NORTH MASSAPEQUA- A Minisink Valley High School graduate has been charged with murdering his sister-in-law after allegedly strangling her to death in his apartment, according to Nassau County Police.
Joseph Horner, 27, an elementary school music teacher in the Oceanside School District on Long Island, is accused of killing 25-year-old Victoria Castle on Monday after asking her to help him move a piano.
Prosecutors allege Horner, who grew up in Slate Hill, attacked Castle from behind, placed her in a chokehold until she lost consciousness, then sexually abused her before changing his clothes and calling 911.
Police said Horner remained at the scene until officers arrived. CPR was administered, and Castle was taken to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Investigators said Horner’s wife, Castle’s sister, was attending a bachelorette party at the time of the attack.
Detective Lt. Daniel Steller, deputy commanding officer of the Nassau County Police Department’s Homicide Squad, said Horner and his wife have been married for three years.
Horner has been placed on administrative leave from his position as a music teacher in the Oceanside School District. The district’s website lists him as a teacher at North Oceanside Road Elementary School No. 5.
Horner was charged with murder. If convicted, he faces a sentence of 25 years to life in prison.
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