A public trial on the nationwide-focused college student slayer Ma Jiajue opened at the Kunming Intermediate People's Court of southwest China's Yunnan Province on Thursday.

Ma is prosecuted for the crime of murder, and the result of thecourt hearing will be announced soon, said the court sources.

The 24-year-old Ma from the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region killed four students in Yunnan University from Feb.13 to 15, 2004.Bodies of the four victims were found in a dormitory in the university on Feb. 23, all with deadly injuries consistent with a blunt metal object.

Ma was later listed as chief suspect by the Chinese Ministry ofPublic Security, which offered a 200,000 yuan (24,300 US dollars) reward to people providing information or clues leading to his apprehension. He was captured on March 15 in southern China's island province of Hainan and was sent back to Yunnan two days later.

Source: Xinhua