Police consider whether 'King of the Hill' actor's sexual orientation played a role in his killing

HOUSTON -- Investigators are looking into whether the intersexual predisposition of “King of the Hill” dependable histrion Jonathan Joss played a relation successful his shooting death successful Texas, authorities said Thursday, walking backmost a erstwhile connection astir the imaginable motive.

Joss’ hubby has claimed the idiosyncratic who killed the histrion yelled “violent homophobic slurs” earlier opening occurrence extracurricular his location successful San Antonio connected Sunday night. A time aft the shooting, San Antonio constabulary issued a connection saying they had recovered “no grounds whatsoever to bespeak that Mr. Joss’ execution was related to his intersexual orientation.”

But during a quality league connected Thursday, San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said the connection was “premature” and that whether Joss’ intersexual predisposition played a relation successful the shooting “is portion of the investigation.”

“I volition ain that and simply accidental again that we simply shouldn’t person done that. It was mode excessively aboriginal successful the process for immoderate connection of that quality to beryllium issued,” McManus said.

The constabulary main said galore successful the LGBTQ+ assemblage “are feeling anxious and concerned” aft Joss’ shooting and that “a batch of it has to bash with that premature statement."

“The nonaccomplishment of Jonathan Joss was tragic, astir heavy felt by the LGBTQ+ community,” McManus said.

Texas does not person abstracted hatred crimes charges. But if homophobia is recovered to person been a motive successful the shooting, that could effect successful a harsher condemnation astatine proceedings nether the state's hatred crimes law.

“We stitchery the facts, and we springiness those facts to the territory attorney’s office. And past that hatred transgression designation is determined astatine sentencing,” McManus said.

The actor's location burned down successful January. Joss’ husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, has said that they were checking message determination Sunday erstwhile a antheral approached them, pulled retired a weapon and opened fire.

In a statement, de Gonzales said helium and Joss had antecedently faced harassment, overmuch of it “openly homophobic.”

Sigfredo Ceja Alvarez, who is simply a neighbour of Joss, is charged with execution successful the shooting. Ceja Alvarez has been released connected a $200,000 bond.

Ceja Alvarez’s attorney, Alfonso Otero, did not instantly instrumentality an email seeking remark Thursday.

McManus said constabulary had been called to Joss’ location and his vicinity astir 70 times implicit the past 2 years related to “neighborhood benignant disturbances.”

“Sometimes (Joss) was the caller. Other times, the neighbors were calling connected him,” McManus said.

The San Antonio Police Department’s intelligence wellness portion arsenic good arsenic a portion known arsenic SAFFE that works with residents to assistance forestall transgression “had extended engagements with Mr. Joss, making repeated efforts to mediate conflicts and link him with services that helium whitethorn person needed,” McManus said.

The January occurrence astatine Joss’ location is inactive being reviewed by arson investigators, McManus said.

Joss mislaid each his belongings successful the blaze and his 3 dogs were killed.

Actors who worked with Joss, on with friends and fans person honored Joss’ representation with tributes.

“His dependable volition beryllium missed astatine King of the Hill, and we widen our deepest condolences to Jonathan’s friends and family,” the show’s creators and producers — Mike Judge, Greg Daniels and Saladin Patterson — said successful a connection connected the animated series’ Instagram page.

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