian island of Bali is suing for access to the woman's estate.
Lawyers for 19-year-old Heather Mack on Thursday asked a Cook County judge to force her uncle, William Wiese, to release funds for her legal defense.
Wiese is trustee of his slain sister's estate.
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Separate trials began Wednesday for Mack and her boyfriend, 21-year-old Tommy Schaefer, on charges of premeditated murder. If convicted, they could face the death penalty.
They were arrested Aug. 13, a day after the badly beaten body of the 62-year-old Sheila von Wiese-Mack was found in a suitcase inside the trunk of a taxi at the St. Regis Bali Resort.
Prosecutors contend the couple plotted to kill von Wiese-Mack because she disapproved of their relationship.