A 30-year-old Glendale man is accused of executing a Brea couple in October before setting their bodies and cars on fire in a crime tied to money he owed, and he could be eligible for the death penalty, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office announced Tuesday.
Huanting Gong faces two special circumstances murder charges along with kidnapping, arson and first-degree burglary charges. Under murder cases involving special circumstances, a committee convened by the prosecutor’s office will determine whether, if the defendant is convicted as charged, to pursue the death penalty or a maximum sentence of life without parole.
On Oct. 12, Gong is accused of meeting with 37-year-old Kuanlun Wang, a business associate whom he owed $80,000 to, the District Attorney’s Office said in a statement. The two set a meeting in the desert, where Gong allegedly shot Wang in the head before putting the man’s body back in his own Tesla and driving back to Wang’s home in Brea, authorities said.
At the house, Gong allegedly attacked Wang’s 37-year-old wife Jing Li with a hammer, forcing her to give him access to her phone’s password. He then reportedly put Li inside her own Tesla and drove to a desert area in San Bernardino County, where authorities said he shot the woman and burned her body.
Gong then proceeded to retrieve Wang’s body from his home and took it to a desert area in Riverside County, where he also disposed and burned the body, the DA’s statement said. Gong then proceeded to take the couple’s Teslas to two different deserts and set them on fire, prosecutors alleged.
After not hearing from Wang for several days, one of his family members thought it was unusual and contacted the Brea Police Department on Oct. 15. They also told police that Gong owed Wang $80,000. The same relative previously spoke to Gong on Oct. 12, who told them the couple never arrived for a New York City trip to meet with a business associate who could repay the money owed to Wang.
Wang’s family said they were unaware the couple had planned a trip to New York.
Gong is also accused of returning to the couple’s home on Oct. 14 and stealing close to $250,000 worth of luxury items, including watches, shoes and bags. Wang’s relative contacted Gong again that same day, after surveillance cameras showed a man on the couple’s patio. The video surveillance system was then cut off.
On Nov. 5, Gong was arrested at the Los Angeles International Airport after he returned from a Seattle trip. He is scheduled to be arraigned on Dec. 2 in Orange County Superior Court.
In a Nov. 7 news release announcing the arrest of Gong, the Brea Police Department said there was no ongoing threat to the public.
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