As authorities continue to investigate whether Jonathan Joss’ murder was a hate crime, the attorney for suspect Sigifredo Ceja Álvarez is claiming his client killed the openly-gay King of the Hill star in self-defense.
“This has nothing to do with anything about sexual orientation or (a) hate crime,” Nico LaHood told local news outlet, KSAT-TV, noting that facing a possible hate-crime charge has proven to be “a struggle” for his client.
Don’t Miss
Rather than hatred, per LaHood, the deadly June 1st incident was the result of “a very long time of torment” between Joss, Álvarez and others in their San Antonio neighborhood. “People in Texas have a right not to be a victim, you have a right to self-defense, you have a right to defense of third person,” LaHood continued. “We believe that applies here.”
These claims are in stark contrast from Joss’ husband’s version of events. Hours after the actor’s death, Tristan Kern de Gonzales recalled the shooting in a post shared to Joss’ Facebook page, recalling how the perpetrator began “yelling violent homophobic slurs” before opening fire on him and his husband.
“Jonathan and I had no weapons. We were not threatening anyone,” Gonzales recalled of the killing, which happened while they visited the site of their former San Antonio home, which had burned down back in January. “He was murdered by someone who could not stand the sight of two men loving each other.”
Álvarez has yet to be indicted on any charges. He’s set to return to court in August.
