BEXAR COUNTY, Texas – A man who told police he shot and killed actor Jonathan Joss in a South Side neighborhood appeared in court on Wednesday.
Sigfredo Ceja Alvarez, 57, was arrested in June 2025 and booked on a murder charge after he admitted to the shooting following an ongoing dispute with Joss.
During Wednesday’s hearing, Bexar County Prosecutor Neil Cordero told Judge Joel Perez, who is presiding over the case in Bexar County’s 437th Criminal District Court, that the state is continuing to ”evaluate the case right now.”
“We’re in the process of gathering information to be able to speak to witnesses about what occurred,” Cordero said. “That’s the update we have.”
The defense, led by attorney Jason Goss, said their team has “identified” dozens of witnesses who could be a part of their case.
“We’ve kind of identified, like, 40 to 60 relevant witnesses,” Goss told the court. “This is, kind of, a neighborhood thing where there’s a lot of witnesses and a lot of people that have witnessed the behaviors of the complainant (Joss) for years. And so, we’re still in the process of locating them.”
As of Wednesday, Goss said the defense has located approximately “two dozen” of those witnesses.
Both sides agreed for Alvarez to return to for another hearing on June 29.
Before Wednesday, his most recent court appearance took place on Feb. 24.
Background
Joss, 59, was shot just after 7 p.m. on June 1, 2025, in the 200 block of Dorsey Drive near Pleasanton Road — the same site where Joss’ home caught fire back on Jan. 23, 2025.
According to a San Antonio Police Department report obtained by KSAT, Joss was at the property to check his mail. A witness told police they saw Alvarez park behind the vehicle Joss was in. Alvarez then began arguing with Joss outside the vehicle.
The witness also told officers that Alvarez threatened to shoot Joss before he shot him with a rifle.
Joss was pronounced dead at the scene.
After he was detained by an SAPD officer, Alvarez told the officer, “I shot him,” according to the police report.
Three days after the shooting, Alvarez was released from the Bexar County jail after a judge set his bond at $200,000.
In a June 24, 2025, interview, lead defense attorney Nico LaHood told KSAT that his client was defending himself.
“This was leading up, unfortunately,” LaHood said on June 24, 2025. “And, as you know, people in Texas have a right not to be a victim. You have a right to self-defense. You have a right to the defense of third persons legally and under the law, and we believe that applies here.”
Joss, who voiced John Redcorn on the animated series “King Of The Hill,” also had a recurring role in the live-action sitcom “Parks and Recreation,” among other noteworthy roles.
More recent coverage of this story on KSAT: