A week before a custody hearing was supposed to settle who would raise their three children, Jonathan McKinsey was shot dead in a parking lot by the two people who were supposed to be fighting for those kids too -- his own in-laws.
McKinsey, 40, a Director of Engineering for New York Times Games, was killed Saturday, September 27, in the parking lot of the Dublin Sports Grounds in Dublin, California, east of San Francisco. On September 30, Alameda County prosecutors charged his wife's parents, 77-year-old Shili Chen and 77-year-old Shouyong Zhang, with murder.
How it happened
A police sergeant driving near the sports complex spotted a man on the ground as 911 calls started coming in about a shooting, according to ABC7 News. Witnesses pointed police toward a couple still near the scene. Officers detained Chen and Zhang as they tried to drive away, finding a gun in Chen's possession and a second firearm in their car that Zhang allegedly admitted to using.
What prosecutors say
Prosecutors said surveillance video recovered from the scene shows both Chen and Zhang shooting McKinsey. Zhang reportedly admitted to the shooting in a police interview; Chen has refused to talk. Both were charged with murder, personal use of a firearm causing death, and lying in wait -- a special circumstance that can carry a sentence of life without the possibility of parole. Neither has entered a plea, and both are being held without bail at Santa Rita Jail.
The custody fight behind it
McKinsey and his wife, Candice Jang -- Chen and Zhang's daughter -- were in the middle of a contentious divorce and custody dispute over their three young children, with court records showing abuse allegations from both sides. The shooting came roughly a week before a scheduled hearing in that case.
What's next
Chen and Zhang are due back in court this week for further arraignment proceedings. IF Daily will follow the case as it moves forward.
