Follow-Up: Dublin Couple, Both 77, Plead Not Guilty to Murdering Son-in-Law; Bail Hearing Set for Nov. 4
DUBLIN, Calif. — Shouyong Zhang and Shili Chen, both 77, the couple charged with shooting their son-in-law to death at a Dublin sports complex, pleaded not guilty on Monday, October 19, to first-degree murder charges carrying a special-circumstance allegation of lying in wait, according to NBC Bay Area and the Mercury News. An Alameda County Superior Court judge set a bail hearing for November 4, followed by a pretrial hearing on November 23. Both defendants remain in custody without bail; GSM previously reported they are held at Santa Rita Jail.
Curtis Briggs, an attorney for Chen, said outside court that Jonathan McKinsey was at the Dublin Sports Grounds that day for a supervised visit with the children he shared with his estranged wife, Candice Jang, the defendants' daughter. Briggs said Chen did not premeditate the killing, arguing that the couple saw something that raised concerns for their grandchildren's safety and compelled them to act, though he did not elaborate. Briggs also said McKinsey had allegedly threatened to kill Chen at least three times, including once by threatening to hire a hitman, and said the couple bought their guns in March for protection from McKinsey.
McKinsey, 40, a gaming engineer for The New York Times, was shot to death on September 26 in the parking lot of the Dublin Sports Grounds. Investigators said Chen had a firearm when she was arrested and that a second gun was found in the couple's car. McKinsey and Jang were in the midst of a contentious divorce and child custody dispute, with both sides accusing the other of physical and emotional abuse in court filings. The Alameda County District Attorney's Office charged Zhang and Chen on September 30 with murder, a lying-in-wait special circumstance and firearm allegations; prosecutors say each faces life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted. The charges have not been proven in court, and neither defendant has been convicted.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 被告张寿勇（左）与陈世丽（右）的监狱登记照，阿拉米达县警长局发布；两人被控谋杀，尚未定罪。Booking photos of Shouyong Zhang (left) and Shili Chen (right), released by the Alameda County Sheriff's Office; both are charged with murder and have not been convicted.
- 2026-10-14Bay Area Couple, Both 77, Charged With Lying-in-Wait Murder of Transgender Son-in-Law; Held Without Bail Ahead of Oct. 19 Plea Hearing
- 2026-10-19Follow-Up: Dublin Couple, Both 77, Plead Not Guilty to Murdering Son-in-Law; Bail Hearing Set for Nov. 4This story
