Attorney for man accused of killing San Antonio actor Jonathan Joss says client acted in self defense

The attorney representing the San Antonio man accused of shooting and killing King of the Hill actor Jonathan Joss outside his South Side home earlier this month argues his client acted in self-defense, KSAT reports.

Sigfredo Ceja Alvarez is accused of shooting Joss on June 1 after a series of confrontations with the actor. Joss’ husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, sparked a national outcry about the slaying after alleging it was a homophobic hate crime.

“The accusation of a hate crime is completely antithetical to his character,” Alvarez defense attorney Nico LaHood told the TV station. “This has nothing to do with sexual orientation. This has to do with a very long time of torment in that neighborhood.”

LaHood argues his client acted in accordance with state law when he fired his weapon.

“As you know, people in Texas have a right not to be a victim,” LaHood told KSAT. “You have a right to self-defense. You have a right to the defense of third persons legally and under the law, and we believe that applies here.”

Police had been called to Joss’ home on Dorsey Street more than 70 times over the past two years for disturbances and disputes with neighbors. Residents of the neighborhood told the Express-News Joss would sometimes act violently, threatening others living nearby with crossbows, knives and other weapons.

A video of Joss allegedly taken moments before the shooting circulating on social media allegedly shows the actor brandishing a pitchfork and yelling at neighbors. However, it remains unclear exactly what led Alvarez to shoot Joss.

Even so, Joss’s friends, including Joshua Kelly, told the Current that while the actor was prone to erratic outbursts he wouldn’t hurt anyone. He said a crossbow neighbors claimed Joss brandished was a decorative piece, not a weapon.

“It wasn’t a real crossbow,” Kelly said. “He got it off a Native American podcast studio set. It was a fucking Halloween decoration.”

Kelly also maintains that some neighbors intentionally antagonized Joss and messed with his property lines.

“It was his family home; his father built that house for his mother in the ’50s,” another longtime friend Cosmo Inserra told the Current. “He was never going to back away from that property, and he took that very, very seriously.”

A grand jury hasn’t yet indicted Alvarez. However, he could face up to life in prison if convicted of murder during a trial.

“He has the support of his neighbors,” LaHood told KSAT. “And other people know the real truth about the circumstances and the often dangerous behavior, unfortunately, of the deceased.”

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This article appears in Jun 12-25, 2025.