NYT Executive's In-Laws Arrested in Shooting Death; Custody Battle Cited as Motive

Jonathan McKinsey, 40, head of engineering for games player experience at The New York Times, was fatally shot multiple times in a parking lot in Dublin, California, on Saturday. Police have arrested his in-laws, Shouyong Zhang, 77, and Shili Chen, 77, charging them with murder and other offenses, alleging they took turns shooting McKinsey.

McKinsey was involved in a bitter custody battle with his estranged wife, Candice Jang, who is the daughter of Zhang and Chen. Lovell Garner, McKinsey's cousin, told the California Post that he believes the in-laws were motivated to support their daughter's bid for custody. "I'd lay a lot of money on that," Garner stated. "It's unbelievable that they would put themselves on the line like that for her."

According to court documents obtained by the San Francisco Chronicle, Jang filed for divorce in December 2025 and also sought a domestic violence prevention order against McKinsey. She accused him of 17 years of physical, verbal, and emotional abuse toward her and their three young children, detailing more than a dozen alleged attacks between November 2020 and July 2025. A protection order was granted.

McKinsey, who previously transitioned in 2010 and was known as Dawn Finney before transitioning, was charged with misdemeanor counts of cruelty to a child by endangering health and corporal injury to a child. He was released on $50,000 bail and was reportedly attempting to enter a mental health diversion program that would have led to the charges being dropped upon completion.

However, McKinsey also made accusations in his own court filings, alleging that Jang had been abusive for over 15 years. He claimed she beat him with a frying pan in 2013 and verbally denigrated their children. McKinsey also accused his mother-in-law, Chen, of verbal abuse toward one of the children, making derogatory remarks about their clothing. He further alleged that Chen directed anti-LGBTQ+ slurs at him and the child, calling them "disgusting queer" and "pervert."

McKinsey's filings also detailed alleged abuse by Jang during his medical procedures related to his transition. He claimed she attempted to pull medical tubes from his body after he had his breasts removed and that her father, not named in the filing, punched him while he was recovering from the double mastectomy.

Witnesses at the scene of the shooting reported seeing two masked individuals approach McKinsey and fire multiple shots before calmly walking away. Images captured the suspects being taken into custody by the side of the road after witnesses flagged down a police sergeant. Zhang and Chen were tracked to a black sedan at a nearby intersection.

Zhang and Chen have been booked into Alameda County's Santa Rita Jail and are being held without bail. Their arraignment is scheduled for Wednesday. McKinsey had been employed by The New York Times since 2023.