Murder of senior executive at The New York Times: The divorce battle that ended in blood

Jonathan McKinsey, a senior executive in the games department of The New York Times, was shot to death in a parking lot in California. His wife's parents, both 77, were arrested on suspicion of murder. Court documents reveal a bitter divorce battle, a prior child abuse indictment, and mutual restraining orders.

Jonathan McKinsey, 40, a senior executive in the games department of The New York Times, was shot to death on Saturday in a parking lot of a sports complex in Dublin, California. Police arrested his wife's parents, Xuoyong Zhang and Shili Chen, both 77, minutes after the shooting. Witnesses said the two parents shot him one after the other. They are expected to appear before a judge tomorrow. The New York Times confirmed that McKinsey worked at the newspaper since January 2023 and was responsible for the engineering of the player experience. He is a graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology and holds a master's degree in computer science from the University of California, Berkeley. According to court records obtained by Fox News, in October 2025, McKinsey was indicted for child abuse after his wife reported that he slapped her 6-year-old son; he pleaded not guilty. That same year, the couple filed mutual restraining orders amid a custody dispute, and in December, McKinsey filed for divorce. A hearing in the divorce case was scheduled to take place in less than two weeks. The two are being held without bail and are expected to be charged with conspiracy, shooting, and child endangerment.