Grandmother Accused of Killing NYT Exec Allegedly Railed Against Son Wearing Dresses
Court documents reveal the grandmother blamed the slain executive for his son's gender expression before the fatal shooting.
A grandmother accused of fatally shooting a New York Times executive allegedly expressed anger towards him for his young son's desire to wear his sister's dresses, according to court documents.
Shouyong Zhang, 77, and her husband Shili Chen, 77, are accused of shooting Jonathan McKinsey, the newspaper's head of engineering for games player experience, on Saturday in a park parking lot in Dublin, California. McKinsey was transgender and had transitioned from male to female in 2010.
Court documents indicate that Chen visited McKinsey and his wife, Candice Jang, in 2023. During the visit, Chen allegedly observed McKinsey's son Wyatt asking to wear his sister Alexis’ dresses, which McKinsey described as a phase the child was going through. Chen reportedly responded by calling the child a “disgusting queer” and a “pervert” and allegedly struck the boy on the back of the head.
When McKinsey intervened, Chen allegedly turned her anger towards him, using the same derogatory terms. McKinsey stated in a restraining order filed against Jang that Chen blamed him for Wyatt's interest in his sister's dresses and demanded he leave their home.
McKinsey had sought to hire outside help to prevent Chen from caring for their children again, but Jang allegedly refused. The court documents also detail allegations of abuse by Jang against McKinsey, including an instance where she allegedly encouraged him to commit suicide, stating, “no one would want to be with someone as f–ked up and transgender like me.”
Jang had previously filed a restraining order against McKinsey, claiming he threatened her and her parents. McKinsey was also charged with two counts of misdemeanor child abuse after an alleged incident where he struck their six-year-old son. He pleaded not guilty to these charges and was released on the condition of attending parenting classes.
Witnesses reported that Zhang and Chen allegedly shot McKinsey multiple times in the parking lot of the Dublin Sports Grounds. The couple was arrested nearby and booked into Alameda County's Santa Rita Jail on suspicion of murder. Their charges include first-degree murder, felony conspiracy, discharging a firearm, and child endangerment.