A 77-year-old married couple has been charged with murder in the fatal shooting of Jonathan McKinsey, a New York Times engineering executive, in a California parking lot on September 26.
Police confirm suspects in custody following the incident at the Dublin Sports Grounds, with no public motive disclosed. The Alameda County Sheriff’s Office reports that Shouyong Zhang and Shili Chen were arrested and booked into Santa Rita Jail on suspicion of PC 187 – Murder.
McKinsey, 40, was found by a Dublin Police Services sergeant at approximately 3:08 p.m. local time in the parking lot of the sports complex, located 56 km east of San Francisco. He was pronounced dead at the scene after sustaining multiple gunshot wounds. Witnesses reported hearing five to six gunshots before McKinsey collapsed, with the suspects walking calmly away before being detained nearby.
Custody Battle and Legal Disputes
The shooting occurred one week before a scheduled court hearing in McKinsey’s divorce and custody case against his estranged wife, Candice Jang. Court records indicate the couple, married since 2012, had three children and were living separately at the time of the incident. Both parties had filed competing domestic violence restraining orders in 2025, with hearings set for December 2025.
Allegations of Abuse
McKinsey, who transitioned from female to male in 2010, had accused Jang and her parents of abuse in court filings. According to documents cited by multiple outlets, he alleged that his mother-in-law, Shili Chen, used anti-LGBTQ+ slurs against him and their child after the boy attempted to wear dresses. McKinsey also claimed that Chen called him and his son “disgusting queer” and “perverts.”
Jang, in turn, filed a restraining order against McKinsey in October 2025, alleging physical and emotional abuse over a 17-year period. Her filings included claims that McKinsey physically assaulted their children, including incidents where a six-year-old son suffered head injuries after being pushed. McKinsey had also been charged with child endangerment and corporal injury in 2025, though he was released on $50,000 bail.
Police Response and Investigation
The Dublin Police Services stated that no outstanding suspects remain at large and that public safety was not at risk. Investigators have not publicly confirmed a motive for the shooting, though they noted the ongoing legal disputes between McKinsey and Jang.
McKinsey served as the director of engineering for New York Times Games since 2023, according to his LinkedIn profile and company records. He held a computer science degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology and later studied at the University of California, Berkeley.
The case remains under investigation, with authorities declining to comment further on potential motives or connections between the shooting and the prior legal disputes.