A grand jury in Texas has delivered a murder indictment against the man accused of taking the life of "King of the Hill" voice actor Jonathan Joss, but the question of whether his death can be categorized as a hate crime remains unclear. The San Antonio Police Department, in response to an email inquiry on Wednesday, has not immediately commented on whether their investigation has determined that Joss' sexual orientation played a role in his shooting. Similarly, the Bexar County District Attorney's Office has declined to offer any insights into this matter.
According to police reports obtained by CBS affiliate KENS-TV, 57-year-old Sigfredo Ceja Alvarez confronted Joss and his husband as they were checking their mail at their San Antonio home, which had been reduced to ashes in January. Joss' husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, claims that the person who took the actor's life shouted "violent homophobic slurs" before opening fire. Ceja Alvarez allegedly confessed to officers, saying "I shot him" as he was being detained. However, his attorneys have not immediately responded to emails seeking comment on this matter.
In June, one of Ceja Alvarez's attorneys, Alfonso Otero, stated that his client was innocent and denied making any homophobic statements. Despite this, the grand jury returned the indictment on Monday, and Ceja Alvarez remains free on a $200,000 bond.
A friend of the 59-year-old Joss has shared that Joss and Ceja Alvarez were neighbors and had been engaged in a long-standing dispute. Neighbors told KENS-TV that the two men had previously confronted each other armed with weapons, but it wasn't until the shooting that things turned violent. Initially, San Antonio police had stated there was no evidence indicating the shooting was related to Joss' sexual orientation. However, San Antonio Police Chief William McManus later retracted that statement, saying it had been "premature" and that whether Joss' sexual orientation played a role in the shooting was "part of the investigation."
In a statement on Wednesday, the district attorney's office noted that Ceja Alvarez "is charged with murder, which is the most serious charge applicable to this crime under Texas law. As the case is still pending, no additional details or information can be released at this time." Under Texas law, a hate crime conviction would be handled as an enhancement during sentencing and not as a separate charge.
Joss brought life to John Redcorn, a Native American character on the popular "King of the Hill" animated series, which aired for 13 seasons from 1997 to 2008. A reboot of the show, which Joss had already worked on, premiered in August. Joss also had a recurring role on the television show "Parks and Recreation," playing Chief Ken Hotate. He appeared in two episodes of the series "Tulsa King" in 2022.
