Neil Heywood, English-Chinese businessman (b. 1970)
Neil Heywood (20 October 1970 – 14 November 2011) was an English businessman who worked in China. He was associated with Bo Xilai (the former Communist Party of China Committee Secretary for Chongqing, and a member of the Chinese Politburo).
Heywood was found dead in a hotel room in Chongqing, and initial official reports (which have subsequently been challenged) attributed his death to alcohol poisoning. Media reports have suggested the former chief of police under Bo, Wang Lijun, may have had information concerning Heywood's death.Soon after Heywood's death (6 February 2012), Wang fled to the US consulate in Chengdu, and allegedly told US diplomats of Heywood having been poisoned, and Bo's family was involved in corruption. The incident precipitated Bo's high-profile sacking two weeks later. According to a reinvestigation by the Chinese authorities, evidence indicates Heywood having been murdered, with Bo Xilai's wife Gu Kailai and Zhang Xiaojun, an orderly at Bo's home, being "highly suspected", according to Xinhua News. On 26 July 2012, Gu Kailai was charged with the murder of Heywood and in August was convicted of the crime.