California: NYT tech executive shot dead by elderly in-laws
What's the story
Jonathan McKinsey, a 40-year-old technology executive at The New York Times, was shot dead in broad daylight on Saturday at a sports complex in California. He was found with multiple gunshot wounds in the parking lot of Dublin Sports Grounds around 3:00pm local time, the New York Post reported. His elderly in-laws, Shouyong Zhang and Shili Chen, were later arrested for their alleged involvement in the murder.
Arrest details
Police reports and witness accounts
According to police reports, officers patrolling the area found McKinsey after receiving multiple 911 calls about the shooting. First responders attempted to revive him, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Witnesses told authorities they saw two masked shooters approach McKinsey in the parking lot before opening fire. The suspects were later identified as Zhang and Chen, both aged 77.
Legal charges
Charges against the elderly couple
The elderly couple, who are from Dublin but also have ties to Albuquerque, New Mexico, were booked into Alameda County's Santa Rita Jail on suspicion of murder.
They face several serious allegations, including first-degree murder and felony conspiracy.
The charges also include illegally or dangerously firing a gun and child endangerment involving conduct that could have caused serious injury or death.
Career overview
McKinsey's career and family details
McKinsey was married to Zhang and Chen's daughter, Candice Jang, the Post stated.
He started his tech career in the late 2000s at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory before moving to Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Oracle.
He later joined Coursera, then UKG, Splunk, and finally The New York Times in early 2023 as a senior engineering manager for its games platform.
Role and disputes
Ongoing legal battle and motive behind shooting
At NYT, McKinsey was the director of engineering for games player experience by late 2025.
Court records show McKinsey and Jang were embroiled in a legal battle over child custody with allegations of domestic abuse.
McKinsey was earlier charged with two misdemeanor counts of child abuse, including allegations that he hit his 6-year-old son in the face and once left his then-2-year-old home alone for over an hour