Jonathan McKinsey, a 40-year-old transgender gaming engineering executive for the New York Times, was allegedly shot dead by his in-laws amid his ongoing legal custody dispute with their daughter.
The incident occurred on Saturday afternoon in the parking lot of a sports complex in Dublin, San Francisco. Witnesses said that the 77-year-old couple, Shouyong Zhang and Shili Chen, took turns shooting the man. They face multiple charges including first-degree murder, felony conspiracy, wilful discharge of a firearm with gross negligence, and child endangerment.
Candice Jang, Mckinsey’s wife, had filed for divorce in 2025. The couple got together in 2010 and has three children ages 3, 5 and 7. The two were in a legal custody battle. Jang also filed a restraining order against McKinsey in 2025. She alleged that he became abusive to her and one of their children, a boy.
McKinsey replied by filing a restraining order of his own the same year. In one court filing, he alleged that his mother-in-law called him and his son a "pervert" and a "monster" after he allowed the boy to wear a dress. He also alleged that his father-in-law punched him in the chest while he was recovering from a double mastectomy surgery in 2010, as per the New York Times.
In an August custody filing obtained by the California Post, Jang says, “Jonathan dismisses my concern about a book he provided to the children concerning the death of a mother. He omits the context that makes the conduct frightening to me. Jonathan has previously threatened to kill my parents and me.”
“During our marriage, the children and I learned to avoid provoking Jonathan lest he became angry. In my experience, appearing agreeable or happy around him was sometimes a means of avoiding his anger,” Jang said.
McKinsey allegedly gave the children a book about a young girl who was “mourning the death of her mother, as a birthday present.” Jang said she found the choice “deeply disturbing and frightening.”
Jang also said that her husband used to blame every problem on someone else rather than take responsibility.
McKinsey was also charged with two counts of misdemeanour child abuse but was released from jail on condition that he take parenting classes.
The couple was set to appear in court this Friday over the custody issue prior to the shooting.
McKinsey transitioned in 2010 and married Jang in 2011. In 2023, he joined the New York Times as a senior engineering manager for the games platform and became director of engineering for games player experience in late 2025. He had a bachelor's degree from Georgia Tech and completed his master's at the University of California, Berkeley.
Police think that the couple’s conflict could have been the motive for her parents in the crime. Witnesses said that they saw McKinsey being shot multiple times before he fell to the ground.
Witness Assad Razawi told KGO-TV, "I saw the guy drop to the floor: head bloody and chest bloody."
His daughter said that her father saw the elderly couple "walking together and then casually walk away from the shooting".
The elderly couple are being held at Santa Rita Jail.
