Shili Chen and Shouyong Zhang, accused of murdering their son-in-law Jonathan McKinsey in Dublin, California park, charged with murder

DUBLIN, Calif. — A California couple has been charged with murder after authorities say they fatally shot their son-in-law Saturday in a public park, days before he and the couple’s daughter were due for a hearing in a bitter divorce case.

Shili Chen and Shouyong Zhang, both 77, appeared briefly in court Wednesday for an arraignment on the charges that was postponed until Thursday. Jennie Otis, a public defender representing Zhang, declined to comment. Chen told the judge through an interpreter that she did not have the money to hire a lawyer. A public defender will be assigned to his case Thursday, Alameda County Superior Court Judge Diane Meier told him.

Jonathan McKinsey, a 40-year-old video game engineer for the New York Times, was shot dead in the parking lot of a sports complex in Dublin, east of San Francisco. A police sergeant was driving nearby and saw him on the ground while witnesses began calling 911 and pointing to the couple in their vehicle, who were still near the scene, the Dublin Police Department said in a news release.

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Police stopped the couple as they drove away in the parking lot and found a gun in Chen’s possession. Prosecutors said Zhang admitted to shooting McKinsey during a later interview, and that another gun was found in the car that he admitted to using during the crime.

Prosecutors also said surveillance video was recovered showing Chen and Zhang shooting the victim.

Chen and Zhang’s murder charges included additional allegations of lying in wait and using a gun.

Court records show McKinsey’s killing came during a contentious divorce from his wife and a custody battle over the couple’s three young children. In motions for restraining orders filed last year, the couple accused each other of physical, emotional and psychological abuse dating back more than a decade. McKinsey, who is transgender, alleged that his wife and parents were verbally and physically abusive over a gender transition he underwent years ago.

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In its request for a protection order, McKinsey alleged that Chen hurled anti-LGBTQ slurs at him and his eldest child.

He also accused his wife of being physically and emotionally abusive during medical procedures related to his transition. He alleged that Zhang punched him in the chest while he was recovering from a double mastectomy.

The victim was charged with misdemeanor child abuse.

McKinsey was arrested last October and charged with child abuse for allegedly hitting their eldest son. Police said he admitted to slapping the child. Prosecutors also accused him of endangering their youngest child after officers went to the family’s home to speak with him and discovered their 2-year-old had been left home alone, according to court documents.

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McKinsey has pleaded not guilty to the charges and alleged in court records that he was set up by his wife, who left the house without telling him that the child was sleeping in a crib upstairs. He was released from prison on the condition that he complete 12 parenting classes. At the time of his murder, McKinsey was out on bail and attempting to enter a mental health diversion program.

It was also in October that McKinsey’s wife obtained a domestic violence protection order against McKinsey.

The wife said in her filing that in 2010, McKinsey grabbed her by the forearms during an argument and caused her to hit the corner of a coffee table, fracturing a vertebra in her upper back. She also said that in 2023, she called the police to their home after McKinsey pushed their oldest son hard on the head. The wife also accused McKinsey of emotionally abusing her mother.

Victim filed for concurrent protection order

McKinsey filed its own domestic violence protection claim against his wife in December, alleging years of abuse that included hitting him in the head with a frying pan. He later filed for divorce and requested more time with the three children, noting that he had been limited to two hours of supervised visitation per week since last fall, according to Alameda County court documents.

In late August, McKinsey benefited from unsupervised public visits twice a week.

The killing occurred a week before the scheduled hearing in McKinsey and his wife’s divorce case. The couple had been married since July 2011.

McKinsey joined The New York Times in January 2023. He was director of engineering for the New York Times Games and based in the San Francisco Bay Area, the newspaper said. A spokesperson declined to comment further.

ABC7 Eyewitness News contributed to this report.