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Human remains in Waikiki apartment confirmed to be suspect’s mom

Rosemarie Bernardo
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ROSEMARIE BERNARDO / RBERNARDO@STARADVERTISER.COM

Yu Wei Gong, 26, appeared in court today.

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HONOLULU POLICE DEPARTMENT

Yu Wei Gong, 26, has been charged with second-degree murder.

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LEILA FUJIMORI / LFUJIMORI@STARADVERTISER.COM

A dismembered body was discovered in one of the units at 414 Launui Street on Tuesday.

Police have confirmed that the human remains recovered from a Waikiki apartment belong to the mother of a man who has confessed to killing her. The 26-year-old Waikiki man has been charged with second-degree murder.

Yu Wei Gong was charged Sunday after police arrested him following his release from the hospital. A judge confirmed his bail at $2 million and set his preliminary hearing for Wednesday.

Detectives recovered the human remains at the Waikiki apartment Gong shared with his mother.

According to a court document, police identified through fingerprints the human remains to be that of Gong’s mother, Liu Yun Gong. A deputy medical examiner determined Gong died of blunt force injuries to her head. The manner of death was classified as a homicide.

On the morning of April 11, Gong called 911 and told a dispatcher he was suicidal and that he killed his mother in September. He said “it was an accident and he didn’t mean to do it,” according to a court document.

Police arrived at his apartment at 414 Launiu St. where Gong told an officer his mother was in the freezer in the kitchen.

Police found several plastic trash bags inside. The following day, police executed a search warrant when officers determined body parts were inside the bags.

Gong had attended Kapiolani Community College from fall 2011 to spring 2016. He was also registered at Honolulu Community College in 2014.

Julie Kim, owner of Spa Royal Hawaiian in Waikiki, said Gong’s mother started working at her establishment as a licensed massage therapist in February 2016.

The last time Kim spoke to Gong was eight months ago.

She last saw Gong on the night of Aug. 20 after they finished work. Gong told her “see you tomorrow” as she headed home after work.

When Gong didn’t show up at work the following day, Kim repeatedly called her cell phone but she didn’t answer. “Usually she responds very quick,” Kim said of Gong who worked on-call at the spa.

Kim later received a call from Gong’s son who told her his mother went to a neighbor island and that she left her phone at home. He told her his mother was expected to be there for a couple of months.

Gong previously had her own massage therapy business, Liu Yun China Massage, at the Century Center.

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