Meanwhile, Wang and his subordinates were subjected to a military tribunal. Two sessions were held; during the first, on 4 April 1985, Chen Chi-li was called to testify, where he and Wang sparred over who bore greater responsibility for Liu's death. During the second, Wang denied that he had authorized the killing, only that he had discussed the possibility of "giving a lesson" and that his sole mistake was failing to inform his superiors that Chen was responsible when he learned of the killing, effectively shielding any higher governmental officials from blame. His subordinates stated they contacted Chen only at Wang's request and therefore bore no personal responsibility in following orders. The tribunal ended with no other witnesses called, resulting in Wang's April 1985 conviction and sentence of life imprisonment; his subordinates were each sentenced at the same hearing to two and a half years in prison for acting as accessories to the murder. The life sentence for Wang was upheld during a later review, although Wang was also eligible for parole after ten years.