Chinese man sentenced to death for killing 35 people after driving into a crowd

BEIJING (AP) — A court in China has sentenced a man to death for killing 35 people last month by driving into a crowd, in an attack that raised national concern about mass killings.

Fan Weiqiu was venting his anger because he was unhappy with his divorce settlement, the court in the southern city of Zhuhai said as it handed down the sentence on Friday. The victims were exercising at a sports center.

The court statement said Fan’s “criminal motive was extremely despicable, the nature of the crime was extremely vile, the means of crime were particularly cruel, and the consequences of the crime were particularly severe, resulting in great social harm.”

The attack was one of several in China in late October and November and spurred Chinese leader Xi Jinping to order local governments to take steps to prevent future “extreme cases.” The order prompted vows from local leaders to examine personal disputes that could trigger aggression, from marital troubles to disagreements over inheritance.

Fan is 62 years old, police said in November. His sentence was the second one handed down in quick succession just weeks after the recent attacks.

A driver who injured 30 people when he drove into elementary students and parents in Hunan province received a suspended death sentence with a two-year reprieve earlier this week. Such sentences are usually commuted to life in prison.