Elderly couple pleads not guilty to first-degree murder of New York Times executive
Shili Chen and Shouyong Zhang, both 77, denied premeditated murder charges in the shooting death of their son-in-law, Jonathan McKinsey, during a court appearance in Alameda County.
A 77-year-old couple in Alameda County entered not-guilty pleas to first-degree murder with a special circumstance of lying in wait in the shooting death of New York Times executive Jonathan McKinsey. Defense attorney Curtis Briggs said his client, Shili Chen, acted out of concern for her safety and that of her grandchildren after witnessing a disturbing incident while McKinsey was having a supervised visit with his children. > "My client was absolutely concerned for her own life and also concerned for her grandchildren," Briggs told NBC Bay Area.
Prosecutors allege Chen and her husband, Shouyong Zhang, waited in a Dublin, California park parking lot and opened fire on McKinsey, who was involved in a contentious divorce and custody dispute with their daughter. Briggs noted that McKinsey had previously threatened Chen’s life three times and that the couple purchased firearms in March for self-defense, but he maintained they did not premeditate the killing. > "They are not cold-blooded killers. They didn’t premeditate anything," Briggs said.
Police reports indicate 911 calls were placed around 3 p.m. on Sept. 26 by witnesses with young children, and officers later identified Chen and Zhang as the shooters. The couple was arrested after a chase and each was found carrying a weapon. Zhang reportedly admitted to firing his firearm during police interviews. A bail hearing is set for Nov. 4, with a pre-trial hearing scheduled for Nov. 23. If convicted, both defendants face life imprisonment without parole.