Prosecutors Demand Severe Punishment for Bo Xilai, Death Penalty Possible

Called Bo's defense "whimsical"

Chinese prosecutors demanded a heavy sentence for ousted top politician Bo Xilai as his divisive, dramatic trial ended on Monday, saying his "whimsical" challenge to charges of bribery, graft and abuse of power flew in the face of the evidence.

Bo was a rising star in China's leadership circles when his career was stopped short last year by a murder scandal in which his wife, Gu Kailai, was convicted of poisoning a British businessman, Neil Heywood, who had been a family friend.