Topline: Prosecutors say a Long Island music teacher practiced a chokehold, then raped and killed his 25-year-old sister-in-law while his wife was out of town.
Published: July 31, 2026 11:34 am ET
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Joseph Horner, left, and Victoria Castle (via Nassau County Police / Family handout)
NORTH MASSAPEQUA, NY — A 27-year-old Long Island music teacher was indicted Wednesday on murder and rape charges after prosecutors said he strangled his 25-year-old sister-in-law inside the two-family home they shared, then sexually assaulted her and called 911.
According to PIX11, WABC and News 12, Joseph Horner now faces first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of first-degree rape in the June 29 killing of Victoria Castle, a Stony Brook University Ph.D. student. Nassau County prosecutors said Horner had been fixated on Castle for years and acted while his wife, who is Castle’s sister, was away on a trip.
Investigators said Horner and his wife lived in the upstairs apartment of the North Oak Street home while Castle lived downstairs. Prosecutors said Horner asked Castle to help him move a keyboard piano and bench into his apartment, then attacked her from behind when he went back downstairs, putting her in a chokehold until she went limp. Court proceedings Wednesday included allegations that Horner practiced the chokehold on a stuffed animal shortly before the attack and took a FaceTime call from his wife during the crime before raping Castle and dialing 911.
Police responding to the home around 9 a.m. found Horner on the front stoop and Castle naked and unresponsive on her bed in the ground-floor apartment, according to News 12. Authorities said an autopsy determined Castle died from strangulation. Prosecutors said Horner changed his clothes and waited for officers after the attack.
Horner, an Oceanside School District music teacher, pleaded not guilty and was remanded without bail. The district previously placed him on administrative leave. Castle’s family, including Horner’s wife, was in court Wednesday as the indictment was announced, and Horner is due back in court on Aug. 19.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
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Long Island Man Indicted in Rape and Killing of Sister-in-Law After Yearslong Obsession
Prosecutors say a Long Island music teacher practiced a chokehold, then raped and killed his 25-year-old sister-in-law while his wife was out of town.
By Aaron Stephensen
Published: July 31, 2026 11:34 am ET
Joseph Horner, left, and Victoria Castle (via Nassau County Police / Family handout)
NORTH MASSAPEQUA, NY — A 27-year-old Long Island music teacher was indicted Wednesday on murder and rape charges after prosecutors said he strangled his 25-year-old sister-in-law inside the two-family home they shared, then sexually assaulted her and called 911.
According to PIX11, WABC and News 12, Joseph Horner now faces first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of first-degree rape in the June 29 killing of Victoria Castle, a Stony Brook University Ph.D. student. Nassau County prosecutors said Horner had been fixated on Castle for years and acted while his wife, who is Castle’s sister, was away on a trip.
Investigators said Horner and his wife lived in the upstairs apartment of the North Oak Street home while Castle lived downstairs. Prosecutors said Horner asked Castle to help him move a keyboard piano and bench into his apartment, then attacked her from behind when he went back downstairs, putting her in a chokehold until she went limp. Court proceedings Wednesday included allegations that Horner practiced the chokehold on a stuffed animal shortly before the attack and took a FaceTime call from his wife during the crime before raping Castle and dialing 911.
Police responding to the home around 9 a.m. found Horner on the front stoop and Castle naked and unresponsive on her bed in the ground-floor apartment, according to News 12. Authorities said an autopsy determined Castle died from strangulation. Prosecutors said Horner changed his clothes and waited for officers after the attack.
Horner, an Oceanside School District music teacher, pleaded not guilty and was remanded without bail. The district previously placed him on administrative leave. Castle’s family, including Horner’s wife, was in court Wednesday as the indictment was announced, and Horner is due back in court on Aug. 19.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
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Editor Picks
Latest Articles
Long Island Man Indicted in Rape and Killing of Sister-in-Law After Yearslong Obsession
Prosecutors say a Long Island music teacher practiced a chokehold, then raped and killed his 25-year-old sister-in-law while his wife was out of town.
By Aaron Stephensen
Published: July 31, 2026 11:34 am ET
Joseph Horner, left, and Victoria Castle (via Nassau County Police / Family handout)
NORTH MASSAPEQUA, NY — A 27-year-old Long Island music teacher was indicted Wednesday on murder and rape charges after prosecutors said he strangled his 25-year-old sister-in-law inside the two-family home they shared, then sexually assaulted her and called 911.
According to PIX11, WABC and News 12, Joseph Horner now faces first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of first-degree rape in the June 29 killing of Victoria Castle, a Stony Brook University Ph.D. student. Nassau County prosecutors said Horner had been fixated on Castle for years and acted while his wife, who is Castle’s sister, was away on a trip.
Investigators said Horner and his wife lived in the upstairs apartment of the North Oak Street home while Castle lived downstairs. Prosecutors said Horner asked Castle to help him move a keyboard piano and bench into his apartment, then attacked her from behind when he went back downstairs, putting her in a chokehold until she went limp. Court proceedings Wednesday included allegations that Horner practiced the chokehold on a stuffed animal shortly before the attack and took a FaceTime call from his wife during the crime before raping Castle and dialing 911.
Police responding to the home around 9 a.m. found Horner on the front stoop and Castle naked and unresponsive on her bed in the ground-floor apartment, according to News 12. Authorities said an autopsy determined Castle died from strangulation. Prosecutors said Horner changed his clothes and waited for officers after the attack.
Horner, an Oceanside School District music teacher, pleaded not guilty and was remanded without bail. The district previously placed him on administrative leave. Castle’s family, including Horner’s wife, was in court Wednesday as the indictment was announced, and Horner is due back in court on Aug. 19.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
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