MARTINEZ, CA — A Walnut Creek man already charged with stabbing his wife and mother-in-law to death now faces a third murder charge for allegedly orchestrating the shooting of his girlfriend’s romantic partner in Los Angeles County more than a year earlier.
Howard Wang, 43, was charged Monday with conspiracy and murder in the June 2024 fatal shooting of Chengli Li, 41, in San Gabriel, according to the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office. Prosecutors allege Wang paid 33-year-old Demarques James Pearl, described as a Crips gang member, to kill Li before traveling to the scene himself to participate in the ambush. The new charges connect three homicides prosecutors say were committed to clear the way for Wang’s relationship with his mistress, 45-year-old Yan Wang of Oakland.
The killing spree began on June 8, 2024, when Pearl allegedly shot Li outside his San Gabriel apartment around 1:30 a.m., according to court documents. Li was the romantic partner of Yan Wang, who prosecutors say was dating him while also involved with Howard Wang. Authorities said Howard Wang and Pearl traveled together from the Bay Area to Los Angeles County, where they waited for Li before Pearl fatally shot him and fled in Wang’s truck. Yan Wang was interviewed as part of the 2024 homicide investigation but was not cooperative, prosecutors said.
More than a year later, on September 18, 2025, Howard Wang allegedly used a knife to stab his wife, Linlin Guo, 41, and his mother-in-law, Beimin Cheng, inside their Kelobra Court home in Walnut Creek while the couple’s twin 8-year-old daughters were present. Investigators said Wang first slashed the throats of both women, then fired two shots from a 9mm handgun in an attempt to stage the scene and blame an intruder. When police arrived after Wang called 911, he claimed someone had broken into their home and carried out the killings, prompting him to shoot at the fleeing intruder. However, authorities determined Wang’s story was fabricated and arrested him at the scene.
The Walnut Creek double murder was part of a pattern of domestic violence and control, according to prosecutors who previously alleged Wang made criminal threats against his wife in 2024 and prevented her from reporting a crime to law enforcement in 2023. Yan Wang was later charged as an accessory to the murders for allegedly helping Howard Wang avoid arrest, entering the home after the killings to commit theft, and destroying cellphones to conceal evidence. Court documents indicate the relationship between Howard Wang and Yan Wang was central to all three killings, with prosecutors alleging Wang systematically eliminated obstacles to their relationship.
Pearl, who has a criminal history and alleged gang affiliations, made national news in October when police issued a critical missing person alert for his then-11-month-old daughter. Authorities said Pearl and the baby were believed to be headed to Louisiana together, but both were located safely within 48 hours. Investigators have not revealed how Howard Wang and Pearl allegedly met or the specific financial arrangements for Li’s murder, though court documents indicate Wang paid Pearl for the killing.
The case will mark an unusual consolidation of murder charges across county lines, with the Los Angeles County killing being prosecuted alongside the Contra Costa County double murder. “All three homicides, according to prosecutors, were intended to clear the way for Wang to be with a woman he considered his true love,” prosecutors stated in court filings. Defense attorneys Owen Roth and Danni Iredale, representing clients in similar high-profile cases, have emphasized the importance of presumption of innocence and fair trial rights in complex multi-jurisdiction cases.
Pearl was arrested and extradited to the Bay Area to face murder and conspiracy charges alongside Howard Wang, who remained in custody from his September 2025 arrest. Both men were scheduled for arraignment proceedings in Contra Costa County Superior Court, with Pearl appearing April 1 and Howard Wang scheduled for April 14 at the A.F. Bray Courthouse annex in Martinez. If convicted on all charges, Wang faces life in prison without the possibility of parole, while Pearl faces similar penalties for his alleged role in the conspiracy.
The case has drawn attention to the far-reaching consequences of domestic violence and the lengths some perpetrators will go to control their victims’ lives. Wang’s twin daughters, now 9 years old, have been placed in protective custody following the loss of their mother and grandmother. The consolidation of charges from two counties represents a significant prosecutorial effort to address what authorities describe as a calculated killing spree spanning more than a year and multiple jurisdictions.
