Lawyer for Alleged In-Law Shooters Claims Slain NYT Executive Was Abusive
The defense attorney for the parents accused of killing Jonathan McKinsey argued their actions were a result of years of alleged abuse by the victim.
The attorney for the parents accused of fatally shooting a New York Times executive has asserted that the victim terrorized his family for years, contradicting earlier portrayals of the incident. Curtis Briggs, representing the parents of Jonathan McKinsey's wife, Shili Chen and Shouyong Zhang, stated in court on Thursday that McKinsey was "extremely rageful, could not control his temper, and abused his wife so badly at one point he fractured her spine."
Briggs also claimed that McKinsey "abused the kids so badly that a court in Alameda County had to send him to parenting classes." These allegations surfaced during court proceedings where Chen and Zhang were present, accused of shooting McKinsey to death in a Northern California parking lot on September 26.
McKinsey, who worked for The New York Times, had previously faced misdemeanor child abuse charges. According to court documents, his wife, Candice Jang, had reported him for domestic violence, including an incident where he allegedly hit their young son. McKinsey was required to attend parenting classes as a condition of his release.
Jang was reportedly seen at her Dublin home and declined to comment on her husband's death, with a friend stating she is in "survival mode."
Briggs indicated that his clients intend to plead not guilty to the charges of murder with special circumstances, including lying in wait. He suggested that the defense might pursue a "blame the victim" strategy as their investigation progresses.
In contrast to the prosecution's depiction of the grandparents as perpetrators of a cold-blooded ambush, Briggs portrayed Chen and Zhang as devoted and loving. He recalled an instance in court where Zhang assisted Chen with her earpiece, which he found inconsistent with the accusations against them. Briggs described Chen as frail, weighing 80 pounds, and a "loving, devoted grandmother."
When questioned about speculation that the grandparents acted on behalf of Jang to gain sole custody of their three children, Briggs stated he could not comment but reiterated McKinsey's alleged violent and volatile nature. "All I know is that Mr. McKenzie had a reputation terrorizing his family, extremely violent, volatile, rageful, and he was a dangerous person," Briggs said.