New York Times Exec's Alleged Killer In-Laws Defaced His Family Photos, Cops Say

Disturbing new details are emerging after a 40-year-old transgender man was shot and killed by his in-laws last month at a sports complex in Northern California … and now police are alleging his father-in-law had been planning the killing for some time.

According to KRON4, newly revealed court documents suggest 77-year-old Shouyong Zhang had been targeting his son-in-law, Jonathan McKinsey, for a while … with investigators discovering defaced photographs of McKinsey inside the elderly couple's apartment.

Zhang and his 77-year-old wife, Shili Chen, have both been charged with premeditated murder. If you don't remember, here's how prosecutors say it all went down:

McKinsey, a 40-year-old engineering director for The New York Times Games, went to Dublin Sports Grounds in Dublin, California, for a court-mandated supervised visit with his three children.

According to the new court documents, Chen claims she was "in the dark" about what her husband had planned when they met McKinsey at the park. She says she was still sitting in the car when Zhang began firing shots at her son-in-law.

However, surveillance footage shows Chen walking up to McKinsey and firing seven shots as he lay lifeless on the ground.

An off-duty Milpitas police officer was at the park when he spotted an Asian man and woman standing over McKinsey. Within minutes, police located the elderly couple and placed them under arrest.

Legal analyst Steve Clark described the homicide case to KRON4 as bizarre on the surface, adding, "But when you analyze what occurred here, it appears to be a premeditated, personal, revenge style killing."

Chen's attorney, however, claims she only shot McKinsey because she heard gunfire and feared her husband was in trouble.

Her defense attorney wrote, "The prosecution may attempt to argue that Ms. Chen is the actual killer but that would be a strain on the facts here since Mr. Zhang fired so many shots into Mr. McKinsey’s chest and head before Ms. Chen arrived."

Police say Zhang confessed to the shooting, claiming his son-in-law was "violent and aggressive all the time with the kids" and that he feared for his grandchildren's safety.

Another possible motive? McKinsey was in the middle of an intense child custody battle and divorce with his estranged wife, 46-year-old Candice Jang. There were also allegations that McKinsey threatened Chen's life and even hired a hit man to "get rid of" his mother-in-law.

The elderly couple reportedly purchased guns in March 2026 out of an abundance of caution, claiming they feared for their lives.

Chen's defense attorney, Curtis Briggs, said, "(Chen) was essentially a live-in nanny for the family, and Mr. McKinsey was extremely hostile, violent. The divorce continued to deteriorate the dynamics of the family."

Court records show McKinsey and Jang had previously accused each other of child abuse and domestic violence.

Jang described herself as a "stay-at-home mom" who depended on McKinsey financially. She also claimed she slept with a pair of scissors near her bed for protection.

"I and the children have all experienced physical, verbal, emotional abuse from Jonathan. My mother, who helps me watch the children, has also experienced emotional abuse from Jonathan," Jang wrote in a 2025 request for a restraining order against her husband.

We previously reported that McKinsey filed a restraining order against his ex. In court documents, McKinsey claimed Jang attempted to yank medical tubes out of his body during his 2010 transition from a woman to a man. Despite the alleged incident, the couple reportedly tied the knot the following year.

But that's not all …

Court records also show McKinsey accused his in-laws of transphobia and allegedly feared his children would be harmed by their mother.

In his filing, McKinsey claimed his mother-in-law called him a "pervert" and a "disgusting queer" after the two had a falling out over one of their children's clothing choices.

And here's where things get even more disturbing …

While executing a search warrant at the elderly couple's one-bedroom apartment following the killing, detectives discovered four photo albums containing photographs with a defaced McKinsey.

"One had black marks and dots drawn on his chest and over his right eye in places that appeared consistent with where he was later shot," the defense attorney wrote.

Zhang allegedly lived alone in the apartment, while Chen stayed at her daughter's home to help care for the children.

Both Zhang and Chen are charged with first-degree murder with a lying-in-wait special circumstance in connection with McKinsey's death. Both have pleaded not guilty.

Chen's defense attorney has now filed a motion seeking her release on bail, arguing she had no knowledge of the planned shooting.