Ma Jiajue, college student who were sentenced to death for killing four of his classmates in Yunnan University, was executed in southwest China's Yunnan Province Thursday.

The execution was conducted after the death verdict meted out by the Intermediate People's Court of Kunming was approved the Yunnan Provincial Higher People's Court.

Ma, 22, from the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, killed four classmates in Yunnan University from February 13 to 15, 2004. The 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 a chief suspect by the Ministry of Public Security, which had offered a 200,000 yuan (US$24,000) reward for information leading to his apprehension. Ma was captured on March 15 in south China's island province of Hainan and was sent back to Yunnan two days later.

The Kunming Intermediate People's Court sentenced Ma to death and deprived his political right for life on April 24.

Three of the victims' families were present at the court to witness the trial, and indicated they believe the trial was just.

Ma's sister burst into tears after the court's verdict and shouted to Ma that "you must appeal." Before the verdict, she handed out information to the media asking for a second psychological examination of her brother by top national psychiatrists. Earlier examinations found that Ma is normal.