The in-laws accused of murdering New York Times executive Jonathan McKinsey pleaded not guilty Monday in a Los Angeles court, in which their defense team argued the mother-in-law was in fear for her life because their son-in-law had hired someone to kill her.

Prosecutors alleged Shili Chen and Shouyong Zhang gunned down McKinsey on Sept. 26 in the parking lot of a sports complex east of San Francisco. Each has been charged with first-degree murder, which implies a willful and premeditated attack. 

The New York Times Games engineering director was embroiled in a heated custody battle and divorce with his estranged wife, Candice Jang, according to the news outlet SFGate.com.

Chen’s defense attorney said his client was terrified of McKinsey and describing the shooting as “spontaneous,” not premeditated. He also said the shooting occurred during one of McKinsey’s supervised visits with his children but did not share specific details about what happened on the day McKinsey was killed. 

The attorney also cited “three occasions” in which McKinsey allegedly threatened Chen’s life in recent years but again did not provide specific details and alleged McKinsey at one point threatened to have a third party kill Chen and said he wanted to “get rid of” him.