A married Walnut Creek man already facing double homicide charges is now being accused of an earlier “murder plot” in an effort to clear a path for his romantic relationship with a new girlfriend.
Howard Wang, 43, was arrested on Sept. 19, 2025, hours after his wife, Linlin Guo, and mother-in-law, Beimin Cheng, were found dead in their home on Kelobra Court in Walnut Creek. Police arrived at the scene after getting a 911 call reporting possible gunfire. Guo and Wang’s twin daughters were in the home but unharmed at the time of the attack, according to a KTVU-TV report.
“This case serves as a sobering reminder of domestic violence’s far-reaching consequences,” Contra Costa District Attorney Diana Becton said in a statement at the time of Howard Wang’s arrest. “Our office will pursue justice with the seriousness and urgency this tragedy demands.”
Days after the death of Guo and Cheng, police arrested Howard Wang’s girlfriend, Yan Wang, accusing the Oakland woman of aiding a murder suspect after the attack. (The pair have no familial relation.) The DA’s office also accused Yan Wang of breaking into Guo’s home before the attack and destroying cellphone evidence in an effort to help. She now faces charges of evidence tampering, burglary and being an accessory after the fact.
This week, the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office announced Howard Wang will face charges in a third killing that took place a year prior to the attack on Guo and Cheng.
Prosecutors allege that in the summer of 2024, Howard Wang wanted to pave the way for his relationship with Yan Wang, who had a romantic partner at the time. They allege that Howard Wang paid a former Crips gang member, 33-year-old Demarques James Pearl, to kill 41-year-old Chengli Li, according to Bay Area News Group. Prosecutors allege Wang was with Pearl when he ambushed and fatally shot Li near the victim’s San Gabriel apartment on June 8, 2024, before fleeing.
Howard Wang will face prosecution for all three murder charges in Contra Costa County. He is expected to be arraigned on April 14. Pearl has also been arrested and will face homicide charges in connection with Li’s killing.