A 27-year-old music teacher has been charged with the alleged rape and murder of his 25-year-old sister-in-law in Long Island, New York, in what prosecutors described as a case motivated by “unrequited love.”
Joseph Horner is accused of strangling and sexually assaulting Victoria Castle, a doctoral student at Stony Brook University, inside the multifamily home they shared in North Massapequa. According to prosecutors, Horner allegedly practiced a chokehold on a stuffed animal shortly before the attack, then used the same technique on the victim.
Police responded to a 911 call on June 29 and found Horner outside the residence while Castle was discovered unresponsive in her bedroom. She was transported to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Prosecutors allege Horner carried out the attack while his wife, who is Castle’s sister, was out of town. He has been charged with murder and rape. The allegations remain accusations, and Horner is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
