California man is accused of killing a couple to whom he owed $80,000 and burying their cremated remains in the desert

A man has been charged with murdering a couple he owed $80,000 after he allegedly shot them, burned their bodies and buried their remains in two different locations in the California desert.

Huangting Gong, 30, of Glendale, killed Kuanlun Wang and his wife Jing Li and then stole valuables worth nearly $250,000, according to the Orange County District Attorney's Office.

Gong was charged with two counts of murder, one count of kidnapping, two counts of arson and two counts of first-degree burglary.

He was also charged with two felony special circumstance counts of committing multiple murders, one special circumstance felony count of committing murder during the commission of a kidnapping and two felony counts of discharging a firearm resulting in death.

If convicted, Gong is eligible for a maximum sentence of life without the possibility of parole or the death penalty, although California has had a moratorium on executions since 2019.

According to prosecutors, on Oct. 12, Gong met Wang – a business partner – in the desert and shot him in the head before putting his body in Wang's Tesla and then driving back to the 37-year-old's home in Brea.

He then allegedly attacked Li with a hammer before putting her in her own Tesla and taking her to a desert area in San Bernardino. He then shot Li and then burned her body, prosecutors said.

Gong is accused of then returning to retrieve Wang's body from his home in Brea and burning it before disposing of it in a separate desert area in Riverside County. He also allegedly burned the two Teslas at various locations in the desert.

After disposing of their bodies and vehicles, Gong is accused of returning to her Brea home on Oct. 14 and stealing nearly $250,000 worth of watches, shoes, handbags and clothing.

A day later, a member of Wang's family contacted Brea police after not hearing from him for several days, prompting an investigation. The family member told police that Wang disclosed that Gong owed him $80,000.

The family member said they also contacted Gong on the day of the alleged murders and learned that the couple had failed to show up for a trip to New York City where another business partner was scheduled to pay the money.

Wang's family knew nothing about a planned trip to New York, the prosecutor's office said.

Surveillance footage showed a man on Wang's terrace on October 14, but Gong denied it was him. He was later arrested at Los Angeles International Airport on November 5 while returning from a trip to Seattle.

“Depravity does not adequately describe the callousness involved in killing a human being and then driving around in the victim’s own car with his body inside to carry out the rest of his plan,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said.

“No one deserves the fate of being executed and then set ablaze in the middle of the desert in a murderer’s desperate attempt to cover up his crimes. We are committed to ensuring justice for the victims and their families.”

Gong is scheduled to be arraigned Dec. 2 at the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana.