Police Dispute That Jonathan Joss Was Victim of Hate Crime

Police in San Antonio say they have found “no evidence” to suggest King of the Hill voice actor Jonathan Joss was the victim of a hate crime.

Joss was shot and killed on Sunday following a dispute with a neighbor. In a subsequent statement posted to Facebook, Joss’ husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, claimed the shooting was a hate crime. He alleged that during their time living in the neighborhood, the couple had been “harassed regularly by individuals who made it clear they did not accept our relationship” and had even received threats that their home would be set on fire. That home was, in fact, destroyed in a fire earlier this year. This past weekend, Joss and de Gonzales returned to San Antonio to check their mail when, according to de Gonzales, a neighbor began “started yelling violent homophobic slurs at us” before opening fire and killing Joss.

However, in a statement released Tuesday, the San Antonio Police Department said it has “found no evidence to indicate that the [sic] Mr. Joss’s murder was related to his sexual orientation. SAPD investigators handle these allegations very seriously and have thoroughly reviewed all available information. should any new evidence come to light, the suspect will be charged accordingly.”

Sigfredo Ceja Alvarez was arrested and charged with Joss’ murder. He reportedly admitted to police that he shot Joss, but a motive has not yet been established. The two apparently had a previous run-in in 2024, according to a police report.

Several neighbors told KSAT.com that Joss frequently got into disputes with people in the neighborhood over issues involving his dogs, trash, property, and traffic. However, another neighbor told News 4 San Antonio that Joss and de Gonzales were regularly harassed by neighbors “because they were gay.”

According to San Antonio Express-News, police had been called to Joss’ San Antonio home a total of 74 times since January — including 11 responses for disturbances, nine for shootings, six for fires, six mental health-related calls, and five welfare checks. There is also some discrepancy surrounding the cause of the fire that destroyed Joss’ home. In a previous interview with the San Antonio Express-News, Joss himself stated that the blaze may have started after he lit a barbecue grill inside the house. “I told them it was my fault,” he said at the time. “Very easily, it could have started because of my stupidity.”

Joss voiced John Redcorn on King of the Hill from seasons 2 to 13, and had recorded lines for the series’ upcoming revival set to air on Hulu this summer. He also notably played Chief Ken Hotate on the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation.