Shouyong Zhang and Shili Chen murdered Jonathan McKinsey in hate

By Daniel Okafor · Reporting from New York · September 30, 2026

After a bitter custody battle, two elderly in-laws shot Jonathan McKinsey in a parking lot, proving that family hatred can override the law.

Shouyong Zhang and Shili Chen murdered their son-in-law to satisfy their ideas of family honor. They did not act in a moment of passion. They targeted Jonathan McKinsey in a parking lot to resolve a domestic dispute with bullets.

Who shot Jonathan McKinsey?

Jonathan McKinsey was 40. He worked as the head of engineering for games player experience at The New York Times. He died on September 26, 2026, in the parking lot of the Dublin Sports Grounds. CBS News said witnesses saw a man and a woman in masks. The man shot McKinsey first. He then handed the gun to the woman, who shot him too. The attack was coordinated.

Police arrested Shouyong Zhang and Shili Chen shortly after the shooting. Both are 77. They are the parents-in-law of the victim. They are currently held without bail at Santa Rita Jail. Dublin police said McKinsey was "deliberately targeted."

The mechanism of shame

This was not a random act of violence. The motive lived in the gap between who McKinsey was and who his in-laws wanted him to be. McKinsey was a transgender man. He alleged that Shili Chen used anti-LGBTQ+ slurs. He said Chen called him and his child a "disgusting queer" and a "pervert."

This is the mechanism of Honor Killings. Family members in those cases murder a relative to preserve or recover the honor that the victim is perceived as having violated. Zhang and Chen followed this pattern. They did not see a son-in-law. They saw a source of shame.

Lovell Garner, McKinsey's cousin, said, “So far, everyone in my immediate family is completely shocked.” He added, “It seems obvious that they were done with him since they killed him.”

Bitter disputes preceded the violence

The shooting followed a custody fight. The Mercury News said McKinsey petitioned for divorce in December 2025.

The defense will argue that McKinsey endangered his children. Candice Jang, his estranged wife, alleged he hit her son in the face. She said the blow left a "very large bruise the shape of a handprint." No claim justifies a double shooting in a public parking lot.

McKinsey fought back in court. He alleged Jang beat him with a frying pan in 2013. He said Jang tried to pull medical tubes from his body after a transition-related procedure. He alleged Jang's father punched him in the chest while he recovered from double mastectomy surgery.

The raid and the revenue

Police raided the home of Candice Jang on Tuesday night. She lived in a gated community. Officers arrived at 7 p.m. and left by 9 p.m. The New York Post said officers made no arrests and seized no property. The raid suggests police are looking for a link between the daughter and the parents.

McKinsey held a critical role at The New York Times. He led engineering for a games division with over 10 million daily players. This division is a primary revenue driver for the company. His professional success did not protect him from the hatred of his in-laws.

The facts show a family that chose murder over a courtroom. They acted as a team. The raid on Jang's home points to how they conspired in their hate.

The Alameda County District Attorney will charge Candice Jang as an accessory to the murder of Jonathan McKinsey based on evidence police recovered during the raid. The evidence suggests the parents did not act alone in their hatred. They executed a man to save a version of family honor that does not exist.

Shouyong Zhang and Shili Chen murdered Jonathan McKinsey in hate

Who shot Jonathan McKinsey?

The mechanism of shame

Bitter disputes preceded the violence

The raid and the revenue

Sources