Husband of slain San Antonio actor Jonathan Joss focuses on U.S. mental health crisis during vigil remarks

The husband of slain San Antonio actor Jonathan Joss emphasized the importance of mental health resources during a Sunday vigil at Crockett Park organized by the Pride Center of San Antonio.

More than 100 fans and friends along with members of the city’s Indigenous LGBTQ+ community gathered in the park to share memories and honor the life of Joss, who was best known for voicing King of the Hill character John Redcorn and playing Chief Ken Hotate in Parks and Recreation.

On June 1, Joss was gunned down by his neighbor Sigfredo Alvarez Ceja, 56, while checking the mail at his South Side property, according to police. In a series of Facebook posts, Kern de Gonzales characterized the murder as a “hate crime,” sparking a social media firestorm. He even described the San Antonio Police Department’s investigation as a “farce.”

However, during comments at the vigil, Kern de Gonzales made no mention of the shooting being a motived by Joss’ sexual identity. Instead, he mentioned his late husband’s struggle with mental illness.

“Mental healthcare is difficult to get in this country,” Kern de Gonzales told the crowd of mourners. “If you’re not white, it’s an unprecedented battle. It doesn’t matter what insurance you have or how much money you have. Unfortunately, my husband fought this his whole life.”

Indeed, close friends of Joss recently told the Current that the actor had struggled with a messy divorce, a slump in acting work and a January house fire that killed his beloved dogs.

“I mean, being an out of work, unpaid actor … it just wasn’t beautiful,” Joss’ friend Cosmo Inserra told the Current. “But that family home, his father built it by hand. Jonathan was never going to back away from that property, and he took that very very seriously.”

Police had been called to Joss’s home more than 70 times over the past two years, with many of these calls involving disputes with neighbors. In one incident, Ceja called the police because Joss approached his house with a crossbow and allegedly hurled racial slurs at him.

Inserra said Joss’ issues with neighbors went back at least 15 years, long before he came out as bisexual.

Another friend, Joshua Kelly, told the Current the crossbow Ceja contacted authorities over was a movie prop.

“He got it from a Native American podcast studio set,” Kelley told the Current. “It wasn’t a real fucking crossbow.”

Kelly and Inserra also both spoke at Sunday’s vigil, where they refrained from discussing whether his killing amounted to a hate crime. Both used their time to remember Joss’s career and the memories they created with him.

“He wasn’t only a great friend, he was my mentor for a long time, and just like any great person in San Antonio, we are proud to call you a brother,” Kelly told those gathered at the vigil.

Even so, Érica, a representative from the SA Pride Center, and others maintained that Joss’ murder was a hate crime.

“Jonathan deserved community, culturally competent resources and compassion. Instead, we are all mourning the violent end he met at the hands of gun violence, homophobia, transphobia and racism,” said Érica, who doesn’t use a last name.

The day after Joss’ shooting death, San Antonio police issued a statement saying they had no evidence the slaying was a hate crime. However, Chief William McManus subsequently said the department made the statement too soon, adding that the crime was still under investigation.

SAPD doesn’t charge people with hate crimes. Instead, the District Attorney makes that determination based on evidence provided by the department.

Individuals interested in supporting Joss’ husband during this time can make a donation to a GoFundMe account.

Another celebration of life, organized by the San Antonio Film Community, will honor the life of Jonathan Joss at 6 p.m. Monday at Brick at Blue Star.

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This article appears in May 29 – Jun 11, 2025.