Who is Jonathan Joss' husband? Tristan Kern de Gonzales says 'King of the Hill' actor’s death was a hate crime

Tristan Kern de Gonzales, the husband of actor Jonathan Joss, has announced the tragic passing of the King of the Hill voice actor in a shooting incident on Sunday. According to Gonzales, the shooting was an alleged hate crime.

As per Facebook posts by Tristan Kern de Gonzales, originally from Clover, South Carolina, but now lives in San Antonio, Texas, stated that the couple maintained a private life. They got married on 14 February 2025, following their engagement in July 2024.

The news of Jonathan Joss' death has prompted a landslide of tributes from fans and fellow actors. Despite the claims made by Tristan Kern de Gonzales, the San Antonio police released a statement, which was obtained by TIME, declaring that the matter is being investigated, although no evidence of a hate crime has yet emerged.

The statement read:

"Despite online claims of this being a hate crime, currently the investigation has found no evidence to indicate that the 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.”

More about Jonathan Joss' death, as his husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, releases a statement claiming it to be a hate crime

The news of his death was announced by his husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, on Facebook, where he stated that the couple was visiting their former home. which was burned down a few months earlier, and also resulted in the deaths of their dogs. He said:

"My husband Jonathan Joss and I were involved in a shooting while checking the mail at the site of our former home. That home was burned down after over two years of threats from people in the area who repeatedly told us they would set it on fire. We reported these threats to law enforcement multiple times and nothing was done."

Jonathan Joss was a native American and was known for his roles in The Magnificent Seven, Parks and Recreation, Texas Ranger, Tulsa King, Ray Donovan, and others, according to his IMDb Page. According to Variety, he was set to return as John Redcorn for the reboot of the popular animated show, King of the Hill.

The statement further added that while the couple was at their former home, they discovered the harness and skull of their dogs were placed strategically for them to view. This caused them great distress, as they yelled and cried in response. Tristan Kern de Gonzales wrote:

"Throughout that time we were harassed regularly by individuals who made it clear they did not accept our relationship. Much of the harassment was openly homophobic. 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.

Tristan Kern de Gonzales' post further documents that following their response, a man approached them with a weapon as he shouted homophobic slurs, and later opened fire. Jonathan Joss, in an attempt to protect Gonzales, pushed him out of the way and was shot. Gonzales said:

"While we were doing this a man approached us. He started yelling violent 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."

The statement also adds that Tristan Kern de Gonzales and Jonathan Joss were in the process of looking for a trailer and had planned their future together. It said:

"Jonathan is my husband. He gave me more love in our time together than most people ever get. We were newlyweds. We picked Valentines Day. We were in the process of looking for a trailer and planning our future. He was murdered by someone who could not stand the sight of two men loving each other. I was with him when he passed. I told him how much he was loved. To everyone who supported him, his fans, his friends, know that he valued you deeply. He saw you as family. My focus now is on protecting Jonathan’s legacy and honoring the life we built together."

According to KLTA5, the incident took place in the evening at around Sunday, 7 pm, and the attacker, who has now been recognized as a fifty-six-year-old, Sigfredo Alvarez Ceja, fled the scene in his car but was later apprehended by the police. He has now been charged with first-degree murder.

According to the outlet, first responders were called to the scene of the crime and carried out life-saving procedures, but the fifty-nine-year-old actor was later declared dead.

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“The officers attempted life-saving measures until EMS arrived. EMS pronounced the victim deceased.”

In another statement issued by Tristan Kern de Gonzales, he thanked fans for their continued support and added that, at the moment there was no need to send money to the GoFundMe page that has been set up in the memory of Jonathan Joss, but encouraged people to spread the word about the "inconsistent injustice done to him, to us and to our dogs".

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