Shouyong Zhang and Shili Chen have been charged with murder and personal use of a firearm
Credit: Jonathan McKinsey/Facebook; Alameda County Sheriff’s Office(2)
NEED TO KNOW
- Jonathan McKinsey was fatally shot in broad daylight near a crowded California park
- His in-laws Shouyong Zhang and Shili Chen were both arrested while driving through the parking lot where his body was found
- Prior to his death, McKinsey made a series of abuse allegations against his in-laws
An elderly man who allegedly admitted to shooting his son-in-law had once allegedly punched him in the chest following the man’s gender transition surgery, according to court records.
Shouyong Zhang, 77, has been charged with murder following the fatal shooting of 40-year-old Jonathan McKinsey in broad daylight near a park in Dublin, Calif. on Saturday, Sept. 26.
Zhang’s wife, 77-year-old Shili Chen, has also been charged with murder.
On Wednesday, the Alameda County District’s Office charged the senior couple with murder, personal use of a firearm causing death and lying in wait, a special circumstance.
The senior couple had a strained relationship with McKinsey for years before the killing, as has been revealed in court documents from both McKinsey and his wife.
In a restraining order petition against his wife, McKinsey, who is transgender, alleged in December that his in-laws have been verbally and physically violent towards him, targeting his sexuality, KTVU and The Mercury News reported.
In 2010, as he underwent gender transition procedures, Zhang allegedly punched him in the chest after a double mastectomy surgery, McKinsey alleged in the petition, according to KTVU.
He also accused Chen of berating him and his child with slurs, on one occasion calling them “disgusting queer” and a “pervert,” according to the petition, The Mercury News reported.
Credit: Jonathan McKinsey/Facebook
McKinsey himself had faced abuse allegations and had been charged with cruelty to child by endangering health and corporal injury to a child. He pleaded not guilty to those charges in October.
He had accused his wife of years-long abuse but she was never charged on those allegations.
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
Police allege in a probable cause they found a gun on Chen when she was arrested and that Zhang admitted to using that firearm for the crime.
The couple were set to be arraigned on Wednesday. Their online court records did not show attorney information as of publishing time.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
Read the full article here