The defense attorney now representing the 77-year-old woman who's accused, along with her husband, of fatally shooting their son-in-law last month at a Dublin park, says that she feared for her life and that the son-in-law had repeatedly threatened her life.
The new bombshell allegations came on Monday following a court appearance in Dublin by 77-year-old Shili Chen and 77-year-old Shouyong Zhang. Chen and Zhang were the in-laws of 40-year-old Jonathan McKinsey, and they are accused of shooting McKinsey "in concert" on September 26 in the parking lot of the Dublin Sports Grounds, where he had arrived for his court-ordered visitation with this three children.
McKinsey was in the process of getting a very messy divorce from 46-year-old Candice Jang, the daughter of Chen and Zhang, and both McKinsey and Jang had filed dueling restraining orders against each other last year.
As KRON4 reports, the defense attorney for Chen, Curtis Briggs, spoke to reporters outside the Alameda County courthouse in Dublin on Monday, making the incendiary claim that McKinsey had previously hired a hit-man to "get rid of" his mother-in-law.
"Mr. McKinsey had an extremely violent record," Briggs said, per KRON4. "What we found out, through investigation, is there’s been at least three occasions, where there are witnesses, that Mr. McKinsey actually threatened my client’s life: Once through a hit man, and two more recently by making comments that he was going to get rid of her."
While Jang has described herself as a stay-at-home mom to the couple's children, ages 3, 5, and 7, Chen is being described as an almost full-time nanny living at the couple's home — which McKinsey reportedly moved out of last December.
According to Briggs, Chen and Zhang purchased two guns in March 2026 to protect themselves against their son-in-law.
In earlier court filings, McKinsey described verbal and emotional abuse by his in-laws, who did not approve of his gender transition over a decade ago. McKinsey said that his mother-in-law had called him a "disgusting queer" and said the same thing to their seven-year-old son when he once expressed interest in wearing his sister's dress. McKinsey also claimed that Zhang had punched him in the chest shortly after his "top surgery," or double mastectomy, 15 years ago.
In her 2025 filing for a restraining order, Jang wrote, per KRON4, "I and the children have all experienced physical, verbal, emotional abuse from Jonathan. My mother, who helps me watch the children, has also experienced emotional abuse from Jonathan."
Briggs appears to be preparing a defense against the charges of first-degree murder and lying in wait, telling reporters that the killing wasn't planned or premeditated.
When he took the case earlier this month, Briggs said, "All I know is that Mr. McKinsey had a reputation terrorizing his family, extremely violent, volatile, rageful, and he was a dangerous person."
He further suggested that he would be arguing for Chen's release from jail, saying, "weighs about 80 pounds" and "probably couldn't handle being in custody."
Zhang is being represented by a different attorney.
We learned earlier this month that Dublin police had seized some belongings from Jang's home, but so far Jang is not facing any charges.
Previously: Attorney For Mother-in-Law of Slain Engineer in Dublin Says Victim Was 'Extremely Rageful'
