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The Levittown schools community has rallied behind music teacher Alexia Castle Horner, raising nearly $50,000 through a GoFundMe campaign created to support her and her family following the murder of her sister, Victoria Castle.
The fundraiser was created to support Horner and her family as they deal with the loss of Castle, 25, and the aftermath of the case involving Horner’s husband, who is accused of killing Victoria Castle while his wife was out of town at a bachelorette party.
Police found Victoria Castle unresponsive inside her North Massapequa home on the morning of June 29. Attempts to revive her were unsuccessful and she was later pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
Police arrested and charged Joseph Horner, 27, an elementary school music teacher in Oceanside School District, with second-degree murder in connection with Castle’s death.
The Horners lived in an upstairs apartment of the same two-family home where Victoria Castle lived on the ground floor. Joseph Horner has pleaded not guilty and is being held without bail.
Prosecutors allege Horner had lusted for Castle, a Stony Brook University geosciences doctoral student, for years. Authorities said he choked her until she was unconscious and then sexually abused her before calling 911.
‘Unimaginable tragedy’
The GoFundMe campaign, titled “Support Ms. Castle Through This Tragedy,” was launched by Susan Laudadio, a parent representative at East Broadway School in Seaford. The fundraising effort seeks support from Levittown, Seaford and Wantagh communities.
“Ms. Castle and her family have been through an unimaginable tragedy and we would like to use this platform to show our support and help them in their time of need,” Laubadio wrote. “Our town and school community have always come together in a time of need and this is no different.”
As of Thursday afternoon, the campaign had raised nearly $48,900 from more than 700 contributions.
“All donations will go directly to Ms. Castle to help her get back on her feet and let her know that she is loved and we are rallying behind her during this extremely difficult time,” Laubadio wrote.
While the GoFundMe campaign identifies her as “Ms. Castle,” she is listed as Alexia Horner on the Levittown School District website.
The fundraising effort comes as family, friends and members of the Long Island community continue to remember Victoria Castle, whose life was defined by scientific curiosity, exploration and a passion for traveling and understanding the world around her.
A 2024 graduate of Stony Brook University with a bachelor’s degree in geology, Castle had started pursuing doctoral research in geosciences. At the time of her death, she was preparing a research proposal to NASA focused on developing a method for dating sediments on the surface of Mars, according to her family.
Those who knew Castle described her as a gifted scientist and a person whose interests extended far beyond the classroom. She loved nature, music, gardening, animals and adventure, frequently sharing those passions through her Instagram account, @vooozaa.
‘Partner in chaos’
Castle also frequently celebrated her relationship with her sister and brother-in-law. In a 2023 Instagram post honoring the couple’s wedding, Castle shared her happiness for the two music teachers who graduated from Ithaca together.
“Alexia, my sister, my person, my partner in chaos,” Victoria wrote. “I am so incredibly happy for you and so lucky to have you as my sister.”
In the post, Victoria also welcomed Horner into the family, describing him as “one of the most wonderful people in the world.”
“I love you both forever!” she wrote.
In the weeks following the tragedy, friends and loved ones have created efforts to preserve Victoria’s memory, including The Living Legacy of Vic, a website created by Babylon yoga instructor Robin Appel.
The site features photographs, personal memories, a memorial scholarship supporting future geosciences students and the Wildflower Project, which encourages people to plant flowers in Victoria’s memory.
Top: Victoria Castle (left) with her sister Alexia Horner Instagram/@vooozaa.
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