Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jul 1
Joseph Horner Charged in 25-Year-Old Victoria Castle's Killing as Prosecutors Allege 10-Year Obsession
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jul 1

Joseph Horner Charged in 25-Year-Old Victoria Castle's Killing as Prosecutors Allege 10-Year Obsession

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 1

Summary

  • Nassau County prosecutors say Joseph Horner, 27, lured sister-in-law Victoria Castle, 25, to a North Massapequa home to help move a piano, then killed her; he is charged with second-degree murder.
  • Prosecutors alleged at arraignment that Horner had been obsessed with Castle for more than a decade, put her in a chokehold, sexually assaulted her and strangled her while his wife was away on a bachelorette trip.
  • A 911 call brought police to the home about 8:44 a.m. June 29; Castle, a Stony Brook University Ph.D. student and research assistant, was found unresponsive, taken to a hospital and pronounced dead.
  • Horner remained at the house, was arrested at the scene and is due back in Nassau District Court on Thursday; his lawyer said the allegations clash with his reputation and urged against rushing to judgment.
  • Oceanside School District placed Horner, a music teacher, on administrative leave and said authorities told it the case had no connection to students or district operations.

Insights

He confessed to a nearly decade-long obsession. Was this a sudden snap or a carefully planned murder?
When schools fail to properly screen teachers, are they enabling predators to hide in plain sight?