Last month, a tragic incident occurred in Dublin, California, where 40-year-old Jonathan McKinsey, the gaming division director of The New York Times, was fatally shot by his Chinese in-laws. The Chinese couple appeared in court on Monday, October 19th, and pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder charges, including ambush. Their defense attorney also revealed more details about the case.
According to the charges, on September 26th, Shouyong Zhang and Shili Chen, both 77 years old, shot and killed their son-in-law, McKinsey, in a parking lot of a sports complex in Dublin.
The prosecutor’s office stated in the criminal complaint that Shouyong Zhang and Shili Chen committed a “premeditated” murder of McKinsey by setting up an ambush.
On Monday, Chen’s defense attorney, Curtis Briggs, indicated that McKinsey was visiting the location under the supervision of others to see his children he had with his estranged wife, Candice Jang.
Briggs mentioned that Chen and Zhang did not plan this crime in advance, but reacted out of concern for their grandchildren’s safety upon witnessing certain circumstances. Briggs did not disclose further details.
“They are not cold-blooded killers,” Briggs said. “There was no premeditation; everything was not planned in advance. They were just concerned grandparents worried about the safety of their grandchildren.”
The attorney noted that Chen had worked as a live-in nanny and had a deep affection for her grandchildren.
During the trial, Chen tightly gripped the court documents, and her body trembled uncontrollably.
McKinsey, who was transgender, transitioned from female to male in 2010. He married Candice Jang in 2011, and they have three children together.
At the time of the incident, McKinsey and Jang were embroiled in a bitter divorce and custody battle, with both accusing each other of physical and emotional abuse.
Outside the Alameda County court on Monday, Briggs informed reporters that McKinsey had once hired a “hitman” to “take out” his mother-in-law.
He stated that his clients, Chen and Zhang, purchased firearms in March 2026 because they feared McKinsey.
“Mr. McKinsey had a history of violence. Investigations revealed that in at least three instances, witnesses saw McKinsey threatening to take the life of my client: once through hiring someone, and twice recently vowing to ‘get rid of’ her,” Briggs told reporters.
A report from the Dublin police department indicated that surveillance cameras on the scene recorded Zhang and Chen “conspiring to shoot the victim.” When they were arrested, two firearms were found in their possession. The report stated that “Zhang admitted to shooting the victim” during subsequent proceedings.
Just a week before McKinsey was killed, he was supposed to attend a court hearing regarding custody of his children to seek more visitation rights.
Despite Candice Jang not facing any criminal charges, Dublin police executed a search warrant at her residence on September 29th.
The Alameda County District Attorney’s office and the Dublin Police Department have not disclosed the suspected motive behind this homicide.
Chen and Zhang remain in custody, and a bail hearing is scheduled for November 4th, followed by a pretrial hearing on November 23rd.