The trial gets under way in the eastern city of U.S. , officials say . Gu and a family aide are accused of murdering a Chinese businessman . Gu 's husband , Gu , is a former top official who has been stripped of his posts . The case has forced the Communist leadership to confront allegations of wrongdoing by a high-ranking member in an unusually public way , according to Douglas Paal , a top China analyst at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington . `` The disruption of his departure from office and his wife 's crimes have made it difficult to present a facade of unity to their people , '' Paal said . The defendants have n't seen their families since Tuesday , a friend says .
The trial gets under way in the eastern city of U.S. , officials say . Gu and a family aide are accused of murdering a Chinese businessman . Gu 's husband , Gu , is a former top official who has been stripped of his posts . The defendants have n't seen their families since Tuesday , a friend says .