The man suspected in the fatal shooting of King of the Hill voice actor Jonathan Joss confessed to the crime, telling police, “I shot him,” according to a police report.
Sigfredo Alvarez Ceja pulled up his car behind Joss’s as the actor was stopping to pick up mail in his old home in San Antonio, Texas, on Sunday, and the two got into an argument, according to a police report obtained by The Independent.
An unidentified witness who was traveling from Austin to San Antonio with Joss watched the men argue from her car and heard Ceja warn that he had a gun. Moments later, Ceja shot 59-year-old Joss, the witness told police.
Ceja was detained at the scene without incident and later confessed to police, “I shot him,” according to the report.
A rifle in Ceja’s possession was confiscated by police. He was charged with felony first-degree murder. His bond was set at $200,000. His first court date has been set for August.
Joss, known best as the voice of John Redcorn for seasons two through 13 of the popular animated series King of the Hill, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Authorities have not shared a motive behind the deadly shooting, however, Joss’ husband released a statement claiming the actor was killed in a homophobic attack after years of threats and an arson attack on their home.
According to reports, the actor’s home was burned down in February, killing his three dogs. Joss apparently returned to his former home on Sunday to collect mail, including a victim’s fire fund check.
Soon after the shooting, Joss’ husband, Tristian Kern de Gonzales, posted a statement to the actor’s Facebook page claiming the shooting was a homophobic hate crime.
“When we returned to the site to check our mail we discovered the skull of one of our dogs and its harness placed in clear view. This caused both of us severe emotional distress. We began yelling and crying in response to the pain of what we saw,” Gonzales wrote.
That’s when, according to Gonzales, a man approached them and “started yelling homophobic slurs at us. He then raised a gun from his lap and fired.”
“Jonathan and I had no weapons. We were not threatening anyone. We were grieving. We were standing side by side. When the man fired Jonathan pushed me out of the way. He saved my life,” Gonzales continued.
Gonzales, who married Joss on Valentine’s Day of this year, claimed he and Joss were regularly harassed because of their sexuality and relationship.
However, several hours later San Antonio police said their investigation “has found no evidence to indicate that Mr. Joss’s murder was related to his sexual orientation.”
“SAPD investigators handle these allegations very seriously and have thoroughly reviewed all available information. Should any new evidence come to light, the suspect will be charged accordingly,” the department wrote on X.
The police investigation into the shooting remains ongoing.
Joss — whose other credits included the recurring role of Chief Ken Hotate on Parks and Recreation, as well as Tulsa King, Ray Donovan, True Grit, and The Magnificent Seven — took over the King of the Hill role from Victor Aaron, who died in a 1996 car accident.
He had reportedly begun recording bits for King of the Hill’s reboot, which recently began production for Hulu and is set to premiere in August.
This is a developing story…
