New York Times exec’s horrified family reveal ‘really bad situation’ he was in when shot by his in-laws

The mortified family of the New York Times exec gunned down by his in-laws have addressed the terrible situation he was in with his wife’s family around the time of his death.

Jonathan McKinsey was murdered after his elderly in-laws, Shili Chen and Shouyong Zhang, allegedly took turns shooting him in a Northern California parking lot Saturday. The brutal alleged shooting happened as McKinsey and his estranged wife, Candice Jang, were locked in a nasty custody fight.

Lovell Garner, McKinsey’s cousin, spoke to The California Post about the turbulent time in the family. He said it was apparent that the wife’s family had enough, and turned to drastic measures.

“Well, it’s all still pretty fresh for me still,” Garner said. “So far, everyone in my immediate family is completely shocked. It seems obvious that they were done with him since they killed him. Not sure what would make them do something that extreme.”

Garner said he spoke to McKinsey a year ago after losing contact with him for several years. He had heard McKinsey had hit a rough spot and reached out to talk with him about life and what he was working on. He said he didn’t mention his wife and kids or the custody battle during their chat.

Garner described McKinsey as a “very smart” and an “outgoing” person. “Always kind and had a big heart. Was raised in a solid family too. I remember more of her than him,” referring to McKinsey before he transitioned from male to female.

McKinsey, formerly Dawn Finney, transitioned in 2010 and married Jang in Harris County, Texas, in 2011.

Little is known about Jang other than that she is a mother to three kids, all under the age of 10.

McKinsey’s strained marriage with Jang came to a boil when Alameda County prosecutors charged him with two counts of misdemeanor child abuse after his wife reported an incident where he allegedly hit their six-year-old son in the face with an open hand.

McKinsey pleaded not guilty to both crimes and was released from jail on the condition that he take parenting classes.

Jang also alleged McKinsey threatened “to kill me and my parents” in a restraining order filed last year.

McKinsey filed a restraining order of his own against Jang, alleging Jang abused him emotionally and physically, including telling him he should kill himself because “no one would want to be with someone as f–ked up and transgender like you.”

Garner said it appeared McKinsey’s family otherwise was supportive of his decision to transition.

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The elderly couple is facing serious charges, including first-degree murder, felony conspiracy, dangerously firing a gun, and child endangerment that could’ve caused major injury or death. Cops arrested and booked the pair in Alameda County’s Santa Rita Jail on suspicion of murder.

Chen and Zhang had a strained history with McKinsey, according to court documents.  Chen visited McKinsey and his wife to watch their children in 2023, a restraining order filed by McKinsey against Jang said.

During the visit, she noticed one of McKinsey’s sons, Wyatt, had begun asking to wear his sister Alexis’ dresses, a “phase” he was going through, McKinsey said, according to the records. She then began allegedly berating him for the behavior, calling the young child a “disgusting queer” and a “pervert.” Chen also allegedly hit McKinsey’s young son in the back of the head when he asked.

When McKinsey begged her to stop, Chen turned her ire to the New York Times employee, calling him the same names.

“She blamed me for Wyatt wanting to wear his sister’s dresses and told me to get out of ‘her house’ even though we were in the home owned by Candice and I,” McKinsey wrote.

In a separate incident, the father-in-law allegedly punched McKinsey in the chest after he got a double mastectomy.

Garner is prioritizing the welfare of his remaining family, including the welfare of his uncle, McKinsey’s father, William Finney II. Finney, he said, is currently in Taiwan with McKinsey’s mother.

Finney posted a chilling message on McKinsey’s Facebook page a few weeks before his death, imploring his son to come back home.

“Jon, hope everything is going well,” Finney wrote on Sept. 8. “Hope you can visit us when you have some free time. Mom and Dad love you so much and miss you. Hope everything goes well with you and Candice and the kids.”

Jang’s parents allegedly killed McKinsey 18 days later.

When asked if he believed outright that the in-laws allegedly killed McKinsey to support his wife’s custody bid, Garner had a definitive answer.

“I’d lay a lot of money on that,” he said. “It’s unbelievable that they would put themselves on the line like that for her.”