In Dublin, the capital of East Bay, new details continue to emerge in the case of the Director of the Game Division of The New York Times being shot. The Alameda County prosecutor has officially charged 77-year-old Chinese couple Shili Chen and Shouyong Zhang with murder, accusing them of “lying in wait” and jointly shooting and killing their son-in-law Jonathan McKinsey. If first-degree murder and related special circumstances are proven, the two could face life imprisonment without parole.
McKinsey, 40, was the Engineering Director of the Game Division of The New York Times before his untimely death. On the afternoon of September 26, he was shot and killed in the parking lot of the Dublin Sports Grounds. Police reported that at the time of the incident, an officer driving by saw McKinsey on the ground, and multiple witnesses called 911, pointing out the involved couple still in a car nearby.
The police subsequently detained the couple as they were preparing to leave the parking lot in their car. A gun was found on Shili Chen’s person, and another gun was discovered in the vehicle.
The prosecutor stated that Shouyong Zhang later admitted during questioning to firing at McKinsey and using the second gun found by the police in the car. Surveillance footage obtained by the police showed both Shili Chen and Shouyong Zhang firing at McKinsey.
As a result, the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office has filed murder charges against the pair, including the aggravating factors of “lying in wait” and using firearms. “Lying in wait” refers to the defendant waiting in advance for the opportune moment to launch a surprise attack.
The prosecutor emphasized that the parking lot was crowded at the time of the incident, and there were several children present. If the two are convicted of first-degree murder and the special circumstance of “lying in wait” is proven, they could face life imprisonment without parole; additional firearm enhancement allegations could also add a 25-year to life sentence.
The two defendants appeared in court at the East County Hall of Justice in Dublin on September 30. Shili Chen expressed her inability to afford a lawyer, and she was assigned a public defender by the court; Shouyong Zhang was represented by public defense attorney Jennie Otis.
Their daughter, Candice Jang, attended the court hearing via video conference that day.
Additionally, media reports indicated that police had entered Candice’s residence on the evening of September 29, with several officers staying in the house for about two hours before leaving without making any arrests or taking any items.
This case also involves long-standing and intense divorce, domestic violence, and child custody disputes between McKinsey and Candice.
Court records show that McKinsey and Candice got married in July 2011 and had three children. Last year, both applied for restraining orders, accusing each other of physical, emotional, and psychological abuse over many years.
In court documents, Candice stated that during an argument in 2010, McKinsey grabbed her forearm, causing her to hit a corner of the coffee table, resulting in a fractured vertebra in her upper back. She also accused McKinsey of forcefully pushing their eldest son’s head in 2023 and emotionally abusing her mother.
On the other hand, as a transgender individual, McKinsey accused Candice and her parents of subjecting him to verbal and physical abuse during his gender transition and afterward.
In his application for a restraining order, McKinsey claimed that Shili Chen had used derogatory language toward him and their eldest son regarding LGBTQ matters; he also alleged that Candice physically and emotionally abused him during his gender transition-related medical procedures, and Zhang Shouyong had hit his chest while he was recovering from double mastectomy surgery.
In October of last year, McKinsey was charged with misdemeanor child abuse for allegedly hitting his eldest son. He admitted to slapping the child. Additionally, the prosecution pointed out that when the police went to his residence for investigation, they found a 2-year-old child left alone at home, leading to further charges of endangering child safety.
McKinsey denied all the above accusations and claimed in court documents that he was framed by his wife. He stated that Candice did not inform him that their infant was sleeping upstairs when she left the house.
He was later released on a $50,000 bail and was required to complete 12 parenting education classes. At the time of the incident, he was still out on bail and was applying to participate in a mental health diversion program.
In October of last year, Candice also obtained a domestic violence protection order against McKinsey; and in December of the same year, McKinsey filed his own restraining order application, accusing Candice of abusing him over the years, including hitting him on the head with a frying pan.
Subsequently, McKinsey filed for divorce and requested increased visitation time with their three children. Alameda County court documents show that since last fall, he was only allowed supervised visits with the children for two hours per week; by the end of August this year, the court approved unsupervised visits twice a week in public places.
McKinsey’s assassination occurred just about a week before a scheduled trial in his divorce case with Candice. He joined The New York Times in January 2023 and was promoted to Engineering Director of the New York Times Games Player Experience Division in December 2025, with his work location being in the San Francisco Bay Area.