Glendale man is charged with murder for killing and burning the bodies of an Orange County couple to whom he owed $80,000

An Orange County man has been charged with special circumstances murder in the deaths of a couple whose bodies he burned. Prosecutors say he owes them $80,000.

Huanting Gong, 30, was charged with two counts of murder, one count of kidnapping, two counts of arson of property and two counts of first-degree burglary for the October incident. In addition to those charges, he also faces two special circumstance violations for committing multiple murders, committing murder during the commission of a kidnapping and two counts of discharging a firearm causing death, according to the Orange County District Attorney's Office.

On October 15, a family member of 37-year-old Kuanlun Wang contacted the Brea Police Department and reported that they had not heard from him in several days, which was unusual.

“The family member told police that Wang disclosed that Huangting Gong, a business partner, owed him $80,000,” the statement said.

After not hearing from Wang, the family member contacted Gong on October 12th. He informed her that Wang's wife, 37-year-old Jing Li, did not show up for a trip to New York City where they were supposed to meet another business associate who gave him the $80,000 he owed. Prosecutors say family members were unaware of any trip.

Two days later, the family member contacted Gong again after seeing him on surveillance video footage from Wang's patio, the statement said.

“Gong denied it was him and then her access to the video surveillance system was blocked,” the prosecutor’s statement said.

He was arrested at LAX on Nov. 5 while returning from a trip to Seattle after BPD detectives conducted a preliminary investigation into the matter.

Prosecutors accuse Gong of meeting Wang in the desert on Oct. 12, where he shot him in the head and then loaded his body into the back of his own Tesla. He then drove back to Wang's home in Brea, where he allegedly attacked Li with a hammer. He beat her and forced her to give him the password to her cell phone, the statement said.

“Gong is accused of putting Li in her own Tesla and taking her to a desert area in San Bernardino, where he shot her and then burned her body,” the OCDA statement said. “Gong is accused of then returning to retrieve Wang's body from his home in Brea, dumping his body in a desert area in Riverside County and burning the body.”

Prosecutors also allege that Gong took the couple's two Teslas to two different locations in the Southern California desert before setting them on fire.

After disposing of the bodies and cars, Gong allegedly returned to the couple's home on Oct. 14 and stole $250,000 worth of watches, shoes, handbags and clothing, the statement said.

“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.”

If convicted as charged, Gong would be eligible for life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty, the OCDA statement said. His arraignment is scheduled for December 2nd.