The trans New York Times executive allegedly executed by his elderly in-laws in a California parking lot was killed during a supervised visit to see his children, according to prosecutors.

Jonathan McKinsey, 40, was reportedly shot by Shouyong Zhang and Shili Chen, both 77, in the parking area at Dublin Sports Ground in Dublin, California on September 26, with witnesses describing how the pair took turns riddling his body with bullets.

During a plea hearing for the in-laws on Monday, prosecutors said that McKinsey was at said parking area to meet his kids for the supervised visit.

The couple pleaded not guilty to their first-degree murder charges according to KTVU.

It was also revealed, however, that McKinsey had previously threatened to hire a hitman to “get rid of” his mother-in-law. Chen’s defense attorney, Curtis Briggs, made the allegation outside of the courtroom on Monday.

Briggs claimed the couple had purchased firearms in March 2026 because they were terrified of their son-in-law, insisting the weapons were intended for protection, not a premeditated 𝘬iᩚlling.

The attorney said that Chen and Zhang never plotted to 𝘬iᩚll McKinsey, but had grown increasingly fearful as tensions within the family spiraled.

The New York Times exec had also previously threatened to murder his wife and her parents. The 40-year-old chillingly gave his children a book about a young girl whose mom died, according to court documents.

“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, said in an August custody filing obtained by The California Post.

McKinsey was married to Jang in 2010 but she filed for divorce in 2025. She also filed a restraining order against McKinsey that same year, and McKinsey replied back by filing a restraining order of his own.

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