Alameda County In-Laws Charged with Killing New York Times Engineer Amid Ongoing Divorce Abuse Claims

Jonathan McKinsey, a 40-year-old games engineering director for the New York Times, was fatally shot on Saturday in a parking lot at Dublin Sports Grounds. Police said his parents-in-law, Shili Chen and Shouyong Zhang, both 76, fired multiple rounds at him and were arrested minutes later after bystanders identified them.

The killing comes as the couple’s divorce proceedings were entering a critical phase. McKinsey had filed for a restraining order in December, alleging that his wife, Candice Jang, and her parents had physically and emotionally abused him and their three children for years. He also claimed his in-laws had verbally attacked him for being a transgender man and had assaulted him after a gender-confirming surgery.

Jang, who has full custody of the children, filed a separate restraining-order request in October 2025, accusing McKinsey of repeated physical abuse toward their children, including striking their six-year-old son multiple times. McKinsey was later charged with misdemeanor child-abuse counts related to those allegations, to which he pleaded not guilty and completed court-ordered parenting classes.

Both parties have presented extensive allegations of spousal and child abuse dating back more than a decade. McKinsey described his wife as controlling and capable of inflicting serious harm, while Jang alleged that McKinsey had verbally abused her, threatened her life, and physically assaulted their children.

"This is a true tragedy, particularly for the three children now left without a father," said Andrea Mah, the attorney who represented McKinsey in the divorce.

Prosecutors in Alameda County are reviewing the case to determine appropriate charges against Chen and Zhang. Jang has not been charged in connection with the shooting, and her legal representatives have not responded to requests for comment.