Overview
- Prosecutors say Joseph Horner, 27, asked his 25‑year‑old sister‑in‑law to help move a piano and then attacked her in their shared North Massapequa home, according to court statements.
- Officials say Horner called 911 at about 8:45 a.m., waited for police, and emergency crews took the woman to a hospital where she was pronounced dead roughly forty minutes later.
- At his arraignment Horner pleaded not guilty to second‑degree murder, a judge ordered him remanded without bail, and a court issued an order of protection for his wife.
- Horner, a tenured music teacher in the Oceanside School District, has been placed on administrative leave and his attorney says the allegations conflict with his community reputation.
- Investigators say prosecutors believe Horner had been obsessed with the victim for years, additional charges are possible, and a conviction on the murder count could carry 25 years to life.