Trial details of Bogu Kailai released

Reason for re-investigation

According to the evidence submitted by the public prosecution body, after Neil Heywood was found dead on the morning of Nov 15, 2011, then deputy chief of the Public Security Bureau of Chongqing Municipality Guo Weiguo, who has close ties with Bogu Kailai's family, was designated to handle the case by Wang Lijun, then vice-mayor of Chongqing as well as the chief of Chongqing's Public Security Bureau.

Guo asked Li Yang, then chief of the criminal section of the Public Security Bureau of Chongqing, Wang Pengfei, then chief of the bureau's technical detection team as well as the chief of the Public Security Sub-bureau of Chongqing's Yubei District, and Wang Zhi, then executive deputy chief of the Public Security Sub-bureau of the municipality's Shapingba District to investigate the scene of the crime as well as the case.

Through interviews and on-the-scene investigations, Guo and other individuals found that Bogu Kailai was highly suspected of committing the crime. They covered up the fact of Bogu Kailai's presence at the scene by fabricating interview records, hiding material evidence and other measures.

Guo and other individuals decided through consultations to list the cause of Heywood's death as sudden death after drinking alcohol, and did not put it on file as a criminal case. They also persuaded Heywood's family members to accept their conclusion of the cause of death and cremated the body in Chongqing without performing an autopsy.

After Wang Lijun entered the United States Consulate General in Chengdu without authorization, the Ministry of Public Security paid great attention to his report that Bogu Kailai was suspected of murdering Heywood.

Guo Weiguo, Wang Lijun, Li Yang, Wang Pengfei and Wang Zhi have all been investigated in other cases.

The ministry set up a team to reinvestigate the case in accordance with Chinese law, and found that Heywood had been the victim of homicide. Bogu Kailai and Zhang Xiaojun were then considered prime suspects.

On suspicions of intentional homicide, Bogu Kailai and Zhang were put under residential surveillance on March 15, 2012.

To ensure an impartial handling of the case, the Ministry of Public Security, the Supreme People's Procuratorate and the Supreme People's Court designated the Public Security Bureau of Hefei City, the People's Procuratorate of Hefei City and the Intermediate People's Court of Hefei City to carry out the investigation, prosecution and trial of the case, respectively.

On July 6, 2012, the procuratorate body approved the arrest of Bogu Kailai and Zhang for suspicion of intentional homicide.

On July 10, the public security organ transferred the case to the procuratorate for the same charge after finishing the investigation.

On July 26, the procuratorate issued an indictment to the Intermediate People's Court of Hefei City.

Key points of the case

As the court investigation proceeded and the debate thoroughly unfolded, key details of the murder allegedly committed by the two defendants began to surface, based on the testimonies of Bogu Kailai and Zhang Xiaojun during the investigation and throughout the trial as well as evidence presented in court.

Murder motive

Bogu Kailai said in her testimony that "it was in about 2005 when my son was studying in Britain that Neil Heywood wrote us a letter of self-introduction, showing his intent to get to know us."

Bogu Kailai testified that after she and her son, surnamed Bo, became acquainted with Heywood, she introduced him to serve as a proxy to a company and participate in the planning of a land project, which never got started. Heywood later got into a dispute with Bogu Kailai and her son over payment and other issues, and he threatened her son's personal safety.

In court, prosecutors presented e-mails exchanged between Heywood and Bo, showing how the dispute between the two had escalated.

According to the evidence prosecutors brought to court, after Bogu Kailai learned of the escalation of their dispute, she believed Heywood had threatened the personal safety of her son and decided to kill Heywood.

"To me, that was more than a threat. It was real action that was taking place. I must fight to my death to stop the craziness of Neil Heywood," according to Bogu Kailai's testimony that prosecutors presented in court.

The defense counsels for Bogu Kailai presented their opinions on the criminal motive, while prosecutors presented a series of evidence to prove Bogu Kailai's criminal motive.