California man accused of killing couple, setting bodies and cars on fire: prosecutor
LOS ANGELES (TNND) — A 30-year-old California man killed a married couple, stole from their home, as well as set their bodies and cars on fire, according to Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer.
Documents show Huangting Gong, 30, of Glendale, is facing the following charges:
Two counts of murder
One count of kidnapping
Two counts of arson of property
Two counts of first-degree burglary
Two “felony special circumstances enhancements” for committing multiple murders
One “felony special circumstances enhancement” for committing murder during the commission of kidnapping
Two “felony enhancements” for discharging a firearm causing death
Spitzer said Gong fatally shot 37-year-old Kuanlun Wang on Oct. 12, tossed Wang’s body in Wang’s Tesla, and drove the car to Wang’s home in Brea.
There, Gong beat Wang’s wife, Li, with a hammer before he drove Li’s Tesla to a desert in San Bernardino, where he killed her and burned her body, Spitzer said.
California man accused of killing couple, setting bodies on fire: prosecutors
Gong allegedly went back to Wang’s house to get Wang’s body, which he dumped and burned in a desert in Riverside County.
Gong again went back to the house, said Spitzer, and stole nearly $250,000 worth of watches, shoes, handbags and clothing. He also drove the couple’s two Teslas to different desert areas and set them ablaze.
“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 inside in order to carry out the rest of his plan,” Spitzer said in a news release.
“No one deserves the fate of being executed and then set on fire in the middle of the desert in a desperate attempt by a killer to cover up his crimes. We are committed to pursuing justice for the victims and their loved ones,” he added.
Spitzer said an investigation began after one of Wang’s relatives called the Brea Police Department Oct. 15, saying no one had heard from Wang. The loved one said Wang and Gong were “business associates” — and Gong owed Wang $80,000.
Gong, said Spitzer, told Wang’s family Wang and his wife “never showed up for a trip to New York City to meet with another business associate,” who he claimed would pay Wang the $80,000. Wang’s family later followed up with Gong again, as they said they saw a man on Wang’s patio on surveillance video on Oct. 14.
“But Gong denied that it was him and then her access to the video surveillance system was cut off,” Spitzer said.
On Nov. 5, police tracked Gong down at the Los Angeles International Airport, where he was arrested. His arraignment was set for Dec. 2.
“In special circumstances murder cases, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office convenes a special circumstances committee after the preliminary hearing is held to determine whether to pursue the death penalty,” Spitzer said. “This process includes a presentation of the case by the prosecutor as well as from the defense. The elected District Attorney makes the ultimate decision whether to pursue death after going through that process. If the decision is not to pursue death, then the maximum sentence is life without the possibility of parole.”
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He owed an O.C. couple $80K, so he allegedly executed them and burned their bodies in the desert
A 30-year-old Glendale man has been accused of the horrifying killings of an Orange County couple in which he allegedly executed them and later burned their bodies in the Southern California desert, prosecutors say.
Huangting Gong was charged with two felony counts of murder, one felony count of kidnapping, two felony counts of arson of property and two felony counts of first degree burglary in connection with the slayings, and could face the death penalty if convicted.
According to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, the Brea Police Department was contacted on Oct. 15 by a person who claimed to have not heard from their family member, 37-year-old Kuanlun Wang in several days, which was unusual. During that initial contact, the family member told authorities that Wang claimed that Gong, a business associate, owed him $80,000.
That family member said they contacted Gong three days prior, on Oct. 12. Gong told the family member that Wang and his wife, 37-year-old Jing Li, failed to show up to a meeting in New York City in which another business associate was supposed to pay Wang the money., according to authorities.
The family member said they were unaware that such a meeting was scheduled to take place.
She then saw Gong on the Wang’s patio in a surveillance video on Oct. 14, and contacted Gong again. Gong told her that it wasn’t him.
Her access to that video surveillance footage was then mysteriously cut off, prosecutors said.
On Nov. 5, Gong was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport after an investigation by the Brea PD.
Now, prosecutors are alleging that Gong brutally slayed the Brea couple.
They say that on Oct. 12, Gong met Wang somewhere in the desert and executed him by shooting him in the head. Gong then put Wang’s body inside of his own Tesla and drove it back to Wang’s Brea home, prosecutors said.
At the home, authorities say that Gong attacked Li with a hammer and hit her repeatedly until she gave him the password to her phone. He then took her inside of her own Tesla, where the pair drove to the San Bernardino desert.
In that desert, Gong allegedly shot and killed Li, and burned her body.
After that killing, Gong returned to Brea to retrieve Wang’s body, prosecutors say. He took the body to a Riverside County desert, where he burned it.
Gong also burned the two Tesla’s in two separate desert areas, according to prosecutors.
He then returned to the couple’s Brea home one more time on Oct. 14, when he allegedly stole $250,000 worth of watches, shoes, handbags and clothing.
“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 inside in order to carry out the rest of his plan,” said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer. “No one deserves the fate of being executed and then set on fire in the middle of the desert in a desperate attempt by a killer to cover up his crimes. We are committed to pursuing justice for the victims and their loved ones.”
In addition to the charges, Gong faces special circumstances enhancements for the brutality of the alleged killings. Those enhancements could mean that Gong could face the death penalty if convicted. If the DA chooses not to pursue that route, he could face life in prison without parole.
Gong’s arraignment hearing is scheduled for Dec. 2 at the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana.
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California man allegedly shot couple and set their bodies, Teslas on fire in desert
Huangting Gong, 30, is accused of fatally shooting a couple, Kuanlun Wang and and Jing Li, and setting their bodies and Teslas on fire in deserts across California.
A Southern California man is accused of murdering a couple, setting their bodies and cars on fire in the desert and then stealing nearly $250,000 worth of luxury watches, handbags and clothing from their home, prosecuting authorities said.
The Orange County District Attorney’s Office announced on Tuesday that Huangting Gong, 30, of Glendale, has been charged with two felony counts of murder, one felony count of kidnapping, two felony counts of arson of property and two felony counts of first-degree burglary.
“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 inside in order to carry out the rest of his plan,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in a news release Tuesday.
“No one deserves the fate of being executed and then set on fire in the middle of the desert in a desperate attempt by a killer to cover up his crimes,” Spitzer continued. “We are committed to pursuing justice for the victims and their loved ones.”
As of Wednesday, it is unclear if Gong has legal representation.
What is Huangting Gong accused of doing?
Authorities learned of Gong’s alleged crimes on Oct. 15, when a family member of 37-year-old Kuanlun Wang contacted the Brea Police Department after not hearing from him for multiple days, which “was very unusual,” Spitzer’s office said. The family member told police that Wang had disclosed that Gong, a business associate, owed him $80,000, the state government agency’s release continued.
Due to the family member not being able to reach Wang, she contacted Gong on Oct. 12, who told her Wang and Wang’s wife, 37-year-old Jing Li, did not show up for a trip to New York City to meet another business associate who could pay Wang the $80,000 he owed him, the DA’s office said. Wang’s family were unaware of a planned trip to New York, according to the release.
After surveillance video from Oct. 14 showed a man on Wang’s patio, the family member contacted Gong again who denied that it was him in the footage, the DA’s office said. Once the family member reached out to Gong, her access to the security video system was suddenly cut off, according to the state government agency.
Huangting Gong arrested at Los Angeles International Airport
Prosecutors allege that Gong met Wang on Oct. 12 in the desert, shot him in the head, placed the body in Wang’s own Tesla and then drove the car to Wang’s home in Brea, according to the DA office’s release.
Once at the Brea home, authorities accuse Gong of attacking Jing Li with a hammer and striking her while he forced her to divulge her phone’s password, the DA’s office said. After allegedly attacking Li, Gong put her inside her own Tesla, took her to a desert area in San Bernardino, shot her there and then burned her body, according to the Spitzer’s office.
After burning Li’s body, Gong then retrieved Wang’s body from the couple’s home in Brea and disposed of him in a separate desert area in Riverside County, the DA’s office alleges. Gong then burned Wang’s body, took the couple’s Teslas to a third desert area and set them on fire, the state government agency said.
Once Gong disposed of the bodies and two Teslas, he is accused of coming back to the couple’s home on Oct. 14 and stealing nearly $250,000 worth of luxury items, according to the release. The Brea Police Department arrested Gong at the Los Angeles International Airport on Nov. 5 when he came back from a trip to Seattle, Spitzer’s office said.
DA: Huangting Gong could face death penalty
In addition to the initial offenses, Gong has been charged with two felony special circumstances enhancements for committing multiple murders, another enhancement for killing during the commission of a kidnapping and two final felony enhancements for discharging a firearm causing death, according to the DA office.
In special circumstances murder cases, the Orange County DA’s Office assembles a committee after the preliminary hearing is held to determine if the death penalty should be on the table. Spitzer will make the ultimate decision whether to pursue death following the process, his office said.
If Spitzer decides not to pursue the death penalty, then the maximum sentence for Gong would be life without the possibility of parole, according to the release. He is scheduled to be arraigned on Dec. 2 at the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana, California.
The last execution to take place in California was of Clarence Ray Allen on Jan. 17, 2006, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Allen was sentenced to death in 1982 for plotting the murders of Bryon William Schletewitz, Douglas Scott White and Josephine Linda Rocha while he was behind bars for the 1974 killing of Mary Sue Kitt.
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南加华男因欠＄8万，残忍杀害并焚尸一对夫妇于沙漠
近日，南加州一名30岁的华裔男子Huangting Gong被指控犯下一起震惊社区的残忍谋杀案。
据称，他在沙漠中将一对橙县夫妇残忍杀害并焚烧了尸体。Gong因此面临两项谋杀重罪、一项绑架重罪、两项纵火重罪以及两项一级入室盗窃罪的指控，若罪名成立，他可能面临死刑的严厉惩罚。
这起悲剧的起点要追溯到10月15日，当时Brea警局接到一起报案，称37岁的Kuanlun Wang已经连续多日失去联系，情况异常。报案人透露，Wang曾提及他的商业伙伴Gong欠其8万美元的债务。
调查过程中，警方发现，10月12日，Gong在沙漠中与Wang见面后，将其枪杀并运回Wang的家中。随后，Gong又在家中残忍地杀害了Wang的妻子Li，强迫她提供手机密码后，将其尸体运至San Bernardino的沙漠进行焚烧。而Wang的尸体则在之后被Gong运至河滨县的一个沙漠地区进行焚烧。
更令人发指的是，Gong在杀害两人后，还焚烧了两辆特斯拉汽车，并在10月14日最后一次返回Wang的家中，盗走了价值25万美元的手表、鞋子、手提包和衣物等贵重物品。
据家属回忆，10月12日，他们曾联系过Gong询问Wang夫妇的下落，但Gong声称他们并未前往纽约参加会议。而在10月14日，家属通过监控视频发现Gong出现在Wang家的露台上，但随后Gong却否认视频中的人是自己，并切断了家属对视频的访问权限。
经过警方的缜密调查，11月5日，Gong在洛杉矶国际机场被逮捕归案。检方表示，由于Gong的杀害手段过于残忍，他还将面临特殊情节加重处罚。若最终被判有罪，他可能会面临死刑的极刑；即使检察官不追求死刑，他也可能面临无假释的终身监禁。
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