Newlyweds Jonathan Joss and Tristan Kern de Gonzales held each other in their final moment together Sunday.
Joss, 59, the voice actor best known as John Redcorn on “King of the Hill,” had just been shot in the head in front of their San Antonio home.
“I didn’t want him to struggle and everything, so I decided to tell him I loved him. And despite the severity of everything, he was able to look up at me and acknowledge what I was saying, so I know he heard me,” said Kern de Gonzales, 32. “I just kept telling him: ‘It’s OK. You need to cross over. You don’t need to keep struggling. You need to go ahead and cross over easy.’”
Kern de Gonzales said Joss’ killer also had final words for the actor. He called him and his husband “jotos,” a Spanish slur for gay people.
“I’ve been called that word while I was sitting on a bench with Jonathan, eating lunch,” Kern de Gonzales said. “And I got called that holding Jonathan while he died.”
Shortly after, police arrested one of the pair’s neighbors, Sigfredo Alvarez Ceja, 56, in connection with Joss’ killing.
Huh. So the victim isn’t a model neighbor, sounds kind of like an asshole. Was using a propane grill inside the house that he swears he turned off before the fire that killed his dogs. Had a pitchfork and was ranting and raving?
This isn’t a slam dunk of a hate crime. Still not convinced he should be shot, I guess that’s what trials are for.
e: I know Lemmy wants blood for this, but if these facts are true then it’s not black and white. Y’all go off, this is still one side that’s given statements. Gay dudes can be great and gay dudes can be horrible.
e2: any other poor people here that just don’t use a propane grill inside the house when your heat doesn’t work? That’s not rational behavior.
Yeah, I agree. This article paints a bit of a different picture than the initial ones. Idgaf what dispute two of my neighbors are having with each other, if one of them is drumming and loudly singing late at night I’m calling in a noise complaint, god damn.
I’ll tell you what I’m not doing though:
Whoever killed Joss is fucked up, even if 1 and 2 aren’t actually true (barbecue inside…???). Regardless of how much of an ass Joss might have been as a neighbor.
Yeah, I’ll go ahead and go on record saying the shooter is a bigot piece of trash, but this seems more nuanced than, “Shoot that queer!”
Some people see hate crimes and immediately blame the dead.
No dude, I’m on the victims side, but the narrative that this is Klan activity is probably wrong.
It doesn’t have to be Klan activity to be a hate crime. FFS.
There was a long ongoing dispute between the neighbors where apparently the victim called the neighbor racial slurs multiple times. So basically a homophobic shooting a racist? I dont know what to make of this article.
According to his murderer and the police. Neither are reliable sources.
I guess the real question is about what the intent of the hate crime law in texas. Is it intended to punish people who’s only motive was hate of a protected class? Is it to enhance punishment of people where the hate is a partial motive? Could also just be to enhance punishment of people who hate protected classes even if that wasn’t part of the motive.
In the end it is probably easier to prosecute without it. And the guy is old enough he won’t get out anyway.
Yeah, reading the article paints a more complex story than I had been reading on here since his death. The police had come out to their house “four dozen times” before, barbequing in the living room on the day of the house fire, allegedly showing up at his neighbor’s house with a crossbow before the police removed it from the home.
It’s a tragic situation, regardless of whatever details ultimately come out, but I think it’s probably best to let the investigation and courts sort out this mess.
Tragic when anyone is shot on the street.
Even in San Antonio I can’t see a cross burning, “get out queers!” campaign from the neighbors.
Inconclusive fire investigation means it wasn’t arson, barring a coverup. If it’s arson, those fire investigators fucking find it.
Don’t know why you’re getting downvoted.
People, read the article.
Because you are either seriously fucked up, or American, if you think any of the shit that Joss was claimed to have done warranted him getting murdered in cold blood over a neighbour’s dispute.
Nobody thinks that.
When did I or the poster I am refering to say the murder was justified?
Online left is out for blood on this one.