Shocking Crime Unveiled: Husband Orchestrates Murder Plot, Reserves Brutal Acts for Family

In a chilling case unfolding in California, authorities allege that a 44-year-old man orchestrated a deadly plot with a hired assassin to eliminate a romantic rival, a year before he tragically ended the lives of his wife and mother-in-law.

Howard Wang has been formally accused of murdering Chengli Li, who was shot and killed in San Gabriel on June 8, 2024, according to the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office. Wang was already facing dual murder charges for the deaths of Linlin Guo and her mother, Beimin Cheng, which occurred in September 2025.

Prosecutors claim Li was in a relationship with Wang’s mistress, Yan Wang, aged 45, who is not related to Howard Wang. Allegedly, Howard Wang and 33-year-old Demarques James Pearl traveled from the Bay Area to San Gabriel on June 7, 2024, with murderous intentions. As reported by The Press Democrat, Pearl, believed to be affiliated with the Crips gang, was hired as the hitman. The following day, Pearl allegedly executed the fatal shooting of Li outside his apartment, while Howard Wang waited as the getaway driver.

More than a year later, on September 18, Howard Wang is accused of murdering Guo and Cheng at their residence on Kelobra Court, Walnut Creek. According to Bay Area CBS affiliate KPIX, Wang reportedly slit their throats, subsequently claiming to investigators that he fired at an escaping intruder he alleged was responsible for the crime. At the time of these murders, another adult and two children were present in the home but were unharmed.

Howard Wang was apprehended over a week after the incident and has remained in custody at the Contra Costa County Jail. Prosecutors have stated that because the murder plan was devised in Contra Costa County, the trial will take place there. Pearl is scheduled for arraignment on Wednesday, while Howard Wang will face the 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.”