Authorities have officially charged the main suspect in the murder of ‘King of the Hill’ voice actor Jonathan Joss. A grand jury in Bexar County, Texas, indicted the victim’s 57-year-old neighbor, Sigfredo Ceja Alvarez, on a first-degree murder charge on Monday, November 17, 2025.
The Shooting of Jonathan Joss Gonzales
On June 1, 2025, Jonathan Joss Gonzales, 59, was fatally shot outside his San Antonio home after an alleged fight with his neighbor. Authorities were dispatched to the area following a 911 call reporting a shooting, and Joss was found lying near the road. They arrested Ceja Alvarez in connection with the murder and were given an eyewitness statement from Joss’ husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzales.
While behind bars, Ceja Alvarez confessed to shooting and killing Joss. A $200,000 bond was set, and he was bailed out the following day. Joss’ husband claims the tragic incident is the result of a homophobic hate crime. “He was laughing,” Kern de Gonzales said of Ceja Alvarez after his husband was shot. “He mocked me for telling my husband that I loved him and used the same homophobic slurs.” Kern de Gonzales added, “I was just really looking down at my husband, focused on him, making sure that he had completely crossed over.”
The Investigation
Joss’ husband told police he witnessed the shooting and that it came as no surprise after “years of threats” towards their sexuality and openly homophobic neighbors. The San Antonio Police Department originally denied that the murder was due to homophobia. They said there is “no evidence to indicate that Mr. Joss’s murder was related to his sexual orientation.” However, Chief of Police William McManus later retracted their statement and held a press conference during the investigation.
“That was way, way, way, premature,” McManus said. “We shouldn’t have done it. It was way too soon before we had any real information. And I will own that.” He added, “I want to apologize to the LGBTQ+ community for the tragic loss of Mr. Joss, which has been heavily felt.” Towards the end of his speech, he reassured the community about the ongoing investigation. “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,” he concluded.
Fellow Stars React
In 1996, Joss joined the cast as the voice of John Redcorn on the animated American sitcom “King of the Hill.” He remained John Redcorn and embodied his character through the show’s 13th and final season in 2009. When the show was revived in 2025, Joss was expected to reprise his role on the new Hulu seasons, which were released two months after his murder.
The co-creators of “King of the Hill” took to social media to express their condolences following his untimely death. “Rest in peace, Jonathan Joss,” they wrote on Instagram. “Jonathan brought King of the Hill’s ‘John Redcorn’ to life for over a dozen seasons, including in the upcoming revival.”
Joss was also a huge part of another sitcom, “Parks and Recreation.” From 2011 to 2015, he starred in the NBC sitcom as the leader of the Native American Wamapoke Tribe, Chief Ken Hotate. Several of his co-stars paid tribute to the late actor through the media. Nick Offerman, who starred as Ron Swanson, stated People at the time of his fellow star’s passing.
“The cast has been texting together about it all day, and we’re just heartbroken,” Offerman wrote. “Jonathan was such a sweet guy, and we loved having him as our Chief Ken Hotate. A terrible tragedy.” Another co-star, Chris Pratt, who starred as Andy Dwyer, wrote on social media, “Damn. RIP Jonathan,” and described Joss as “such a kind dude.” Pratt said it was “sad to see” and directed those to “Hug your loved ones.”
