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[CRIME] · United States · 4 sources

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Part of situation: Fatal shooting of New York Times executive in California (4 clusters)

New York Times executive shot dead by in-laws in California

Jonathan McKinsey New York Times Dublin California Shili Chen Shouyong Zhang

Jonathan McKinsey, a New York Times engineering director, was fatally shot on September 26 at the Dublin Sports Grounds in California. His in-laws, 77-year-old Shili Chen and 77-year-old Shouyong Zhang, have been charged with first-degree murder in connection with the incident.

During a court appearance on October 19, defense attorney Curtis Briggs alleged that the shooting was a spontaneous act of self-defense. Briggs claimed that McKinsey, who was involved in a contentious divorce and child custody battle with his estranged wife, Candice Jang, had previously threatened Chen’s life on at least three occasions. Specifically, the defense alleged that McKinsey had once attempted to hire a hitman to ‘get rid of’ Chen.

McKinsey was at the park for a court-ordered visitation with his three children at the time of the shooting. While the defense claims the elderly couple purchased firearms in March 2026 due to fear for their safety, the allegation regarding the attempted hitman has not been independently verified.

Entities

Curtis Briggs · Dublin, California · Jonathan McKinsey · Shili Chen · Shouyong Zhang · The New York Times

Sources

Trans New York Times exec hired ‘hitman’ to ‘get rid’ of his mother-in-law before she allegedly executed him: attorney [offthepress.com]
NY Times exec allegedly killed by mother-in-law threatened to hire someone to kill her, attorney [justthenews.com]
NYT exec hired hitman to kill mother-in-law – before she gunned him down [sandrarose.com]
Trans New York Times exec threatened to hire ‘hitman’ to ‘get rid’ of his mother-in-law before she allegedly executed him: attorney [freerepublic.com]