A transgender-identifying New York Times executive was allegedly shot and killed by the victim’s elderly in-laws in Northern California following years of bitter family and custody disputes.
Jonathan McKinsey, 40, who worked as director of engineering for the Times’ games division, was shot Saturday in the parking lot of a park in Dublin, California. Police arrested McKinsey’s in-laws, Shouyong Zhang and Shili Chen, both 77, on suspicion of murder shortly afterward.
Court records cited by the California Post reveal deep tensions within the family.
McKinsey, who transitioned from female to male in 2010, alleged in a restraining-order filing that Chen became angry in 2023 after noticing her grandson asking to wear his sister’s dresses. According to McKinsey, Chen blamed McKinsey for the boy’s behavior and verbally abused both McKinsey and the child.
But McKinsey’s estranged wife, Candice Jang, also made serious allegations. She filed for a restraining order, claiming McKinsey had threatened to kill her and her parents and had been abusive during their marriage.
McKinsey was separately charged with two misdemeanor counts of child abuse after allegedly striking the couple’s six-year-old son in the face. McKinsey pleaded not guilty and was released on the condition of completing parenting classes.
The couple had filed for divorce and were involved in a custody battle involving their three young children.
Authorities say Zhang and Chen allegedly took turns shooting McKinsey. Both remain jailed without bond and face charges including first-degree murder, conspiracy, unlawful firearm discharge, and child endangerment.
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