BEIJING, China- A Chinese court has meted out the death penalty on a senior citizen who killed 35 individuals when he plowed his car into a crowd of physical fitness buffs at a sports center in southern China last month.

Sixty-two year old Fan Weiqiu went on a rampage following a divorce settlement with his wife by driving his car at people exercising at a sports complex in Zhuhai on November 4.

Fan was reportedly fuming over the “unfair divorce” settlement he agreed with his wife.

Chinese media said the incident listed China’s deadliest act of violence against innocent people in ten years.

The Zhuhai Intermediate People’s Court issued a ruling finding Fan guilty of multiple murders for driving his car towards the innocent civilians on the night of November 4.

“The court finds that defendant Fan Weiqiu’s criminal behavior was despicable, the nature of the crime particularly was brutal; the way the crime was committed was particularly cruel,” the court said.

The state-run CCTV news reported that Fa pleaded guilty to the charge on Friday morning (December 27). The verdict was handed down later in the afternoon.

Police reported that Fan was driving a small off-road vehicle when he decided to plow into the people exercising at the Zhuhai Sports Center. Dozens were hit, 35 of them killed, mostly instantly.

There were over dozens more injured as a result of the incident.

After committing the crime, Fan attempted to injure himself with a knife, police said. He was immediately brought to the hospital.