A Long Island school teacher is facing a murder charge after prosecutors say he strangled his sister-in-law, a woman he had allegedly been obsessed with for years.
Joseph Horner, 27, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder in the death of a 25-year-old woman in Massapequa, New York, according to the Nassau County Police Department.
Local outlets identified the victim as Victoria Castle, Horner’s sister-in-law.
According to reports, Horner and Castle lived in the same house, which had been divided into two apartments. Horner and his wife lived upstairs, while Castle lived downstairs.
At the time of the alleged killing, Horner’s wife was reportedly away at a bachelorette party.
Prosecutors claimed Horner asked Castle to help him move a piano before allegedly putting her in a chokehold until her body went limp.
They also alleged that Horner sexually assaulted Castle after strangling her, according to local reports.
In court, prosecutors reportedly claimed Horner admitted he had been attracted to Castle since 2017.
The horrifying allegations have stunned those who knew Horner, who worked as a school music teacher.
Horner pleaded not guilty on Monday, June 29, according to NBC New York.
His attorney, Gregory Grizopoulos, pushed back against the allegations and pointed to Horner’s reputation in the community.
“He’s an Oceanside teacher, he’s tenured, he’s very well loved by his students and his colleagues,” Grizopoulos said, according to ABC 7. “These allegations are not very in line with what his community, friends and family believe.”
Castle was reportedly a Ph.D. student at Stony Brook University, where the school’s website listed her as studying geosciences.
POS, how do you plead not guilty, when you admited that you were obsessed with her and strangled her. Apparently, he doesn’t understand what that means. Fake teacher… people who can’t…. teach…
“He’s an Oceanside teacher, he’s tenured, he’s very well loved by his students and his colleagues,” Grizopoulos said,
SO WHAT??????????