In a grim attempt at revenge against his estranged wife, a British businessman committed suicide by decapitation in his Aston Martin sports car, the U.K.'s Daily Mail reported Friday.
According to the Mail, Gerald Mellin, 54, had been consumed with dark thoughts surrounding his 34-year-old wife's decision to leave him.
The day before his death, a court had granted Mirielle Mellin additional alimony, the Mail reported.
Following the decision, in the last contact with his wife, Mellin sent a text message reading, "Congratulations, XXX."
The businessman then reportedly tied one end of a rope he kept in his Aston Martin convertible to a tree and wrapped the other end of it around his neck as he sat in the driver's seat. He then drove the car at a high speed onto a busy road, forcing other drivers to witness his violent suicide, the Mail said.
Phillip Rogers, the coroner assigned to the case, ruled the cause of death as decapitation.
"I'm satisfied this was a deliberate attempt by Mr. Mellin to kill himself."
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