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Jonathan Joss shot dead by neighbour: homophobic murder

The American actor, known for ‘King of the Hill’ and ‘Parks and Recreation’, was murdered outside his home in San Antonio

American actor Jonathan Joss was murdered on Sunday evening in San Antonio, Texas, near his home on Dorsey Drive. He was 59 years old and was known for his role as Ken Hotate in Parks and Recreation and as the voice of John Redcorn in the long-running animated series King of the Hill.

According to the San Antonio Police Department, the ambush took place shortly after 7 p.m. Officers, alerted by an emergency call, found Joss seriously injured by multiple gunshots. Paramedics attempted to resuscitate him, but the actor was pronounced dead at the scene.

The shooter was reportedly his neighbour, Sigfredo Alvarez Ceja, 56, who was already known for previous homophobic threats and harassment against Joss and his husband Tristan Kern de Gonzales. The man was arrested at the scene of the attack and charged with first-degree murder. Bail was set at $200,000, with a preliminary hearing scheduled for August.

According to witnesses, the crime was the tragic culmination of a long history of hostility. In January, a fire destroyed Joss’s childhood home, built by his father in 1957. Three of their dogs died in the fire. When the couple returned to the site for a visit, they found the skull of one of the animals in plain sight, accompanied by its harness. It was there that Ceja approached them, shouting homophobic insults before opening fire.

‘Jonathan saved my life,’ Tristan wrote on Facebook. “The killer saw us together and couldn’t stand the love between two men. Jonathan died to protect me.” The two had married on Valentine’s Day and were planning to move into a trailer.

Born on 22 December 1965 in San Antonio, Joss was of Comanche and White Mountain Apache descent. After graduating in theatre arts from Our Lady of the Lake University, he began his career in the 1990s with roles in TV films and series such as Walker, Texas Ranger. Success came with the voice of John Redcorn in King of the Hill, a role he held for over twelve seasons and also in the new season coming out.

Joss also voiced characters in the video games Red Dead Redemption, Days Gone and The Walking Dead: Michonne, as well as roles in series such as Ray Donovan, Tulsa King and films such as True Grit and The Magnificent Seven.

The producers of King of the Hill remembered him thus: ‘Jonathan voiced Redcorn for over a decade. His presence will be deeply missed by our family.’

The murder has caused deep emotion among colleagues, fans and activists: Joss is remembered as an authentic voice of Native American culture and a courageous witness to love and pride. ‘Jonathan was my husband, my love, my family. He gave more love than many will receive in a lifetime,’ Tristan wrote.

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