NYT Executive Killed by In-Laws in Bay Area Park Amid Custody Dispute
NYT engineering executive shot by in-laws in Dublin park during custody battle. Police arrest couple.
POLICY WIRE — Dublin, United States — A senior executive from The New York Times was fatally shot by his in-laws in a Bay Area park on Saturday, according to local authorities.
The incident occurred around 3 p.m. in Dublin, California, where police discovered Jonathan McKinsey, who led engineering and games player experiences at the Times, with multiple gunshot wounds at the Dublin Sports Grounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Following numerous witness calls, law enforcement located and detained two individuals—Shouyong Zhang and Shili Chen, both 77—who were identified as McKinsey’s in-laws. They are currently being held at Santa Rita Jail while awaiting formal charges.
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Court records indicate that McKinsey and his wife, Candice Jang, were involved in a contentious child custody dispute. Last year, a judge issued a temporary restraining order against McKinsey due to allegations of domestic violence. He had filed for divorce in December 2025, with a court hearing scheduled for the following month. An independent child custody evaluator was appointed in August.
Mckinsey, who was 40 years old, earned a bachelor’s degree from Georgia Institute of Technology and a master’s in computer science from the University of California, Berkeley. He joined The New York Times in 2023, the publication confirmed.
Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)
