Authorities examining the tragic killing of King of The Hill star Jonathan Joss have expressed regret for an earlier announcement in which they rejected his murder as a hate crime.
Joss, 59, died in San Antonio, Texas, on Sunday after a reported altercation with his neighbor Sigfredo Alvarez Ceja outside his home.
Ceja was captured by law enforcement and has been booked on suspicion of murder. He was released on $200k bail this week.
Joss’ partner, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, asserted that the fatal shooting of his husband was motivated by homophobia—yet the San Antonio Police Department subsequently released a statement refuting this claim.
During a Thursday press briefing, San Antonio Police Department Chief William McManus retracted the previous statement, acknowledging it had been made ‘far too early.’
He said: ‘We shouldn’t have done that, it was way too early to make a statement of that nature, we didn’t have information to make that statement.
Police investigating the senseless murder of King of The Hill Jonathan Joss have apologized for a previous statement denying his killing was a hate crime- Joss is pictured in Parks & Recreation
Joss, 59, died in San Antonio , Texas , on Sunday after a reported altercation with his neighbor Sigfredo Alvarez Ceja outside his home. Ceja was captured by law enforcement and has been booked on suspicion of murder. He was released on $200k bail this week
‘We understand the LGBTQ+ community are feeling anxious and concerned, a lot of it has to do with that stayement, we’re sorry.’
‘The loss of Jonathan Joss was tragic and felt by the LGBTQ+ community, there’s also a concern around circurmstances surrounding that death and the history leading up to that.’
The previous statement from a San Antonio PD spokesman had read: ‘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.’
Chief McManus addressed the question of why Ceja had not been charged with a hate crime, saying: ‘In Texas hate crimes are not separate charges, instead they are addressed through sentencing enhancements.
New details about the run-up to the violent crime recently emerged via a police report, with a unnamed witness stating they drove Joss from Austin to his burned down San Antonio home around 7pm on June 1 to check his mail.
The witness said she pulled up and parked in the driveway while she waited for Joss and another witness to check the mail. Joss’ husband Gonzales has claimed he was with the actor on this trip and during the murder.
Per the report, she said she saw suspect Ceja pull up in his vehicle with a passenger and stop ‘directly behind her car.’
She allegedly saw Joss and Ceja argue in her rear view mirror, and claimed Ceja told Joss ‘he had a gun and would shoot [Joss].’ She claims Ceja then shot Joss.
Per the report, Joss was pronounced dead at the scene at 7.20pm and Ceja was detained by police and ‘immediately told them “I shot him”. His weapons were seized.
The report states that ‘[Ceja] intentionally and knowingly discharged a weapon at [Joss] resulting in his death
Joss’ husband has since claimed the star’s death was a homophobia-fueled murder – although in a new twist, police have dismissed this theory.
A statement from a San Antonio PD spokesman read: ‘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.’
Last Saturday, Joss — who boasts 9K social media followers — shared a video of himself in good spirits, urging fans to visit him at Tribe Comics and Games in Austin, TX for a signing.
Jonathan also voiced the character Healing in Paul McComas and Holly Trasti’s animated drama Unplugged alongside the late Louis Gossett Jr., the late Ed Asner, Christina Ricci and Jeri Ryan.
But Joss is best known for voicing musician and healer John Redcorn, who embarked on a 14-year-long affair with anchorwoman Nancy Hicks-Gribble (Ashley Gardner), on the Fox animated sitcom from seasons 2–13.
Last Friday, the charismatic actor of Native descent crashed the King of the Hill reunion at ATX TV Festival in Austin and with co-creators Mike Judge and Greg Daniels as well as actors Pamela Adlon, Lauren Tom and Toby Huss.
On January 23, Jonathan suffered the loss of his three beloved dogs when his childhood home, that his father built in 1957, burned to the ground.
Joss also lost his car in the blaze, but the GoFundMe organized by Logan Kostroun successfully raised $10,721 from a $15K goal.
But neighbors told TMZ on Monday that his house burned down because he attempted to use a BBQ pit to heat it after the city allegedly ‘shut off his power when the property was deemed unsafe and uninhabitable.’
Gonzales — whom he wed on Valentine’s Day — claimed he was murdered after they were ‘harassed’ for two years by ‘openly homophobic’ individuals who ‘did not accept our relationship.’
‘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,’ the South Carolina native recalled on Facebook.
‘While we were doing this a man approached us. He started yelling violent homophobic slurs at us. He then raised a gun from his lap and fired. Jonathan and I had no weapons.’
He continued, ‘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.’
Tristan added, ‘My focus now is on protecting Jonathan’s legacy and honoring the life we built together.’
Jonathan is also remembered for his role as Chief Ken Hotate in five episodes of NBC’s mockumentary sitcom Parks and Recreation spanning 2011–2015.
Joss had small roles in TV shows like Walker Texas Ranger, Charmed, ER, Ray Donovan and Tulsa King.
He also acted in films like True Grit, The Magnificent Seven, Pocahontas 2: Journey to a New World and Johnson Family Vacation.
Fans have since taken to social media to mourn over the loss of Joss and also expressed their condolences.
One penned on X, ‘Such a tremendous loss. His talent and spirit will be deeply missed,’ and another wrote, ‘Rest in peace. So so sad.’
‘Iconic voice, such an awful way to go. RIP,’ a fan shared, while one typed, ‘RIP Jonathan Joss. Voice of one of the best and funniest characters in King of the Hill.’
Another commented, ‘RIP to a legend, I haven’t watched parks and rec for a long time but I had no idea he played the Casino owner…
‘Literally one of the funniest episodes and side characters. What a legend,’ they continued.
