Witnesses described a chilling scene at Dublin Sports Grounds shortly after 3pm Saturday. Jonathan McKinsey, 40, lay dead from multiple gunshot wounds. The couple allegedly took turns firing at him before calmly walking away. Police found them lingering in the area when officers arrived. They are now behind bars in Santa Rita Jail.
McKinsey served as the director of engineering for New York Times Games and Player Experience. He had transitioned from female to male in 2010. Court records reveal a volatile family dynamic that preceded the shooting. In a petition for a domestic violence protection order, McKinsey alleged his mother-in-law, Shili Chen, directed anti-LGBTQ+ slurs at him and their child. These filings, cited by The Mercury News and AP, suggest identity was a friction point in the household.
The couple’s marriage was already unraveling. McKinsey and his wife, Candice Jang, were embroiled in bitter divorce and custody proceedings. Jang had accused McKinsey of physically disciplining their three young children. He faced a misdemeanor child abuse charge and was on bail while seeking mental-health diversion. Jang’s filings also claimed McKinsey threatened to kill her and her parents, citing a children’s book about a mother’s death as a source of fear. These remain allegations within active legal proceedings.
Police have not publicly established a motive, nor have they confirmed whether McKinsey’s transgender identity played a role in the shooting. The investigation remains ongoing. Zhang and Chen are due in court Wednesday, where prosecutors will formally address the murder charges. The next steps in the legal battle over their children’s custody are now moot, overshadowed by the criminal case.