Police say ‘no evidence of hate crime’ in Jonathan Joss murder despite husband claiming it was a homophobic attack
A suspect has been arrested over the murder of the 59-year-old actor but the motive for his killing remains unclear
Texas police say they have no evidence so far that the fatal shooting of King of the Hillvoice actor Jonathan Joss, 59, was a homophobic attack, despite his husband’s claims to the contrary.
“Despite online claims of this being a hate crime, currently the investigation has found no evidence to indicate that Mr. Joss’s murder was related to his sexual orientation,” the San Antonio Police Department wrote in a statement on X on Monday.
“SAPD investigators handle these allegations very seriously and have thoroughly reviewed all available information,” the department added, “Should any new evidence come to light, the suspect will be charged accordingly.”
Hours earlier Joss’s husband put out a statement saying the weekend shooting had a clear homophobic motive.
Joss, who voiced the character John Redcorn for seasons two through 13 of the popular animated series, was reportedly shot multiple times over the weekend after a disagreement with a neighbor. San Antonio police responded to a home after reports of shots fired and found Joss near the road with gunshot wounds, according to Variety. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Sigfredo Alvarez Ceja, 56, has been arrested and charged with murder in Joss’s death.
After the shooting, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, Joss’s husband, posted a statement to the actor’s Facebook page claiming the incident was a homophobic hate crime.
Gonzales said he and Joss were checking the mail at the site of their former home, which burned down in a January fire, when the incident occurred. The couple lost their three dogs in the fire.
“When we returned to the site to check our mail we discovered the skull of one of our dogs and its harness placed in clear view. This caused both of us severe emotional distress. We began yelling and crying in response to the pain of what we saw,” Gonzales wrote.
That’s when, according to Gonzales, a man approached the two and “started yelling violent homophobic slurs at us. He then raised a gun from his lap and fired.”
“Jonathan and I had no weapons. We were not threatening anyone. We were grieving. We were standing side by side. When the man fired Jonathan pushed me out of the way. He saved my life,” Gonzales continued.
Gonzales said he and Joss “were harassed regularly by individuals who made it clear they did not accept our relationship. Much of the harassment was openly homophobic.”
“He was murdered by someone who could not stand the sight of two men loving each other,” Gonzales continued. “I was with him when he passed. I told him how much he was loved.”
Gonzales noted he and Joss were married just a few months ago on Valentine’s Day and were making plans for the future, rebuilding what they lost in the January fire.
He said their home “was burned down after over two years of threats from people in the area who repeatedly told us they would set it on fire. We reported these threats to law enforcement multiple times and nothing was done.”
Gonzales concluded his statement by vowing to “protect what [Joss] built” going forward.
According to a GoFundMe started on his behalf, Joss lost his childhood home and possessions, as well as his three dogs, in the fire.
“This wasn't just any home - it was the house his father built for his mother in 1957, filled with a lifetime of memories,” the GoFundMe description read in part.
Joss — whose other credits included the recurring role of Chief Ken Hotate on Parks and Recreation, as well as Tulsa King, Ray Donovan, True Grit, and The Magnificent Seven — took over the King of the Hill role of John Redcorn from Victor Aaron, who died in a 1996 car accident.