The elderly couple accused of killing their son-in-law, New York Times executive Jonathan McKinsey, pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder with a special circumstance of lying in wait, a defense attorney said Monday.
asserted
attorney → accuse → wait
Defense attorney Curtis Briggs argued that his client, Shili Chen, who is married to Shouyong Zhang, did not premeditate the shooting, NBC Bay Area reported.
asserted
Area → argue → shooting
Instead, Briggs told NBC Bay Area that the couple, both 77, acted out of concern after seeing something disturbing while their son-in-law had a supervised visit with his children.
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law → tell → children
“My client was absolutely concerned for her own life and also concerned for her grandchildren,” Briggs told NBC Bay Area.
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Briggs → tell → Area
Zhang is being represented by a public defender.
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Zhang → represent → defender
Alameda County prosecutors say Chen and Zhang watched and waited in a parking lot in Dublin, California, to attack McKinsey, who was embroiled in a bitter divorce and custody battle with their daughter.
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who → say → daughter
Briggs said that McKinsey, 40, had previously threatened Chen’s life three times through a hit man.
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McKinsey → say → man
The couple purchased firearms in March to defend themselves, Briggs said, and were moved to act last month in the parking lot of a popular park.
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Briggs → purchase → park
They didn’t premeditate anything,” Briggs told NBC Bay Area.
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Briggs → premeditate → Area
Briggs did not elaborate on what the elderly couple witnessed that drove them to kill their son-in-law.
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that → elaborate → law
If convicted, they could both face life in prison without the possibility of parole.
uncertain
they → convict → parole
According to local police, 911 calls started coming in around 3 p.m. on Sept. 26 from terrified witnesses, many of whom were with their young children.
uncertain
many → accord → children
Several witnesses told police they saw a black Honda speeding out of the parking lot and later identified Chen and Zhang as the shooters, police said in a statement.
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police → tell → statement
Officers chased down the car and arrested the couple, according to the police report.
uncertain
Officers → chase → report
Nearly a decade’s worth of court documents revealed a deeply troubled marriage between McKinsey and his wife, Candice Jang, who has not been charged in connection with his death.
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who → reveal → death
McKinsey’s death followed years of violent struggle between Jang and McKinsey, who started dating in 2008 and were married in 2011, according to Jang’s petition for a domestic abuse restraining order.
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who → follow → order
They had three children.
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They → have → children
McKinsey had recently filed for divorce and was scheduled to appear in court the same week he died, according to court records.
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he → file → records
In separate petitions for restraining orders, McKinsey and Jang each argued that the other was physically and mentally abusive during their marriage.
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other → restrain → marriage
McKinsey and Jang both said they wanted full custody of their children, but McKinsey had an ongoing child abuse case that granted him only supervised visits.
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that → say → visits
The children were living with Jang and her parents when McKinsey was shot.
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McKinsey → live → Jang
He had been previously charged with two misdemeanors — cruelty to a child by endangering health and corporal injury to a child.
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He → charge → child
McKinsey was freed on $50,000 bail and had been trying to enter a mental health diversion program, according to court records.
uncertain
McKinsey → free → records
Had he successfully completed the program, the charges would have been dismissed.
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charges → complete → program
According to police reports, Zhang admitted to shooting McKinsey with his firearm during interviews with investigators.
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Zhang → accord → investigators
The husband and wife were each carrying weapons at the time of their arrests.
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husband → carry → arrests
“Chen and the passenger carried out this shooting in a crowded park parking lot with blatant disregard for public safety where several children were present,” the arresting officer said.
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officer → carry → safety
McKinsey allegedly threatened to kill Chen at least three times, NBC Bay Area reported.
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Area → threaten → Chen
A bail hearing was set for Nov. 4, followed by a pretrial hearing on Nov. 23.
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hearing → set → Nov.
The Aporia
