Suspect in murder of King of the Hill actor makes shock claim about deadly encounter
Murder suspect Sigfredo 'Freddy' Ceja Alvarez is 'being accused of something that he's completely innocent of,' his defense lawyer Nico LaHood told KSAT 12 Wednesday in his first public comments on the case.
LaHood said that his client was 'not doing great' but 'has the support of his neighbors' who will attest to what was described as mercurial behavior on the part of the actor.
Said the attorney: 'And other people know the real truth about the circumstances and the often dangerous behavior, unfortunately, of the deceased.'
Joss' husband Tristan Kern de Gonzales claimed the attack was a homophobia-fueled hate crime from Alvarez, something the murder suspect's lawyer strenuously denies.
'This accusation of a hate crime is completely antithetical to his character,' LaHood said. 'This has nothing to do with sexual orientation. This has to do with a very long time of torment in that neighborhood.'
In a statement posted on Joss' Facebook page, Tristan Kern de Gonzales provided background details on the incident, and others that had preceded it.
'My husband Jonathan Joss and I were involved in a shooting while checking the mail at the site of our former home,' Kern de Gonzales wrote. 'That 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.
De Gonzales said he and Joss 'reported these threats to law enforcement multiple times and nothing was done' despite ongoing harassment from 'openly homophobic' residents in the area 'who made it clear they did not accept our relationship.'
Police in Texas told the AP earlier this month that they found Joss injured near the street when they arrived to perform life-saving measures on Sunday evening around 7:00 PM.
In a statement, authorities with the San Antonio Police Department said that 'the officers attempted life saving measures until EMS arrived' and 'pronounced the victim deceased.'
Speaking to the AP, de Gonzales said he and the voice actor had wed this past February on Valentine's Day; and that his husband had been 'murdered' in the attack Sunday night.
In the social media statement, de Gonzales said that he and his husband had moved from the home, and when they returned to get their mail, they 'discovered the skull of one of our dogs and its harness placed in clear view.'
He added: 'This caused both of us severe emotional distress. We began yelling and crying in response to the pain of what we saw.
'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.'
In the comprehensive post, de Gonzales said that he and his spouse had been grieving the loss of their beloved pet when the violence was inflicted upon them.
'Jonathan and I had no weapons,' de Gonzales wrote. 'We were not threatening anyone.
He continued: 'We were grieving. We were standing side by side. When the man fired Jonathan pushed me out of the way. He saved my life.'
In the post, de Gonzales said that his husband 'was murdered by someone who could not stand the sight of two men loving each other.'
He added: 'I was with him when he passed. I told him how much he was loved. To everyone who supported him, his fans, his friends, know that he valued you deeply. He saw you as family.
'My focus now is on protecting Jonathan's legacy and honoring the life we built together.'
In the sad post, de Gonzales said Joss gave him 'more love in our time together than most people ever get' in their entire lives.
'We were newlyweds,' de Gonzales said. 'We were in the process of looking for a trailer and planning our future.'
In a follow-up post, de Gonzales addressed his late spouse's followers on plans for a celebration of life ceremony.
'While I deeply appreciate the support from everyone I wanted to let you know that I have had a couple offers regarding covering expenses for a celebration of life,' de Gonzales wrote. 'I have absolutely no plans yet on that but I will try to keep everyone updated. There's not a need to donate to the gofundme.
In a follow-up post, de Gonzales addressed his late spouse's followers on plans for a celebration of life ceremony
'But I want everyone to remember the joy and love Jonathan has brought and will continue to bring forever. I have my essentials covered and our family in San Antonio is taking care of me until I get back to South Carolina.'
To conclude, de Gonzales said that 'instead of donating, Jonathan and I would both rather you spread the word about the consistent injustice done to him, to us, and to our dogs.
He ended the second post in saying, 'We had so many beautiful plans for the future.'
Joss was also remembered by his Parks And Recreation costar Nick Offerman.
Joss has provided vocals of the character John Redcorn on the popular animated series King of the Hill between the show's second and 13 seasons, appearing on 34 total episodes of the animated series between 1997–2009, according to iMDb.
The character was initially voiced by actor Victor Aaron, who died in a car accident in September of 1996.
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