Inset: Beimin Cheng, left, and Linlin Guo (GoFundMe). Background: Police in Walnut Creek, California, investigate after a man allegedly killed Cheng and Guo (KNTV).
Cops in California say a 44-year-old man drove with a hired killer from the Bay Area to Los Angeles to murder his romantic rival more than a year before he fatally stabbed his wife and mother-in-law.
Howard Wang was charged on Monday with the murder of Chengli Li, who was gunned down in San Gabriel on June 8, 2024, the Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office said. Wang already was facing two murder charges in the September 2025 slayings of Linlin Guo and his mother-in-law Beimin Cheng.
Prosecutors say Li was previously dating Wang's mistress, 45-year-old Yan Wang, who is not related to the suspect. Howard Wang and 33-year-old Demarques James Pearl allegedly drove from the San Francisco area to San Gabriel on June 7, 2024, with the intent to murder Li. The Press Democrat reports that Pearl, an alleged member of the Crips gang, is a hit man. The next day, Pearl shot Li dead outside his apartment while Howard Wang served as a getaway driver, according to authorities.
Over a year later, Howard Wang allegedly killed Guo and Cheng on Sept. 18 at their home on the 100 block of Kelobra Court in Walnut Creek. Cops told Bay Area CBS affiliate KPIX that Wang slit the victims' throats and then told investigators he shot at a fleeing intruder whom he blamed for the killings. There was reportedly another adult and two children at the home at the time of the slayings but they were not hurt.
Howard Wang was arrested over a week later and has been in the Contra Costa County Jail ever since. Since the planning of the murder occurred in Contra Costa County, the case will be prosecuted there, officials said. Pearl is set to be arraigned on Wednesday while Howard Wang will appear before a judge on April 14.
As Law&Crime previously reported, cops also arrested Yan Wang on charges of accessory after the fact, residential burglary and destroying evidence.
Prosecutors allege Yan Wang tried to help her boyfriend "avoid arrest, trial, conviction, and punishment" for the slayings of his wife and mother-in-law. She also is accused of destroying cellphones to "prevent evidence from being produced." She allegedly broke into the home where Howard Wang and Guo lived with "intent to commit larceny" the day after the murders.
Cops arrested her on Sept. 24 near her home in Oakland. She also remains in the Contra Costa County Jail.
Authorities say Howard Wang threatened to kill his wife in August 2024 and prevented her from reporting another crime to cops on Jan. 7, 2023. Police did not expand on those allegations, nor have officials divulged a motive for the alleged murders.
Local Fox affiliate KTVU reported that at Howard Wang's first appearance, there was a physical altercation between Yan Wang and Linlin Guo's family members after the defendant's mistress showed up in court. The station, citing court documents, also said that Howard Wang filed for divorce in January 2024 but sought to have the matter dismissed months later.
"This case serves as a sobering reminder of domestic violence's far-reaching consequences," Contra Costa District Attorney Diana Becton said in a statement. "Our office will pursue justice with the seriousness and urgency this tragedy demands."
Comments