The man who allegedly bludgeoned his girlfriend's mother to death with a fruit bowl in a Bali hotel and then stuffed her body into a suitcase has been indicted for premeditated murder.

The trial of the grisly case, which has become known as the "Bali body in the suitcase murder", began in Denpasar District Court on Wednesday.

Heather Mack listens while sitting next to an interpreter in a court in Denpasar, Bali. Mack is charged with the premeditated murder of her mother, whose body was found stuffed in a suitcase in Bali last August. Credit:Reuters

The dead woman's daughter, who is seven months pregnant, has also been indicted for assisting premeditated murder.

The pair could face the firing squad if found guilty and the maximum penalty is invoked.