Jonathan McKinsey, a transgender New York Times executive who was allegedly killed in broad daylight at a Bay Area parking lot, had previously threatened to kill his wife and her parents, according to court documents.
McKinsey, 40, was fatally shot Saturday afternoon at Dublin Sports Grounds in Dublin, California. Witnesses said Shouyong Zhang and Shili Chen, both 77, took turns firing at him in the parking lot.
“During our marriage, the children and I learned to avoid provoking Jonathan lest he became angry. In my experience, appearing agreeable or happy around him was sometimes a means of avoiding his anger,” McKinsey’s wife, Candice Jang, wrote in an August custody filing obtained by the California Post. The filing was first reported by The Mercury News.
Jang and McKinsey married in 2010, though she filed for divorce in 2025 after alleging that he had abused her and one of their young sons.
Jang also claimed that McKinsey had recently given their three children a book about a mother’s death.
“Jonathan dismisses my concern about a book he provided to the children concerning the death of a mother. He omits the context that makes the conduct frightening to me. Jonathan has previously threatened to kill me and my parents,” Jang wrote in the court documents.
According to Jang, the 40-year-old newspaper executive gave the children a book about a young girl “mourning the death of her mother, as a birthday present.” She said the choice was “deeply disturbing and frightening” because of his alleged previous threats against her life.
CONTINUE READING: Australian Man ‘Abducted’ in Cambodia Before Reuniting With Wife
Jang further alleged that McKinsey routinely blamed others for problems instead of accepting responsibility.
McKinsey and Jang were embroiled in a contentious custody dispute involving their three children, ages 3, 5 and 7. McKinsey was accused of abusing Jang and the children.
Jang sought a restraining order against McKinsey in 2025. He responded by seeking a restraining order against her that same year.
McKinsey was charged with two misdemeanor counts of child abuse in connection with the allegations. He was later released from jail on the condition that he complete parenting classes.
In a subsequent court filing, Jang updated the court on the custody dispute and challenged what she described as false testimony from her husband.
McKinsey transitioned from female to male in 2010 and married Jang in 2011, according to the report. The estranged couple had been scheduled to appear in court over custody issues this Friday, before the shooting occurred.
McKinsey joined The New York Times in early 2023 as a senior engineering manager overseeing its games platform. He became director of engineering for games player experience in late 2025.
Police are examining the family conflict as a possible motive in the shocking shooting, in which both members of the elderly couple allegedly opened fire on McKinsey.