Jonathan Joss, best known for voicing John Redcorn throughout all 13 seasons of King of the Hill, is being remembered by fans and colleagues as the man at the center of a tragic shooting that has now led to his neighbor's formal charge.
Joss, whose legal name was Jonathan Joss Gonzales, also appeared in Parks and Recreation as Chief Ken Hotate and in major films, including True Grit and The Magnificent Seven.
Months after his death, the case surrounding the fatal shooting has taken a significant step forward. According to county records obtained by Rolling Stone, a Bexar County grand jury has indicted 57-year-old Sigfredo Ceja Alvarez on one count of murder.
Alvarez was initially arrested in June on a first-degree murder charge and later released on a $200,000 bond.
The shooting happened on June 1 near Joss’ residence in San Antonio, where he and his husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, had been staying following a house fire that displaced them.
According to Kern de Gonzales, the couple encountered their neighbor shortly before the incident. In a social media statement, he wrote that the man approached them, yelling homophobic slurs, before opening fire. Kern de Gonzales said Joss pushed him out of the line of fire, adding, “He saved my life.”
Police documents state that Alvarez fled the area in a vehicle but later admitted to the shooting after officers located him. One of the first officers on the scene reported that Alvarez voluntarily stated, “I shot him,” after being detained.
Kern de Gonzales also shared that the couple had experienced ongoing harassment in the community, claiming much of it stemmed from discrimination toward their relationship.
The San Antonio Police Department addressed those reports in a statement to Rolling Stone earlier this year, noting that officers had responded to “more than 70 calls for service” at Joss’s address and that SAPD’s Mental Health Unit and SAFE officer remained in regular contact with the couple and neighbors over the past year.
Alvarez denied any homophobic motives through his attorney, who told KSAT in June that the shooting “had nothing to do with sexual orientation” and argued that his client acted in self-defense. A relative of Alvarez also disputed claims that the family had used slurs toward Joss.
Following Joss’ death, King of the Hill co-creators Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, along with revival showrunner Saladin Patterson, honored the actor in a joint statement.
“Jonathan brought King of the Hill’s ‘John Redcorn’ to life for over a dozen seasons, including in the upcoming revival,” they wrote. “His voice will be missed, and we extend our deepest condolences to his friends and family.”