Transgender NYT Executive Allegedly Executed by In-Laws; Daughter Not Involved, Lawyer Claims

A defense attorney has stated that the daughter of the couple accused of executing transgender New York Times executive Jonathan McKinsey is not involved in the crime. Candice Jang, 47, the ex-wife of McKinsey, was interviewed by police following the Sept. 26 slaying but her mother's lawyer, Curtis Briggs, told The Post that he does not believe she is connected to the shooting.

"She's technically under investigation," Briggs acknowledged, though he emphasized that Jang is not his client. Police executed a search warrant at Jang's townhome last month, seizing her computer and SUV.

Jang's parents, Shili Chen, 77, and Shouyoung Zhang, 77, were arrested minutes after McKinsey, 40, was killed in an execution-style shooting in the parking lot of a sports complex in Dublin, California. The New York Times gaming software executive had just completed a court-supervised visit with the minor children he shared with Jang.

"They were just wrapping up a court-supervised visit at a park in a public place where it could be supervised just to ensure the kids' safety," Briggs said. "So Mr McKinsey was on his way back to his car.

"My understanding is that Candice had left with the kids."

Shortly after, McKinsey was fatally wounded. Witnesses have previously stated that Chen and Zhang took turns firing at the victim. Both have pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Briggs stated that Chen, his client, is elderly, forgetful, and confused, describing her as a "quiet and timid" traditional Chinese woman. He also reiterated a previous claim that McKinsey had threatened to hire a hitman to assassinate Chen, who he described as a "primary nanny for the grandkids."

According to Briggs, Chen and her husband purchased weapons earlier in the year for self-defense, as she feared McKinsey would harm her and the grandchildren. He added that Chen had been carrying a gun for some time.

Explosive divorce papers filed by Jang detailed alleged instances of emotional and physical abuse by McKinsey towards her and their children. McKinsey had made similar accusations against his estranged wife and her parents.

Briggs stated that Chen and her family had endured years of alleged abuse and intimidation from McKinsey, who he described as "very, very unstable" over the past 15 to 20 years. He also alleged that McKinsey once broke his wife's vertebrae during an argument and had threatened to have her mother killed, stating he knew someone who would do it.