By Deborah Nnamdi
62-year-old Fan Weiqiu who killed 35 people in a car attack in the southern Chinese city of Zhuhai last month, has been sentenced to death.
Weiqiu, on November 11, deliberately drove through people exercising outside a sports complex in his small SUV, the worst attack in China since 2014.
The police at the time said he was detained at the scene with self-inflicted knife injuries and fell into a coma.His case was reportedly tried publicly on Friday, with the verdict reached on the same day.
According to the court, the defendant’s motives were extremely vile, the nature of the crime extremely egregious, the methods particularly cruel, and the consequences particularly severe, posing significant harm to society.
Weiqiu reportedly pleaded guilty to the crime in front of some of his family members, officials, and members of the public.
Reports said the court discovered that Fan had decided to vent his anger over a broken marriage, personal frustrations, and dissatisfaction with the division of property after the divorce.
China has this year seen a string of mass casualty incidents — from stabbings to car attacks — challenging its reputation for good public security.
Some analysts have linked the incidents to growing anger and desperation at the country’s slowing economy and a sense that society is becoming more stratified.
