Inset: Alan Wang (DuPage County State's Attorney's Office). Background: The 1100 block of North Mill Street in Naperville, Ill., where Alan Wang lived with his wife Hongyan Yang before murdering her (Google Maps).
An Illinois man is headed to prison after kicking his wife to death while they were lounging in their bedroom, with prosecutors saying he "found texts on her phone from another man" and flew into a rage.
"The violent beating Alan Wang administered to his wife that resulted in her death is yet another tragic reminder that domestic violence continues to plague society," DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said in a press release announcing Wang's 38-year prison sentence for the death of his wife, Hongyan Yang.
Wang, 62, of Naperville, tried to claim during his trial that he was only attempting to wake up his wife when he pummeled her with kicks in March 2020 inside their home. What actually happened, however, according to prosecutors, was that he erupted in rage after going through his wife's phone.
"Following an investigation conducted by the Naperville Police Department into Yang's death, authorities learned that … Wang and his wife were in their bedroom … when Wang found texts on her phone from another man," the state's attorney's press release explains, citing information provided in October 2025 by prosecutors that was previously reported by Law&Crime.
"He kicked his wife multiple times," the release says. "The following day, a relative of the couple called 911 when it appeared that the victim stopped breathing."
DuPage County Judge Ann Celine O'Hallaren Walsh found Wang guilty of first-degree murder in October 2025 following a four-day bench trial.
At the time of Yang's slaying, the Chicago Sun-Times reported that Wang had repeatedly kicked his wife's legs and caused "deep soft tissue hemorrhaging" that ultimately led to her death, citing court documents. Wang was initially charged with one count of aggravated domestic battery following Yang's death, but his charges were upgraded after autopsy results showed Yang died of blunt force trauma due to assault.
"Judge O'Hallaren Walsh's guilty verdict ensures that Mr. Wang will be held responsible for the brutal murder of his wife," prosecutors said after Wang's conviction. "To Hongyan's surviving family and friends, I offer my sincerest condolences on their loss and wish them strength as they continue their lives without the love and support she once provided."
Wang must serve 100% of his sentence before being eligible for parole, according to the state's attorney's office.
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