Prosecutors say the two 77-year-olds lay in wait before Jonathan McKinsey was fatally shot at a Dublin sports complex.
DUBLIN, Calif. — A married couple has been charged with murder in the fatal shooting of their son-in-law at a crowded Northern California sports park, a killing that occurred as the victim was involved in a contentious divorce and custody dispute with their daughter.
Shouyong Zhang and Shili Chen, both 77, are charged in the Sept. 26 death of Jonathan McKinsey, 40, at the Dublin Sports Grounds. The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office also filed allegations that the defendants used firearms and lay in wait before the killing. Prosecutors said each could face life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted. Neither defendant had entered a formal plea during their initial court appearances.
Dublin Police Services said a sergeant was driving near the sports complex at 6700 Dublin Blvd. about 3:08 p.m. when he saw McKinsey lying in the parking lot. At about the same time, emergency dispatchers began receiving multiple 911 calls. Officers found McKinsey with multiple gunshot wounds, and emergency medical workers pronounced him dead at the scene.
Police said witnesses helped officers identify Zhang and Chen within minutes. The married couple, who are McKinsey’s parents-in-law, remained nearby and were detained before being booked into Santa Rita Jail. Authorities said there were no other outstanding suspects and no known continuing threat to the public.
Prosecutors later alleged that surveillance video showed both defendants shooting McKinsey. Police detained the pair as they were driving away in the parking lot and found a firearm in Chen’s possession, according to the Associated Press. Prosecutors said another firearm was recovered from their vehicle and that Zhang acknowledged shooting McKinsey during an interview with investigators. The allegations remain subject to court proceedings.
The killing came during a bitter divorce and custody case involving McKinsey and his wife, Candice Jang, the defendants’ daughter. Court records reviewed by the Associated Press show the couple had three young children and had filed competing allegations of abuse. McKinsey had sought additional parenting time, and a court in August granted him limited unsupervised visits in public twice a week.
Jang had previously obtained a domestic violence protection order against McKinsey and accused him in court filings of physical, emotional and psychological abuse. McKinsey, who was transgender, separately sought protection from Jang and alleged that she and her parents had abused him. He also alleged that members of the family directed anti-LGBTQ remarks at him. Those claims were part of the family court dispute and had not been established as a motive for the shooting.
McKinsey also had a pending criminal case at the time of his death. He had been charged with misdemeanor child abuse after allegations involving his oldest child and with endangering his youngest child. McKinsey pleaded not guilty. According to court records cited by the Associated Press, he disputed the allegations and had been released while completing court-ordered parenting classes and pursuing a mental health diversion program.
Authorities have not publicly announced a motive for McKinsey’s killing. Dublin police said detectives were continuing to examine evidence surrounding the homicide. The shooting occurred about a week before McKinsey and Jang were scheduled for another hearing in their divorce case, but investigators have not said the custody dispute caused the killing.
McKinsey worked for The New York Times and served as director of engineering for New York Times Games. He joined the newspaper in January 2023 and was based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Times confirmed his employment but declined to comment further on the circumstances surrounding his death.
Chen and Zhang returned to court after being charged but asked for additional time before entering pleas. Chen’s court-appointed attorney, Curtis Briggs, said she plans to plead not guilty and indicated that allegations concerning McKinsey’s conduct toward the family would be part of her defense. Zhang’s public defender requested that he receive a medical evaluation without publicly explaining the reason. Both defendants required Mandarin interpreters in court, and the criminal case remains pending.
Author note: Last updated October 3, 2026.