Voice actor Jonathan Joss, best known for his role as John Redcorn on the animated series "King of the Hill" and Ken Hotate in “Parks and Recreation," was killed Sunday night outside of his home.
According to his family, it was part of an ongoing attack.
Joss' husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, wrote in a Facebook post Monday afternoon that the couple had moved, but went back to their old house to check the mail. The reason they needed to move is that the home was "burned down after over two years of threats from people in the area who repeatedly told us they would set it on fire."
Gonzales wrote that, over and over, the couple reported threats to law enforcement, "and nothing was done."
When they arrived at the house, Gonzales said, "We discovered the skull of one of our dogs and its harness placed in clear view. This caused both of us severe emotional distress. We began yelling and crying in response to the pain of what we saw."
The fire in January claimed the lives of all three of the couple's dogs, NBC News reported.
That was when a neighbor began shouting homophobic slurs and attacked.
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"He then raised a gun from his lap and fired," said Gonzales.
"Jonathan and I had no weapons. We were not threatening anyone. We were grieving. We were standing side by side. When the man fired Jonathan pushed me out of the way. He saved my life," he added.
"Jonathan is my husband. He gave me more love in our time together than most people ever get. We were newlyweds. We picked Valentine's Day. We were in the process of looking for a trailer and planning our future," Gonzales continued. "He was murdered by someone who could not stand the sight of two men loving each other. I was with him when he passed. I told him how much he was loved."
Gonzales recalled that they had been "harassed regularly by individuals who made it clear they did not accept our relationship. Much of the harassment was openly homophobic."
"To everyone who supported him, his fans, his friends, know that he valued you deeply. He saw you as family. My focus now is on protecting Jonathan’s legacy and honoring the life we built together. If your concern is how someone coped with trauma or how loudly they speak when recounting injustice and being ignored by authorities, then you never truly cared about my husband. Jonathan saved my life. I will carry that forward. I will protect what he built," Gonzales closed.
The shooting came after Joss and Gonzales returned to San Antonio, Texas, after a Saturday show in Austin. Joss had posted on Facebook that after the Saturday "gig" they were looking for a ride back after his "former manager ghosted" the couple.
Carlos Samudio, of Look Now Productions, which ran the Saturday event where Joss signed comics for fans at a tribal comic and game store, spoke on his Instagram account about "rumors" about Joss on the internet, claiming "Jonathan was all this stuff." Rather, he said that Joss was "as gentle as can be" and "a true gentleman." He later added Joss was "an honorable man, a caring man" who "worshiped nature."
Neighbors told local reporters from KENS News that there was a "terrible neighborhood feud" and that's what led to the violence. They said that there was "a lot of drama" between the two men and that Joss would frequently carry a crossbow. In the night, the neighbors said that they would hear gunshots coming from both homes.
"Not necessarily that the guys were shooting at one another, but there was just a lot of drama all the time," the reporter said. There has never been any conflict where people got hurt, she added.
Jonathan Joss was 59.
Sigfredo Alvarez Ceja, 56, was arrested and charged with murder
