China: Gu Kailai murder trial concludes
Sacked Chinese politician Bo Xilai, who battled organized crime in Chongqing.
It took seven hours for Gu Kailai's murder trail to begin and end, according to The New York Times.
"The accused Gu Kailai and Zhang Xiaojun [Kailai's aide] did not raise objections to the facts and the charges of intentional homicide," official Tang Yigan told Reuters.
Gu Kailai stands accused of poisoning and killing British national Neil Heywood in 2011.
The murder trial appears on the front pages of major newspapers because Gu Kailai is the wife of Bo Xilai.
Bo Xilai was head of Chongqing's Communist party and a contender for a seat in China's Politburo Standing Committee, which Reuters called the party's "inner sanctum of power."
All this comes as China begins a once-in-a-decade transition of power. It's a politically precarious time as a new generation of leaders takes the reigns of the burgeoning nation trying to maintain economic and social stability.
Bo Xilai was sacked in March and is currently under investigation for unspecified "disciplinary violations," according to the BBC.
The New York Times reported Gu Kailai said Neil Heywood threatened her son.
"The trial finished this afternoon and the court adjourned," official Tang Yigan told Reuters. "The trial committee will announce the verdict after discussion. The date of the verdict will be announced."
Teng Biao, a defense lawyer, told The New York Times, “This trial is just for show. You can be sure there would be no surprises.”
According to the Washington Post, the courtroom was barricaded and only open to state-controlled news outlets.