Officials say a California man who owed couple $80K killed them and burned their bodies in the desert
A Los Angeles-area man who officials say killed a couple and burned their bodies and vehicles has been charged with murder, kidnapping, arson and burglary.
A Los Angeles-area man who officials say killed a couple and burned their bodies and vehicles has been charged with murder, kidnapping, arson and burglary.
Huangting Gong, 30, of Glendale, is accused of killing Jing Li and Kuanlun Wang, both 37, whom he was said to owe $80,000, in the Southern California desert on Oct. 12 and then stealing nearly $250,000 worth of luxury watches, handbags and clothing from their home.
Gong was arrested Nov. 5 at Los Angeles International Airport upon his return from Seattle. He was booked into the Orange County Jail, where he was held without bail, police and prosecutors said.
“No one deserves the fate of being executed and then set on fire in the middle of the desert,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in a statement Tuesday.
Spitzer’s office said the charges have been filed with “special circumstances” enhancements, meaning that if he is convicted, Gong would face a maximum sentence of life without the possibility of parole.
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