Police investigating suspected murder/suicide in Walnut Creek

"On Sept. 13, police were called to check on the welfare of a couple in their 70s who hadn't been responding to communications from family members. When officers entered the residence on Cafeto Court, they found the woman, dead, near the home's front door and her husband dead in a bedroom closet, authorities said. Police haven't released the preliminary cause of death and say the coroner's office is still investigating."

"Public records indicate that police had responded to the same home twice, once in 2023 for a domestic disturbance, and once last February for a report of the man strangling his wife. It was the first of two shocking alleged crimes in Walnut Creek during September, but this one has thus far avoided publicity. A Walnut Creek police spokesman said the department didn't disclose the suspected murder/suicide earlier because the couple's family requested privacy, and because the coroner's report isn't finished."

"On Sept. 18, 43-year-old Howard Wang allegedly stabbed to death his wife, Linlin Guo, 41, and his mother-in-law, Beimin Cheng, before allegedly staging the crime scene and calling 911 to report an intruder had killed the victims, authorities said. Days later, a possible motive was uncovered, when 45-year-old Yan Wang Howard Wang's alleged mistress who coincidentally shares his last name was arrested on suspicion of breaking back into the home to destroy evidence at Howard Wang's behest, court records show."

A man in his 70s allegedly killed his wife in their Walnut Creek home and then died by suicide; police found the woman near the front door and the husband in a bedroom closet on Sept. 13. Authorities have not released a preliminary cause of death, though the wife had injuries indicating she was killed by her husband, and the coroner's office is still investigating. The wife had last been accounted for on Sept. 10. Public records show prior police responses to the home in 2023 and last February for domestic disturbances and a strangulation report. Officials delayed public disclosure at the family's request. Days later, an unrelated Sept. 18 double homicide prompted additional arrests, including an alleged mistress accused of returning to destroy evidence.

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