IRVINE, CALIFORNIA - Suspecting a dentist of having an affair with his wife, Sun Hongli ran him over with his car, then got out and stabbed him to death.

The engineer, 38, could now face the death penalty in the United States after he was charged with murder on Tuesday. Sun is from Singapore, Chinese daily Shin Min Daily News reported.

The dentist, 54-year-old Liu Xuan, had last year hired Sun's wife to work at his dental practice in the city of Irvine, in California, local media said.

Sun and his wife had separated and begun divorce proceedings last year, only to change their minds and get back together.

Last Saturday, Sun waited at a car park in his Mercedes-Benz SUV, then knocked Liu down when he turned up.

Liu survived, and tried to get up, but Sun got out of his car and stabbed him. Liu was later pronounced dead at the scene.

Sun also stabbed a female associate of Liu's who attempted to intervene, but she is expected to survive her injuries.

Local media also reported that Sun and his wife were married in Singapore 12 years ago. They have an eight-year-old son.