Police Seize Evidence From Wife of Slain New York Times Executive

Dublin police confiscated "pertinent evidence" from the Northern California home of Candice Jang, the estranged wife of New York Times executive Jonathan McKinsey, on September 29. The search warrant was executed three days after McKinsey, 40, was fatally shot at the Dublin Sports Grounds. Jang has not been charged with any crime.

Police have not disclosed the specific items seized or whether Jang is considered a person of interest. A neighbor told SFGate that officers took property from Jang's home, including her vehicle and cellphone.

McKinsey, who was the New York Times' director of engineering for games player experience, was allegedly ambushed in a parking lot on September 26. His estranged wife's parents, Shouyong Zhang and Shili Chen, both 77, have been charged with murder and conspiracy in connection with the slaying.

Witnesses reported seeing two masked assailants approach McKinsey before shots were fired. McKinsey was pronounced dead at the scene.

The killing occurred amid a contentious family and custody dispute involving McKinsey, Jang, and their three children. Court documents indicate that Jang had previously accused McKinsey of physically disciplining their children and had obtained a domestic violence protection order against him after his arrest on misdemeanor child abuse charges. McKinsey had filed for divorce and sought his own protection order against Jang, alleging that his mother-in-law had directed anti-LGBTQ+ slurs at him and one of their children.

McKinsey had also accused his wife of abusive behavior during medical procedures related to his transition. At the time of his death, he was reportedly seeking increased time with his children, whose visits had been limited to supervised sessions.

McKinsey had a career in the tech industry spanning nearly two decades, with previous roles at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Oracle, Coursera, and Splunk, before joining The New York Times in 2023. He was a leader on the team responsible for the newspaper's popular puzzle products.

Zhang and Chen are being held without bail and are scheduled for a plea hearing on October 19.