DUBLIN, Calif. – An elderly couple accused of gunning down their son-in-law at a crowded Dublin park allegedly carried out the killing during a supervised visit between the victim and his children, prosecutors revealed Monday.
The details emerged during a plea hearing for Shili Chen and her husband, Shouyong Zhang, both 77. The couple pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder charges in the Sept. 26 death of Jonathan McKinsey, 40. The murder charge includes a special circumstance allegation of lying in wait.
Park shooting
The backstory:
McKinsey, the head engineer of games player experience for The New York Times, was shot and killed at the Dublin Sports Grounds.
Prosecutors alleged Chen and Zhang showed up during McKinsey’s scheduled visit with his three children and took turns shooting him.
McKinsey’s supervised visits were required to take place in the presence of a social worker, and one was there that day.
Police arrested Zhang and Chen nearby shortly after the incident.
Investigators said they recovered two handguns and obtained surveillance video showing the couple killing McKinsey.
Defense claims fear of victim
What they’re saying:
Curtis Briggs, defense attorney for Chen, maintained that his client is not guilty. Briggs said the couple went to the park because they believed McKinsey was abusive and feared he would harm their grandchildren.
According to Briggs, Chen and Zhang began carrying firearms in March because they were fearful of their son-in-law. Briggs alleged McKinsey had threatened to kill the couple on three separate occasions, including one incident in which he allegedly threatened to hire a hit man to kill them.
“Mr. McKinsey was ordered by a court that he couldn’t be around his children alone. He had to pay for a social worker to be present, and he had to meet in a public place,” said Briggs. “So obviously any family member is going to be concerned about whether he’s going to be violent toward those grandkids and any reasonable family member would want to be in the area in case something happens.”
Custody battle
The killing happened amid a contentious divorce and custody dispute between McKinsey and his wife. While McKinsey’s wife had previously been granted a temporary restraining order against him, McKinsey was recently granted supervised visits with their children.
Chen and Zhang had lived with McKinsey and their daughter prior to the separation and Chen was a live-in nanny for the family.
Case was sealed, not anymore
Dig deeper:
The new court details surfaced after a judge unsealed the criminal complaints, court minutes, and affidavits surrounding the high-profile case.
The documents had been prematurely sealed, despite requests from local news outlets, including KTVU, seeking a reason behind the move.
The Source: The information in this report comes from an Oct. 19 plea hearing for Shili Chen and Shouyong Zhang, statements from defense attorney Curtis Briggs and Assistant Public Defender Jennie Otis, and previous reporting.