Jonathan Joss, beloved voice of Redcorn in King of the Hill, was killed in a suspected hate crime that has shocked fans and sparked outrage.
Jonathan Joss, known for voicing John Redcorn in King of the Hill and playing Chief Ken Hotate in Parks and Recreation, was shot and killed on June 1 in San Antonio, Texas. He was 59 years old. His death is being widely recognized by many as a hate crime, including his own husband, despite the local police downplaying this narrative.
Tragedy Strikes During a Moment of Grief
Joss and his husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, returned to visit the remains of their old home, which had been destroyed in a fire earlier this year. That fire also killed their three beloved dogs. During their visit, they made a horrifying discovery – the skull of one of the dogs had been placed where they would find it.
While they were still processing the trauma, their neighbor Sigfredo Alvarez Ceja approached them, shouted homophobic slurs and then opened fire. Joss was shot and died at the scene. His husband says Jonathan saved his life by pushing him out of the way.
The Police Are Denying What the Community Can Clearly See
Sigfredo Alvarez Ceja was arrested and charged with murder. But the San Antonio Police Department has claimed there is currently no evidence that the attack was motivated by hate. This statement has shocked and angered many people online, especially those familiar with the couple’s history.
According to de Gonzales, Ceja had a long pattern of threatening and harassing them with homophobic language long before the shooting. The idea that this could be considered anything but a hate crime feels offensive to those grieving. The slurs, the threats, the deliberate display of their dead dog’s skull, and the targeted nature of the violence all point to a clear motive rooted in hatred.
JONATHAN JOSS WAS A NATIVE MAN MURDERED IN AN ACT OF HATRED.JONATHAN JOSS WAS MURDERED IN A HOMOPHOBIC HATE CRIME ON THE FIRST DAY OF PRIDE MONTH. pic.twitter.com/Fowt4ic3Nx
— (@cowboymaxwell) June 2, 2025
Many were also deeply moved and disturbed by the heartbreaking Instagram post de Gonzales shared after the shooting, in which he described the trauma, the years of harassment, and how Jonathan died protecting him. In the post, he made it painfully clear that this was a homophobic hate crime, and thousands of people online have echoed that belief, calling out the authorities for refusing to acknowledge what truly happened.
Jonathan Joss Deserved Better
Joss, who had Comanche and White Mountain Apache heritage, was not only a talented actor but also an advocate for better Indigenous representation in entertainment. He had recently been involved in the reboot of King of the Hill and remained close to his fans.
Now, instead of being celebrated for his legacy, he has become the victim of a brutal and senseless act of violence. And the refusal to acknowledge this as a hate crime is being seen by many as yet another form of erasure.
Anti LGBTQ+ Hate Crime Rates Have Gone Up
Over the past three years, anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes in the US have been rising. This is exactly why Pride Month still matters – because queer people are still not safe, not even in their own homes or when they're famous. Pride is not just a celebration, it's a call for protection and visibility.
this is exactly why pride exists, we're still fighting to stay alive...
— domiii (@horejsiii) June 2, 2025
According to the FBI’s 2023 Hate Crime Statistics, reported incidents motivated by sexual orientation bias rose to 2,402 up from 1,947 in 2022, marking an alarming 23% increase in just one year.
The rise in hate crimes is not limited to queer communities. Native Americans and Indigenous peoples also experience some of the highest rates of violent victimization in the US., yet their stories are often overlooked in national conversations. A report by the Bureau of Justice Statistics found that Native American and Alaska Natives experience hate crimes at more than twice the rate of all other races combined, especially when it comes to violent crimes. This includes physical assaults, racial slurs and targeted killings, often compounded by a lack of prosecution or attention from authorities.
Jonathan Joss deserved to grow old in peace, not become another name in a growing list of victims. His death is a heartbreaking reminder that hate is still thriving and that silence, denial, and inaction only allow it to spread.
What do you think about this?