Jonathan McKinsey Murder: Elderly Couple Pleads Not Guilty to Killing Son-in-Law of New York Times Executive in California Park

The elderly couple accused of killing their son-in-law, New York Times executive Jonathan McKinsey, have pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder with special circumstances of expectancy, a defense attorney said Monday.

Defense attorney Curtis Briggs argued that his client, Shili Chen, who is married to Shouyong Zhang, did not premeditate the shooting, NBC Bay Area reported. Instead, Briggs told NBC Bay Area that the couple, both 77, acted out of concern after seeing something disturbing while their son-in-law had supervised visitation with his children.

“My client was absolutely worried about her own life and also worried about her grandchildren,” Briggs told NBC Bay Area. Zhang is represented by a public defender.

Alameda County prosecutors say Chen and Zhang watched and waited in a parking lot in Dublin, California, to attack McKinsey, who was embroiled in a bitter divorce and custody battle with their daughter.

Briggs said McKinsey, 40, had previously threatened Chen’s life three times through a hitman. The couple purchased guns in March for self-defense, Briggs said, and were moved to action last month in the parking lot of a popular park.

“They’re not cold-blooded killers. They didn’t premeditate anything,” Briggs told NBC Bay Area.

Briggs did not say what the elderly couple witnessed that caused them to kill their son-in-law.

If convicted, they both face life in prison without the possibility of parole.

According to local police, 911 calls began coming in around 3 p.m. on September 26, from terrified witnesses, many of whom were accompanied by their young children.

Several witnesses told police they saw a black Honda speeding out of the parking lot and later identified Chen and Zhang as the shooters, police said in a statement. Officers chased the car and arrested the couple, according to the police report.

Nearly a decade of court documents revealed a deeply troubled marriage between McKinsey and his wife, Candice Jang, who was not charged in connection with his death.

McKinsey’s death followed years of violent struggle between Jang and McKinsey, who began dating in 2008 and married in 2011, according to Jang’s petition for a domestic violence restraining order. They had three children.

McKinsey had recently filed for divorce and was scheduled to appear in court the same week of his death, according to court records.

In separate motions for restraining orders, McKinsey and Jang each argued that the other had been physically and mentally abusive during their marriage. Both McKinsey and Jang said they wanted full custody of their children, but McKinsey had a pending child abuse case that only granted him supervised visitation.

The children were living with Jang and his parents when McKinsey was shot.

He had previously been charged with two misdemeanors: cruelty to a child by endangering his health and bodily injury to a child. McKinsey was released on $50,000 bail and was attempting to enter a mental health diversion program, according to court records. Had he successfully completed the program, the charges would have been dismissed.

According to police reports, Zhang admitted to shooting McKinsey with his firearm during interviews with investigators. The husband and wife each had a weapon at the time of their arrest.

“Chen and the passenger carried out this shooting in a crowded parking lot, in blatant disregard for public safety, where several children were present,” the arresting officer said.

McKinsey allegedly threatened to kill Chen at least three times, NBC Bay Area reported. A bail hearing was set for November 4, followed by a preliminary hearing for November 23.