Overview

• Chief William McManus publicly apologized on June 5 for declaring too soon that Joss’s murder was unrelated to his sexual orientation.
• Homicide and arson teams are now investigating whether reported homophobic slurs and the January fire that destroyed Joss’s home signal a hate-crime element.
• Suspect Sigfredo Alvarez Ceja faces a first-degree murder charge, was released on a $200,000 bond and remains under house arrest pending trial.
• LGBTQ+ organizations and Joss’s husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, have criticized early police statements and pressed for a full bias analysis at sentencing.
• Police logs show about 70 calls over two years at the Dorsey Drive address, documenting a longstanding feud that involved threats, mental health interventions and multiple disturbance responses.