GUILTY Bali - Sheila von Wiese Mack, 62, found dead in suitcase, 12 Aug 2014 #4

[Curious Me]

BBM: :yes: I wonder how much interest, and outrage, there will be when they are walking around the mall one day and they see HM smiling as she flicks her hair back and pushes a brand new spanky baby stroller?

I cringe thinking about HM trying to raise a baby. :scared: I really question if she is capable of feeling empathy or love. The money could run out fast. Just imagine HM without much money or childcare, or a sickly baby...groan. There's no telling what "it" would do to a non-convenient baby or child. HM seems to have unresolved rage and anger issues, as well as entitlement issues.

No one has come forth talking about how loving, helpful, or caring HM has been to anyone. We know how she treated her own mother.

I'm very worried for the baby ever being under her care.

 

[tarjessi]

I cringe thinking about HM trying to raise a baby. :scared: I really question if she is capable of feeling empathy or love. The money could run out fast. Just imagine HM without much money or childcare, or a sickly baby...groan. There's no telling what "it" would do to a non-convenient baby or child. HM seems to have unresolved rage and anger issues, as well as entitlement issues.

No one has come forth talking about how loving, helpful, or caring HM has been to anyone. We know how she treated her own mother.

I'm very worried for the baby ever being under her care.

Being a narcissist will make her a terrible mother by nature. I really believe she is a danger to her baby in the future. You are right...just wait until the reality sets in with having a baby in prison.

 

[LinasK]

I don't expect to hear anything from WW. He has to be very, very careful. On one hand, he has a fiduciary responsibility for the trust. On the other hand, he obviously wants to see justice done for his sister. He has to wait and see what happens with this trial before he can make his next move. I fully expect if HM is convicted, he will file a civil wrongful death suit. He will also do what he thinks needs to be done to make sure the Slayer Rule is applied, even if this murder happened in another country.

HM's lawyer's must have told her that if she is convicted, she looses all the money. That is why she has to get off. And probably why TS has been told he has to take all the blame. TS will probably be better off if HM has money to help him out, and get a reduced sentence for him during appeal. I have a feeling that WW is constructing a contingency plan for this worst case scenario. It has been discussed in this thread what would happen if HM was not convicted, and if she could be convicted here. I doubt we all know enough to make that call.

Can the FBI get involved because of the premeditated texting? Tommy wasn't in Bali yet, so he was on US soil presumably while they were texting their plans...

 

[FigTree]

Being a narcissist will make her a terrible mother by nature. I really believe she is a danger to her baby in the future. You are right...just wait until the reality sets in with having a baby in prison.

My true fear isn't just Heather's lack of nurturing skills - its about a lot of issues to do with other prisoners being around the baby. The environment is unhealthy for adults - let alone a baby.
There is nothing but risk.

 

[otto]

No wonder Heather is so confident. Sheesh! Is there any hope for justice for Sheila?

Heather should watch the news. In Indonesia, drug dealers are executed, so surely murderers are executed. Does Heather believe that she has a sound case against her boyfriend?

"Brazil and the Netherlands have recalled their ambassadors to Indonesia after the island nation executed five foreigners and an Indonesian woman on drug trafficking charges."

http://rt.com/news/223759-ambassadors-recall-indonesia-executions/

 

[Kamille]

Can the FBI get involved because of the premeditated texting? Tommy wasn't in Bali yet, so he was on US soil presumably while they were texting their plans...

It was my understanding that they both were on US soil during the texting regarding the 50 grand "hit". Which is why I was hoping that a conspiracy charge at least could be leveled at her considering that "hit" was apparently sucessful even though it took place in another country.

MOO

 

[FigTree]

It was my understanding that they both were on US soil during the texting regarding the 50 grand "hit". Which is why I was hoping that a conspiracy charge at least could be leveled at her considering that "hit" was apparently sucessful even though it took place in another country.

MOO

They were discussing how to kill Sheila while in the US - and then prior to the murder in Bali they were texting of how to dispose of Sheila's body.
IIRC
Im wondering if the means that there is a possibility that HM &TS can be charged in both the US and Indonesia - for plotting the murder (US) the other planning her disposal (Indonesia).

 

[SouthAussie]

To be honest, the FBI's early involvement is the only thing that keeps me clinging to the hope that these two will pay for their brutal crime .... somewhere. lease:

 

[whatthewhaat]

Vanessa F Was denied $126k for legal fees, and it looks like we have an itemized bill...

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-bali-attorneys-met-20150220-story.html

 

[Orange Tabby]

Yesterday's Hearing in Judge Cohen's Courtroom

An article by Christy Gutowski, who writes for the Chicago Tribune, has been posted on the styrk.com website (I’ve never heard of it before), and I don’t see any reference to this article, via Google, at the Tribune, but I haven’t gone to the Tribune website itself to search for it.

Some news:

--There were proceedings in Judge Neil Cohen’s court on Friday (yesterday).

--Vanessa Favia asked for $126,000 in legal fees for her representation of Heather’s unborn child. She also asked for $15,000 to go toward the baby’s delivery and other medical expenses.

--Cohen denied Favia’s requests. The article quotes the judge:

"The trust doesn't deal with anyone except Heather, as long as she's alive," Cohen said. "I can't rewrite something that's been written."
​

--During the hearing on Friday, Anthony Scifo told the judge that he and Heather now speak almost daily, in what Gutowski’s article describes as “an effort to improve their relationship,” whatever that means.

--Scifo has asked for $45,000 in legal fees from the trust. I assume he is asking for this money for himself. Cohen said he may rule on this request next week.

--Attorneys (not named in the article) told Cohen they are reviewing the latest itemized bills from “Aly Soenardi.”

http://www.styrk.com/posts/judge-de...bali-murder-defendant-s-unborn-child-2F60Yo8N

 

[Orange Tabby]

Vanessa F Was denied $126k for legal fees, and it looks like we have an itemized bill...

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-bali-attorneys-met-20150220-story.html

Ninja'd by whatthewhaat!

Thanks for the Chicago Tribune link. I'll compare it to what appeared at styrk.com.

ETA: The two articles look the same to me, so Sleuths should go directly to the Tribune link.

 

[Orange Tabby]

I highlighted something from Christy Gutowski's most recent article on Heather in a previous post:

"The trust doesn't deal with anyone except Heather, as long as she's alive," Cohen said. "I can't rewrite something that's been written."
​

This is further evidence that

(i) Judge Cohen has read the trust document;

(ii) As gitana1 has previously posted, that -- as is common in such cases -- Sheila named alternate beneficiary/ies;

(iii) When Cohen said in January that Stella stands between Heather and William Wiese as a potential beneficiary of the trust, he was basing that comment on the trust itself.

 

[SouthAussie]

Vanessa F Was denied $126k for legal fees, and it looks like we have an itemized bill...

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-bali-attorneys-met-20150220-story.html

Yay!! No more money has been paid yet ... and they are reviewing the bill! :happydance:

$20,000 Ary Soenardi
$10,000 Made Suweda
$ 5,000 Eddy Artha Wijaya
$ 5,000 Judge #2
$ 5,000 Judge #3
$ 2,500 Bali Post
$ 2,500 Bali Times

Yep, all tallies up just fine! :floorlaugh:

Now, repeat that for bill #2 and bill #3, and Heather will have her fair trial over with in no time!

.

 

[FigTree]

I cant read the Chicago Tribune article - its not allowing me viewing unless there's a subscription - so thank-you for the Styrk article!
http://www.styrk.com/posts/judge-de...bali-murder-defendant-s-unborn-child-2F60Yo8N

I could almost see this picture accompanying the article - they must have missed putting it in under the text - so I thought I'd do it for them....

Earlier this month, Mack told the Tribune in a series of telephone interviews from her Bali cell that she did not have a motive to kill her mother, Sheila von Wiese-Mack, whose battered body was discovered Aug. 12 in a suitcase outside the luxury resort where the mother and daughter had been vacationing.

"I loved my mom with all my heart and miss her every day," said Mack.





Oh - thank goodness!
No further payments as yet - AND a refusal!
And Legal!!

I get the impression that there are some alarm bells ringing here about Tommy Schaefer's defence legal payments - as I understand it he is using the same defence team as HM.
I wonder if they have tried to roll in his legal fees into the mix through payments via HM's expenses.

Cohen also had cautioned that none of the funds can be used for the defense of Mack's boyfriend, Tommy Schaefer, 21, of Oak Park.

I will be watching to see if this case stops and starts depending on when payments are made, and who they are made to.

Oh, and as for Flavia - whats with the bill?
She said she would work for free!
So what do you think that other $120+ invoice is for?

Wed 4th Feb 2015
Source: http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/loca...ty-Judges-Office-290841101.html#ixzz3RMUDLwH9

Last month Cohen ordered the release of three weekly payments from Mack’s trust fund to pay for her defense in Indonesia.
Mack told the Chicago Tribune her attorney in Indonesia has only received the first payment.
As a result of the developments, the Cook County Court said it does not know how to send Mack the money until she gets a new lawyer.

Meantime, Favio told the judge she was willing to continue to represent Mack’s unborn child for free.

Hmmmmm.....

 

[Kamille]

Wow...Favia is a piece of work isn't she? $126,000 for "representing" an unborn child? Just what does that entail?

Scifo is a cop out.

Where is Elkin's bill?

Please tell me Cohen has been reading the news out of Bali lately and doesn't release one more penny.

MOO

 

[Kamille]

What do we figure Scifo has done that is worth $45,000? Am I missing something here? Are these normal attorney fees for drafting up some paperwork, long distance calls and making one court appearance on behalf of your client?

The other paperwork he drafted was for himself. To get off the case. And the second court appearance was to submit his bill so I don't count those as "billable" to Sheila's estate.

Where's gitana1? Maybe she'll know if this is a reasonable fee for filing one emergency hearing to ask for money from an estate and for making some long distance calls to coddle a "difficult" client.

:notgood:

I hope it's his itemized bill that the trustee is going over and not AS's. Can't imagine he actually submitted one? Do they actually say it's his bill in the article? I can't get the Chicago Tribune.

MOO

 

[ajaylee]

Flavia's billing seems particularly out-of-line. She's not licensed to practice in Bali, the child is not even born yet. Other than going to Bali and taking cellphone pictures and a statement about the baby's ultrasound, what exactly has she done so far? Research?

And this is after she (a lawyer!) attempted to set up a fund-raiser that violated basic rules of the fund-raising site she tried to use - and that's after setting up a phony charity. HM sure knows how to pick a legal team.

Been meaning to post, but I can't find the link now. IIRC, I read that Australia gives citizens incarcerated in Indonesia under $200/month (about $160 US). I'm sure HM's generous allowance is for two people, but I suspect the two people aren't HM and baby, they are HM and TS.

 

[Orange Tabby]

What do we figure Scifo has done that is worth $45,000? Am I missing something here? Are these normal attorney fees for drafting up some paperwork, long distance calls and making one court appearance on behalf of your client?

The other paperwork he drafted was for himself. To get off the case. And the second court appearance was to submit his bill so I don't count those as "billable" to Sheila's estate.

Where's gitana1? Maybe she'll know if this is a reasonable fee for filing one emergency hearing to ask for money from an estate and for making some long distance calls to coddle a "difficult" client.

:notgood:

I hope it's his itemized bill that the trustee is going over and not AS's. Can't imagine he actually submitted one? Do they actually say it's his bill in the article? I can't get the Chicago Tribune.

MOO

The Chicago Tribune article by Christy Gutowski, as I mentioned a few posts above, is reproduced in its entirety at styrk.com:

http://www.styrk.com/posts/judge-de...bali-murder-defendant-s-unborn-child-2F60Yo8N

I posted the link last night and FigTree reposted it as well. Does that link not work for you?

Among other things, the article says this:

In his Jan. 20 order, Cohen said the last two $50,000 payments would not be distributed to Soenardi until he provides an interim trustee with billing statements to explain what services were provided.

Attorneys Friday said they are reviewing the latest itemized bills.​

I agree with you and ajaylee, who has also posted on the matter of bills by Heather's American attorneys: the amounts they are asking for seem grotesque, incredibly greedy, and unhinged to any reasonable benefit Heather or Stella may have experienced from their efforts.

Like you, I would be very interested to hear gitana1's views on these shocking bills. I wonder if Favia and Scifo have itemized their services provided.

 

[Orange Tabby]

Flavia's billing seems particularly out-of-line. She's not licensed to practice in Bali, the child is not even born yet. Other than going to Bali and taking cellphone pictures and a statement about the baby's ultrasound, what exactly has she done so far? Research?

And this is after she (a lawyer!) attempted to set up a fund-raiser that violated basic rules of the fund-raising site she tried to use - and that's after setting up a phony charity. HM sure knows how to pick a legal team.

Been meaning to post, but I can't find the link now. IIRC, I read that Australia gives citizens incarcerated in Indonesia under $200/month (about $160 US). I'm sure HM's generous allowance is for two people, but I suspect the two people aren't HM and baby, they are HM and TS.

Very good points.

I would also add that Favia (not Flavia, although that has the delicious sound of an ancient Roman schemer and despot!) appears so concerned with getting her hands on the trust money that she didn't even notice that filing an appearance as Heather's attorney in Judge Cohen's court was a clear conflict of interest with her role as Stella's attorney, as Mackoff pointed out in a motion to Cohen.

I'm not sure what you mean by "HM's generous allowance is for two people," (my bold), as the order made it clear the money is for Heather only. If you are saying that the amount in question could easily feed two people, I agree and would go further: Christy Gutowski's article about the phone calls Heather made from Kerobokan to the Chicago Tribune seemed to suggest that the pajama party she saw via Skype had the other women in Heather's "dorm" also enjoying the fruits of this cash.

Not to mention that an iPhone with enough credit to phone Chicago again and again and again (and additionally to send texts when the mood strikes her) hardly fits under the restriction of "food and medical expenses."

And where does Favia's $15,000 figure for baby delivery and other medical costs come from? That seems incredibly high, given the repeated examples of cost of living figures in Bali which others have posted here. At least Judge Cohen shut down Heather and Favia making money off Stella. For the time being, anyhow.

 

[ajaylee]

Excellent point about Favia filing as HM's representative, even though she'd already been called out for a potential conflict of interest. Especially for the amount of $ she's charging, I'd expect better.

Re: the cost of birth in Indonesia. I can't find a single good current link for tourist/wealthy birth costs (ie, private hospital), but the figures I do find are pretty consistent: $1000-2000 for a normal birth, less than $3500 for a c-section. HM will undoubtedly milk it for all its worth, but $15K? This article is from 2011:

http://www.baliadvertiser.biz/articles/paradise/2011/birthing.html

If you are considering birthing Bali be aware that if you are not a citizen or a resident (hold valid KITAS) then your hospital fees will be double that of someone that does. Currently the approximate fees are between 6 to 12 million for a normal un-complicated vaginal birth (usual stay 2 days and 1 night) and between 11 and 23 million for surgical birth (usual stay 2 nights, 3 days). These fees will be doubled for non-kitas holders.

I mentioned the amount of HM's 'food and essentials' monthly stipend because I have no doubt some of it is finding its way to TS, as well as HM using it to 'buy' her cellmates' good humor.