Transgender NYT executive charged with child-abuse before being killed

Jonathan McKinsey was embroiled in a bitter custody battle when he was allegedly shot dead by his in-laws, court documents show

A transgender New York Times executive allegedly killed by his in-laws over the weekend in California was facing child-abuse charges amid a bitter family battle, newly reported court documents have revealed.

Jonathan McKinsey, 40, director of engineering for NYT Games, was gunned down on Saturday at a sports complex east of San Francisco. Police arrested his parents-in-law, Shouyong Zhang and Shili Chen, both in their late 70s, near the scene on suspicion of murder.

The pair are being held without bail and are due to appear in court on Wednesday. Police said McKinsey was deliberately targeted but have not linked the killing to the family dispute.

A composite of undated booking photos of Shouyong Zhang and Shili Chen, provided by the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office on September 28, 2026. © AP / Alameda County Sheriff's Office

The incident came a week before a scheduled hearing in McKinsey’s contentious divorce and custody fight with his estranged wife, Candice Jang, according to court records cited by AP.

McKinsey transitioned from female to male in 2010, according to the Mercury News, citing court filings. The documents indicate that McKinsey and Jang were already close during his transition-related medical treatment that year. The couple subsequently married and had three children.

40-year-old Jonathan McKinsey was fatally shot over the weekend in a parking lot near the Dublin Sports Grounds, and police arrested his parents-in-law at the scene, according to city officials. https://t.co/e9denPzy74 pic.twitter.com/7yc1g2aFLm

— NBC Bay Area (@nbcbayarea)

September 28, 2026

There is no public information on how McKinsey and Jang had their children or which person gave birth. A couple consisting of a transgender man and a biological woman would need donor sperm to conceive. Depending on the circumstances, either could provide the egg and carry the pregnancy.

The court battle featured competing allegations of abuse. Jang accused McKinsey of years of violence against her and their children. McKinsey was charged with two misdemeanor child-abuse offenses for allegedly hitting his six-year-old son in the face and leaving another child, then aged two, home alone while he went shopping. He pleaded not guilty to both charges and was seeking admission to a mental-health diversion program.

A view of the Dublin Sports Grounds in Dublin, California, where the killing took place, September 28, 2026. © AP / Sarah Dussault/Bay Area News Group

McKinsey, in turn, sought a restraining order against Jang. He claimed she tried to pull medical tubes from his body following a transition-related procedure and later struck him with a frying pan. He also alleged that his father-in-law punched him while he was recovering from a double mastectomy and that his mother-in-law directed anti-LGBTQ slurs at him and one of the children.

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The case comes amid a broader US shift on transgender issues. Since returning to office, President Donald Trump has reversed Biden-era gender-identity protections, ordered the federal government to recognize only two biological sexes, and moved to dismantle DEI programs, although the New York Times has retained its diversity policies. Public attitudes have also shifted, with a 2025 Pew survey finding growing support for restrictions on transgender people, even as a majority continued to back protections against discrimination.