Latest news with #SigfredoCejaAlvarez
The Independent
15 hours ago
- The Independent
San Antonio police backpedal on initial claim that Jonathan Joss' murder was not an anti-LGBT hate crime
Less than a week after the San Antonio Police Department insisted there was 'no evidence whatsoever' of homophobia in the June 1 shooting death of former King of the Hill actor Jonathan Joss, the city's top cop walked back that claim as 'way, way, way premature.' 'We shouldn't have done it,' SAPD Chief William McManus said at a Thursday press conference. 'It was way too soon, before we had any real information, and I will own that.' 'We understand that many in the LGBTQ+ community are feeling anxious and concerned,' McManus added. 'A lot of it has to do with that premature statement that we released, and again, I own that shouldn't have done it. The loss of Jonathan Joss was tragic and most, most heavily felt by the LGBTQ+ community.' Last Sunday, as Joss, 59, and husband Tristan Kern de Gonzales drove to San Antonio from Austin, where they had recently been living, to check the mail at what remains of their home, which burned down in January. (Kern de Gonzalez said he is certain the blaze was arson. Authorities, on the other hand, have said the cause remains undetermined.) When they got there, the pair was shocked to find the charred skull of one of their three dogs, which had perished in the blaze, placed on the ground 'in clear view,' according to Kern de Gonzales. The two began crying and screaming, leading to the deadly confrontation with neighbor Sigfredo Ceja Alvarez, he said. In announcing Joss' death on social media, Kern de Gonzales, 23, said there was no doubt the deadly attack was a hate crime. The 59-year-old Ceja, Kern de Gonzales wrote in a Facebook post, 'was someone who could not stand the sight of two men loving each other.' Still, the SAPD issued a statement a day later saying investigators had found nothing 'to indicate that Mr. Joss' murder was related to his sexual orientation.' 'We take such allegations very seriously and have thoroughly reviewed all available information,' the statement said. 'Should any new evidence come to light, we will charge the suspect accordingly.' However, Kern de Gonzales subsequently told The Independent that Ceja laughed and spewed homophobic slurs as Joss lay dying. 'Everything was really close range. It was in the head,' Kern de Gonzales said. 'I held his face together while I told him how much I loved him. He could still hear me, he looked up at me and he wasn't able to talk because of the extent [of his injuries], but I could tell he was trying to say, 'I love you.'' This, according to Kern de Gonzales, prompted Ceja to unleash a vile anti-LGBT+ tirade. 'While I'm holding him, he has the gun pointed over me, and he's laughing, saying, 'Oh, you love him? Joto,'' said Kern de Gonzales, who grew up in South Carolina. ''Joto' is Spanish for f****t. I never knew the word until I came to Texas, and then I heard it a lot.' Joss was pronounced dead at the scene. Ceja, according to an incident report obtained from the SAPD, quickly confessed, telling police, 'I shot him.' Some 48 hours following the shooting, Ceja, who is now facing a first-degree murder charge, was released from jail on $200,000 bond. He will remain under house arrest, two doors down from where Joss was gunned down, pending trial. In a follow-up interview with The Independent after Ceja bailed out, Kern de Gonzales said he was not surprised by the turn of events and railed against the SAPD for not having better protected Joss. He said the couple, who married this past Valentine's Day, had lodged dozens of complaints about alleged harassment and threats from Ceja and other nearby residents, to little effect. Joss had also been the subject of complaints to police by neighbors, who called the cops on the actor more than 50 times in the past year, according to SAPD incident logs. However, while Joss may have at times annoyed people by ' ranting and raving ' in public, Kern de Gonzales said he suffered at times from mental illness but insisted he was never a danger to himself or anyone else. 'I've been in mental health crisis and acted just as Jonathan did, even worse,' he told The Independent. 'The difference was, I was given medical attention and was treated as someone who needed help instead of being seen as a violent threat. Jonathan was never violent, he never went after anybody or threatened anybody's person.' Joss, who was of Comanche and White Mountain Apache descent, was best known for voicing the part of John Redcorn in the animated series King of the Hill. He also appeared in a recurring role as Chief Ken Hotate on the NBC series Parks and Recreation. Ceja 'thought he would silence [Joss] and get rid of him, but all he did was make him more powerful,' Kern de Gonzales said. 'Now,' he continued, Joss will instead 'be remembered as a martyr and a legend' among many in the LGBT+ and Native American communities. Ceja is due back in court on August 19. His court-appointed lawyer, Alfonso Otero, did not respond to a request for comment.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Fatal shooting of Jonathan Joss uncovers neighborhood feud, sparks police controversy
The Brief Jonathan Joss, voice actor for John Redcorn on King of the Hill, was fatally shot outside his San Antonio home. A neighbor has been arrested and charged with murder, but police are facing scrutiny for initially dismissing the possibility of a hate crime. Investigators are now probing a long-standing neighborhood feud and a prior house fire involving Joss, to determine if they are connected to his murder. SAN ANTONIO, Texas - The Hollywood actor was shot and killed outside his San Antonio home last weekend. The San Antonio Police Department did make an arrest in the case, but they've also stepped right into a PR scandal. Perhaps best known as the voice behind John Redcorn on the hit TV show King of the Hill, actor Jonathan Joss was fatally gunned down outside his home, at the age of 69 on Sunday. Almost immediately, police arrested a neighbor, 56-year-old Sigfredo Ceja Alvarez, and charged him with murder. Investigators never revealed what linked him to the crime, but court records show Alvarez did bond out and is currently on house arrest. What they're saying San Antonio Police Chief William McManus initially said there was no reason to believe a hate crime had occurred but has since walked that statement back. "Shouldn't have done it. It was way too soon before we had any real information and I will own that and simply say again that we simply shouldn't have that," said McManus. "We understand that many in the LBGTQ Plus community are feeling anxious and concerned. A lot of it has to do with that premature statement that we released, and again, I own that." The victim's husband told officers that Alvarez yelled homophobic slurs at them, before opening fire. Dig deeper Neighbors told police that Alvarez and Joss had a longstanding neighborhood feud over reasons yet to be revealed. "There's also concern about the circumstances surrounding that death and the history in the neighborhood leading up to that," said McManus. On Thursday, alliance members held a community meeting with police leaders to dispel some of the rumors and myths that the case has generated. "We feel it's important to be able to bridge the gap and just get to a truth everybody can understand," said Secretary of PRIDE San Antonio, James Poindexter. According to detectives, Joss's home burned down several months ago. Now the big question is, are the fire and the murder connected? Police are sorting through the extensive logs in their quest for clues. "There are approximately 70 calls over the past two years involving various neighborhood type disturbances. Sometimes he was the caller. Other times, the neighbors were calling on him," said McManus. "Our homicide detectives are continuing to pursue every lead in this case to ensure that we understand the full picture of what led up to the senseless murder of Mr. Joss." What's next When asked by a reporter at today's news conference whether Joss was targeted because of his sexual orientation, Chief McManus said they're still "looking into that." The Source Information in the article is provided by the San Antonio Police Department.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Chilling video shows King of the Hill star Jonathan Joss' final moments
Holding a pitchfork and shouting about deportations, King of the Hill actor Jonathan Joss can be seen in newly surfaced video in a confrontation with neighbors moments before he was shot and killed. Residents of the south San Antonio area where Joss lived appeared to question him for wildly waving a pitchfork as he was walking down the street in footage obtained by local TV station KSAT. 'I'm walking down the street. I'm rehearsing. I'm in movies, man. I'm rehearsing a scene,' responded the man best known for voicing the character John Redcorn in the animated show. Joss, 59, died after being shot by his neighbor, Sigfredo Ceja Alvarez, Sunday in Texas, the local cops stated. An arrest report from the San Antonio Police Department obtained by states Alvarez uttered 'I shot him' as he was detained by arresting officers. Prior to the shooting, Joss' public spectacle attracted the attention of many residents, including the woman who shot the argument on her phone. 'What's it feel like bro,' a man can be heard saying to Joss. 'Pulling a gun on somebody- that's reason for deportation, man,' the actor replied. The San Antonio Police Department had been called to Joss' home 70 times over the two years, Chief William McManus told the media Thursday at a press conference. 'Sometimes he was the caller; other times the neighbors were calling on him,' McManus shared. A feud between Joss and Alvarez had gone on for some time, forcing the involvement of the San Antonio Fear Free Environment – a police unit tasked with crime prevention. A police mental health unit had also had 'extensive' contact with Joss, the police chief said. Joss's husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, told the Independent that the couple had been the subject of harassment for years because of their sexuality. While initially denying that Joss's death was connected to his sexuality, McManus repeatedly said Thursday he 'shouldn't have done it.' 'That was way, way, way premature,' the chief stated. 'We shouldn't have done it. It was way too soon before we had any real information, and I will own that.' McManus added what role of the actor's sexuality may have played in his death is now a factor in the investigation, which is still on-going. 'That is part of the investigation and whatever we find out, we will turn over to the package we give to the district attorney's office,' the top cop stated. The issue of potential hate crime charges was also addressed by the chief, explaining his investigators would gather evidence of a hate crime, but ultimately, a district attorney would use the evidence in elevating charges if they were motivated by a person's race, religion or sexual orientation. 'In Texas hate crimes are not separate charges. Instead they are addressed through sentencing enhancements,' McManus explained. 'If a second-degree is eventually designated as a hate crime, then that would bump up to a first-degree felony.' Alvarez bonded out of jail Wednesday on a $200,000 bond.
New York Post
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Suspect in ‘King of the Hill' star Jonathan Joss' murder allowed to walk free after posting bail
The Texas man accused of murdering 'King of the Hill' actor Jonathan Joss has been released after posting bond, according to reports. Sigfredo Ceja Alvarez, 56, is confined under full house arrest after posting $200,000 bond Monday evening, Bexar County Court records show. 3 Suspect Sigfredo Ceja Alvarez in his booking photo. He's accused of murder. Getty Images 3 Actor Jonathan Joss was fatally shot. NBC He is barred from possessing any firearms during his release, is subject to random drug testing, and cannot contact Joss' family, Fox 7 reported. Alvarez allegedly gunned 59-year-old Joss down on their San Antonio street Sunday evening after a heated argument. 3 Actor Jonathan Joss (R) and his husband Tristan Kern de Gonzales. Facebook/Jonathan Joss Joss' husband claimed the attack was motivated by homophobia, but police have said they've found no evidence supporting that.
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The Independent
3 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Shot actor Jonathan Joss's husband reveals dispute with police
The fatal shooting of actor Jonathan Joss, known for King of the Hill and Parks and Recreation, was a hate crime, his husband Tristan Kern de Gonzalez alleges. In an exclusive interview with The Independent, Kern de Gonzalez has recounted holding Joss as he died while the suspect, Sigfredo Ceja Alvarez, allegedly laughed and made homophobic remarks. Kern de Gonzales said there had been ongoing harassment and feuding with the suspect, including racist and homophobic abuse directed at Joss. However, San Antonio Police Department (SAPD) stated there is "no evidence" the murder was motivated by bigotry. Alvarez is now facing first-degree murder charges. Kern de Gonzalez has alleged police 'ignored us' and refused to file reports for two years after the couple complained about harassment.
