Howard Wang of California has been stuck in jail since last year, when he allegedly killed his wife and mother-in-law inside their home, then attempted to convince police an intruder was responsible. But now police have brought forth a chilling allegation: that the brutal double killing wasn’t Wang’s first time taking a life. Prosecutors now allege that when Wang knifed his wife and mother-in-law to death, he had killed once before and — up to that point — he had gotten away with it.
New charges have been filed.
On March 30, 2026, Contra Costa prosecutors filed new murder charges not just against Wang, 44, but also against DeMarques Peal, a 33-year-old alleged Compton gang member. Authorities say Wang and Peal conspired to murder Chengli Li in June 2024 in San Gabriel, that Wang paid Peal but then joined him at the crime scene, lying in wait for the victim before Peal earned his salary by fatally shooting Li in an ambush and driving off in Wang’s struck.
Thirteen months later, 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. He then called 911 and reported that an intruder had attacked his family but fled the area after Wang fired at him, according to police.
It was evidently all about love.
All three homicides, according to prosecutors, were intended to clear the way for Wang to be with a woman he considered his true love: 46-year-old Yan Wang (no relation), who was jailed last year on accessory charges after allegedly breaking into the Kelobra Court home and destroying evidence after Howard Wang’s arrest.
Yan Wang was dating Li when Peal allegedly shot and killed him on June 8, 2024, around 1:30 a.m., outside the victim’s apartment, authorities said.
Then, in September 2025, Howard Wang allegedly stabbed Guo and Cheng so that he and Yan Wang could be together in the open.
Peal was arrested and extradited to the Bay Area to face murder and conspiracy charges. Howard Wang, jailed on the double murder case since last year, was already in jail. Both men were due in court for an arraignment hearing Monday afternoon, records show.
Peal has already made national news once.
In October, police issued a “critical missing person” alert for his then 11-month-old daughter. Authorities said at the time that Peal and the baby were believed to be headed to Louisiana together, but they were found safely within 48 hours.
Authorities haven’t revealed how Howard Wang and Peal allegedly met. They say Yan Wang was interviewed as part of the 2024 homicide investigation but wasn’t cooperative.
-by Nate Gartrell
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