The Walnut Creek man who was arrested and charged in the September 2025 double murder of his wife and mother-in-law is now being charged with a third murder that took place over a year prior.

43-year-old Howard Wang, who was arrested and charged in September for the murders of his wife, 41-year-old Linlin Guo, and her mother, Beimin Cheng, inside their home on Kelobra Court in Walnut Creek, has now been linked to a 2024 murder in Los Angeles.

Wang, along with 33-year-old Demarques James Pearl of Los Angeles, has been charged in the June 8, 2024 killing of 41-year-old Chengli Li in San Gabriel. Authorities believe that Wang conspired with Pearl to kill Li, because Li was romantically involved with 45-year-old Yan Wang, who has been identified as Howard Wang's girlfriend.

The Contra Costa County District Attorney's office announced the new charges Monday, contending that Pearl and Wang plotted the murder of Li before traveling together from the Bay Area to Los Angeles on June 7, 2024. Despite this murder occurring in Los Angeles County, the DA's office says that this third killing will be prosecuted alongside the murders of Guo and Cheng in Contra Costa County.

The theory of the case appears to be that Wang went on this killing spree in order to clear the way for he and Yan Wang to be together.

Yan Wang has been charged as an accessory in the Walnut Creek case, as KPIX reports, though it is not clear if she was aware of her romantic partner's involvement in the murder of Li. She allegedly broke into the Walnut Creek home the day after the murders in order to remove or destroy evidence, and she is accused of destorying cellphones tied to the case as well.

As SFist reported at the time, Wang called 911 on the night of September 18, 2025, claiming that he had come upon an intruder who was stabbing his wife and mother-in-law. Wang claimed that he fired his gun at the intruder but missed. Two children were in the house at the time of the killings.

But, Wang's story reportedly fell apart quickly, after authorities learned of an August 31 domestic violence call at the same address, in which Wang's wife said he was making violent threats, and a previous domestic violence call from January 2025.

Wang is now set to be arraigned on April 14 in Martinez, while Pearl was scheduled for his arraignment today (April 1).

Previously: Walnut Creek Man Charged In Murder of Wife and Mother-in-Law

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