A transgender New York Times executive was gunned down in Northern California, allegedly by the exec’s mother-in-law, who blamed the victim for her grandson wanting to wear his “sister’s dresses,” according to a California Post report, which cites court documents.
Jonathan McKinsey, the paper’s head of engineering for games player experience, allegedly was killed by McKinsey’s elderly in-laws — Shouyong Zhang and Shili Chen, both 77 — on Saturday in the parking lot of a Dublin park, the Post said.
‘During our marriage, the children and I learned to avoid provoking Jonathan lest he became angry.’
Zhang and Chen allegedly took turns shooting McKinsey, the paper said.
McKinsey transitioned from female to male in 2010 and got married to Candice Jang in 2011, a previous Post story said, adding that the couple had been estranged and were set to be in court for child custody prior to the shooting.
According to a restraining order McKinsey filed against Jang, Chen — McKinsey’s mother-in-law — visited to watch the couple’s children in 2023, the Post said.
Chen noticed her grandson was asking to wear his sister Alexis’ dresses — a “phase” he was going through, McKinsey said, according to the Post, which cited records.
Chen allegedly began berating her grandson and called him a “disgusting queer” and a “pervert,” the paper said, adding that Chen also allegedly hit her grandson in the back of his head when he asked to wear the dresses.
When McKinsey “begged her to stop,” the Post said Chen called McKinsey the same names, according to the restraining order.
“She blamed me for W wanting to wear his sister’s dresses and told me to get out of ‘her house’ even though we were in the home owned by Candice and I,” McKinsey wrote, the Post reported.
McKinsey tried to get Jang to hire outside help to prevent Chen from taking care of their children again, but Jang allegedly refused, the paper reported.
McKinsey also accused Jang of abuse in their relationship, including pushing McKinsey to commit suicide, the Post said, citing the documents, because “no one would want to be with someone as f**ked up and transgender like me.”
Jang first filed a restraining order against McKinsey last year, alleging McKinsey “threatened to kill me and my parents,” the paper reported.
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Alameda County prosecutors also charged McKinsey with two counts of misdemeanor child abuse after an incident during which McKinsey allegedly hit their 6-year-old son in the face with an open hand, the Post said.
Charging documents also say Jang told investigators about a 2018 domestic violence incident during which McKinsey bruised her left arm, the paper said, adding that McKinsey pleaded not guilty to both crimes and was released from jail on the condition that McKinsey take parenting classes.
Moments after McKinsey’s killing, Zhang and Chen were arrested nearby and booked into Alameda County’s Santa Rita Jail on suspicion of murder, the Post said, adding that booking records indicate the couple is facing charges including first-degree murder, felony conspiracy, dangerously firing a gun, and child endangerment that could have caused major injury or death. They both remained behind bars Wednesday on no bond, jail records say.
A previous California Post report said Jang indicated in an August custody filing that “during our marriage, the children and I learned to avoid provoking Jonathan lest he became angry. In my experience, appearing agreeable or happy around him was sometimes a means of avoiding his anger.”
Jang filed for divorce in 2025 after McKinsey allegedly became abusive to her and their three children, ages 3, 5, and 7, the paper said, adding that McKinsey also filed for divorce last year.
Jang also filed a restraining order against McKinsey in 2025, and McKinsey filed a restraining order that same year, the Post said.
Jang also submitted an additional court filing that updated the court on a custody issue and addressed false testimony she claimed McKinsey gave, the paper said.
McKinsey, who was 40, joined the New York Times in early 2023 as a senior engineering manager for the games platform and became director of engineering for games player experience in late 2025, the Post said.
The paper said it reached out to the Times for further comment.
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