On October 17, 2013, the bodies of Jim Tat Kong, aged 51, and Cindy Bao Feng Chen, aged 38, were discovered in a minivan parked in a secluded area near Highway 20 in Fort Bragg, California. The vehicle was positioned in such a way that it was not easily visible from the highway. Upon investigation, it was determined that both victims had been shot in the back of the head, indicating an execution-style killing. The Mendocino County Sheriff's Office, with assistance from the California Department of Justice Criminalists and the Mendocino County District Attorney's Office, launched an extensive investigation into the double homicide.
The investigation led authorities to the Bay Area, where they collaborated with the FBI's Asian Organized Crime unit based in San Francisco. On October 22, 2015, Wing Wo Ma, an Oakland resident, was arrested outside his home by Mendocino County Sheriff's Detectives and the FBI.
Ma was initially detained on federal charges related to the manufacturing and distribution of controlled substances, including an enhancement for cultivating more than 100 marijuana plants. Further investigation revealed that Ma had borrowed money from Kong for a failed marijuana grow operation and a real estate scheme. As his financial troubles mounted, Ma's desperation led to the fatal encounter.
In April 2017, a Federal Grand Jury issued a superseding indictment against Ma, charging him with multiple counts, including causing death with a firearm, corruption, bribery of officials, and conspiracy. The trial, held in San Francisco, revealed that Ma had lured Kong and Chen to the secluded area under the pretense of showing them his marijuana operation. Once there, Ma shot both victims from the back seat of the minivan. The prosecution described the murders as a "cold-blooded assassination," emphasizing the calculated and ruthless nature of the crime.
On November 7, 2019, Ma was found guilty of all charges after a lengthy federal trial. The Honorable Charles R. Breyer, U.S. District Judge, sentenced Ma to life in prison on August 5, 2020. In his sentencing remarks, Judge Breyer condemned the murders as a "cold-blooded assassination," highlighting the premeditated and brutal execution of Kong and Chen. Ma's conviction and sentencing brought some measure of closure to the case, which had spanned several years and involved multiple law enforcement agencies. The case underscored the complex interplay between organized crime, financial desperation, and violent retribution.
