In-Laws Charged With Murder Before Divorce Hearing

Jonathan McKinsey, an engineer who worked on games at The New York Times, was shot dead in a public park in California. Days later, his in-laws — Shili Chen and Shouyong Zhang, both 77 — were charged with his murder. According to The Guardian, citing the Associated Press, the killing took place days before McKinsey and their daughter, Candice Jang, were scheduled to appear at a hearing in what authorities describe as a bitter divorce case.

Chen and Zhang were due in court for arraignment on the charges. The Associated Press reported it was unable to reach an attorney for the couple before that appearance. Jang could not be reached by reporters, though she appeared virtually at the hearing.

Whether the divorce proceedings were a direct motive, and whether anyone else is suspected of involvement, has not been established in the available reporting. The allegation that the shooting was connected to the impending court date is part of the charge narrative, not yet a finding of guilt. The arraignment was the first formal judicial step; the case has not gone to trial.

What the record does show is two elderly defendants, a dead man in a park, and a family legal dispute that, if prosecutors are right, became something irreversible before a judge ever ruled.