A Texas grand jury has indicted 57-year-old Sigfredo Ceja Alvarez in connection with the June 1 killing of actor Jonathan Joss. Police say Alvarez confronted Joss and his husband as they were picking up mail at their San Antonio home, which had burned down in February.
The 59-year-old Joss — whose legal name was Jonathan Joss Gonzales — was best known for his roles on the animated series King of the Hill and the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation.
The Bexar County District Attorney’s Office said in a Nov. 19 statement that Ceja Alvarez “is charged with murder, the most serious charge applicable under Texas law.” The office added that, because the case is still pending, no further details could be released.
Joss’s husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, alleged that the gunman approached them while shouting “violent homophobic slurs” before opening fire. He said Joss stepped in front of him to shield him, and that the shooter mocked them afterward while continuing to use anti-gay slurs.
Kern de Gonzales wrote in a Facebook post that he and Joss had endured two years of anti-gay harassment, including threats to burn down their home, because of their relationship. He also said police failed to act despite multiple reports.
At the time of the attack, police responded to a shooting in progress at the couple’s home, found Joss deceased, and arrested Ceja Alvarez on a first-degree murder charge. Although police said Ceja Alvarez confessed while in custody, he was released the next day on a $200,000 bond.
According to The Hill, Alfonso Otero, one of Ceja Alvarez’s attorneys, has asserted his client’s innocence and denied that Alvarez made any homophobic statements.
One of Joss’s friends previously TMZ that Joss and Ceja Alvarez had long been feuding neighbors who frequently got into verbal and physical altercations, often requiring police intervention.
San Antonio Police initially said there was no evidence the shooting was related to Joss’s sexual orientation. Police Chief William McManus later walked that back, calling the statement “premature” and saying detectives would continue to investigate whether anti-gay bias played a role, reported the New York Post.
Neither the police nor the district attorney’s office has said whether hate crime enhancements will be pursued. Under Texas law, hate crimes function as sentencing enhancements — resulting in additional or harsher penalties — rather than standalone charges.
Joss was best known for voicing John Redcorn in the animated series King of the Hill from 1996 to 2008, and had recently contributed voice work to the show’s reboot, which premiered in August.
The actor also appeared on the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation as Chief Ken Hotate, leader of the fictional Wamapoke Tribe, from 2011 to 2015. His career included roles in Friday Night Lights, True Grit, The Magnificent Seven, a two-episode arc on Tulsa King in 2022, and a three-episode arc on Ray Donovan in 2016.
As Democrats celebrated major wins in key state contests on November 4, a wave of out LGBTQ candidates scored victories of their own in local and down-ballot races, further boosting LGBTQ representation in public office.
In Virginia, boosted by Abigail Spanberger's win in the governor's race, Democrats picked up 13 seats in the 100-member House of Delegates, increasing the size of their caucus to 64. All six incumbent LGBTQ delegates who were up for re-election -- Rozia Henson (D-Woodbridge), Laura Jane Cohen (D-Burke), Mark Sickles (D-Franconia), Adele McClure (D-Arlington), Joshua Cole (D-Fredericksburg) and Cia Price (D-Newport News) -- won their races.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced plans to launch undercover investigations targeting left-wing and transgender groups.
Paxton denounced the yet-to-be-named targets of his investigation, claiming they pose a threat to public safety as potential perpetrators of "leftist political violence." He accused anti-fascist and transgender advocacy groups of orchestrating violent attacks nationwide, citing a handful of incidents involving transgender suspects and the September shooting of Kirk, whom he described as a "martyr."
Lucien Bates, a transgender man, says security guards threatened to arrest him after he used the women’s restroom at a Round1 arcade inside the North Riverside Park Mall in suburban Chicago. Bates, an Indiana resident, was visiting the venue on September 28 with his fiancé and a friend to play Dance Dance Revolution.
Bates, who presents as alt-masculine with facial hair and piercings, had just arrived at the arcade when he needed to use the restroom. He chose the women’s restroom, a decision he often makes in public because he feels safer there and is less likely to be harassed.
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