On October 12, 2024, Jing Li, 37, of San Bernardino, California, was tragically murdered alongside her husband, Kuanlun Wang, also 37. The couple's deaths are linked to a financial dispute with Wang's business associate, 30-year-old Huangting Gong from Glendale, who owed Wang $80,000.
According to the Orange County District Attorney's Office, Gong allegedly met Wang in a Southern California desert on October 12, where he fatally shot him in the head.
He then transported Wang's body in Wang's Tesla back to the couple's home in Brea. There, Gong is accused of attacking Jing Li with a hammer, coercing her to reveal her phone's password. Subsequently, he allegedly forced her into her own Tesla, drove her to a desert area in San Bernardino, and executed her before setting her body ablaze. Gong then returned to the Brea residence to retrieve Wang's body, which he disposed of and burned in a desert area in Riverside County. He also allegedly set both Teslas on fire in separate desert locations. Following these acts, Gong is accused of returning to the couple's home on October 14 and stealing nearly $250,000 worth of luxury items, including watches, shoes, handbags, and clothing.
The investigation began when a family member reported Wang missing on October 15, noting it was unusual not to hear from him for several days. This relative informed the Brea Police Department about the $80,000 debt Gong owed Wang. The family member had contacted Gong on October 12, who claimed that Wang and Jing Li had missed a trip to New York City to meet another business associate who could provide the owed money—a trip the family was unaware of. Further suspicion arose when the family member observed a man on Wang's patio via surveillance footage on October 14; Gong denied it was him, and access to the surveillance system was subsequently cut off.
Gong was arrested by Brea police at Los Angeles International Airport on November 5 upon returning from a trip to Seattle. He faces multiple felony charges, including two counts of murder, kidnapping, arson, and burglary, with special circumstances enhancements for committing multiple murders and murder during a kidnapping. These charges make him eligible for a maximum sentence of life without the possibility of parole or the death penalty. His arraignment is scheduled for December 2 at the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana. The Orange County District Attorney's Office will convene a special circumstances committee after the preliminary hearing to determine whether to pursue the death penalty.
District Attorney Todd Spitzer commented on the case, stating, "Depravity does not adequately describe the callousness involved to kill a human being and then drive around in the victim's own car with his body ... ." He emphasized the commitment to pursuing justice for the victims ... .
