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A new theory emerged in the case of “New York Times” director McKenzie, who was shot to death by his in-laws. Defense lawyers claimed that he had hired a hitman to threaten his mother-in-law before her death. The motives for domestic violence, divorce disputes and hostility between the two parties still need to be verified.
“The man who was shot dead by his in-laws”new York Times 》There have been new developments in the case of transgender executive Jonathan McKinsey. The defense lawyer of her mother-in-law Chen Shili said in an interview outside the court on the 19th that the deceased had hired a “hitman” in the past to “get rid of” her mother-in-law and showed great hostility to her.
According to the New York Post, McKinsey was shot and killed at the Dublin Sports Arena in Dublin, California on September 26. It was reported that the shooters were his elderly in-laws, 77-year-old Shaoyong Zhang and Shili Chen. Both men have currently been charged with murder.
Now new developments are emerging in this matter, which may turn the matter upside down. According to KRON4, defense attorney Curtis Briggs, who represents Chen Shili, claimed in an interview outside the Alameda County Court on the 19th that McKinsey had hired a “hit man” in the past in an attempt to “get rid of” Chen Shili. This allegation may shed new light on a family dispute that was going on even before the murder.
Outside the Dublin court, Curtis Briggs also said the couple bought the gun in March 2026 because they were afraid of their son-in-law, and stressed that the purpose of buying the gun was self-defense, not premeditated murder. McKinsey’s record has been extremely violent. Their investigation found that there were at least three incidents where witnesses could confirm that Mr McKenzie had threatened his client’s life: once through a hitman, and twice more recently when he said he wanted to get rid of him.
Curtis Briggs insisted that Chen Shili and Zhang Shaoyong never planned to kill McKinsey, but as tensions within the family grew, the two became increasingly fearful. Chen Shili is originally a nanny who lives at home and helps take care of the children, but McKinsey is extremely hostile towards her and behaves violently. Divorce proceedings continued, further worsening relations between the entire family.
The shocking allegations add complications to an already contentious family dispute that has included allegations of domestic violence, child abuse and hostility stemming from McKinsey’s transgender status. However, the claim that McKinsey hired a hitman has not been independently verified, and it is unclear what evidence the lawyer has to support his claim. The elderly Chinese couple appeared in court on the 19th, accompanied by their defense lawyer and a Mandarin Chinese interpreter. Both denied murder charges and pleaded not guilty in court.
McKinsey, 40, served as head of The New York Times’ game player experience engineering department during his lifetime and has been working at the newspaper since 2023. His estranged wife Candice Jang filed for a restraining order with the court in 2025, and McKinsey later filed for a restraining order with the court, requiring him to take the same measures against his wife.
Summary FAQ
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Prosecutors accused Zhang Shuoyong, 77, and Chen Shili, 77, of shooting McKinsey to death at a sports stadium in Dublin, California. Both have currently been charged with murder and have denied the charges in court and pleaded not guilty in court.
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The lawyer said the two bought the guns for self-defense because they had been afraid of McKinsey for a long time. He also said that the deceased had threatened his mother-in-law several times and had also hired a “hit man” to try to get rid of him. Therefore, he believed that the couple did not plan the murder.
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This is because McKinsey’s claims that it hired a hitman have not been independently verified, and lawyers have not disclosed specific evidence. Additionally, the case also involves complicating factors such as domestic violence, divorce proceedings and transgender hostility.
