California authorities have unveiled a chilling tale involving a 44-year-old man who allegedly partnered with a hired assassin to eliminate a romantic rival, a crime committed more than a year before he allegedly murdered his wife and mother-in-law.

On Monday, Howard Wang was formally charged with the murder of 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 is already facing charges for the September 2025 killings of his spouse, Linlin Guo, and his mother-in-law, Beimin Cheng.

Prosecutors have stated that Li was previously in a relationship with Wang’s lover, 45-year-old Yan Wang, who shares no familial ties with the accused. Allegedly, Howard Wang, alongside 33-year-old Demarques James Pearl, traveled from the San Francisco Bay Area to San Gabriel on June 7, 2024, with the intention to murder Li. According to The Press Democrat, Pearl is suspected to be a hitman affiliated with the Crips gang. On June 8, Pearl allegedly shot Li outside his apartment, while Wang reportedly acted as the getaway driver.

More than a year later, on September 18, Wang is accused of murdering Guo and Cheng at their Walnut Creek residence on the 100 block of Kelobra Court. According to Bay Area CBS affiliate KPIX, police allege that Wang slit the throats of the victims and later claimed to investigators that he shot at a fleeing intruder, whom he falsely accused of the murders. At the time of the killings, another adult and two children were reportedly present in the home but were unharmed.

Howard Wang was apprehended over a week later and has remained in custody at the Contra Costa County Jail. Due to the planning of the murder taking place in Contra Costa County, the case will be prosecuted there. Pearl’s arraignment is scheduled for Wednesday, while Howard Wang is slated to appear in court on April 14.

As previously reported by Law&Crime, Yan Wang has also been arrested on charges of accessory after the fact, residential burglary, and tampering with 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.”