In the late hours of September 1, 2024, the life of John Nicholas Belcastro Jr., a 31-year-old White/Caucasian male, was brought to a tragic and violent end inside a Knoxville, Tennessee, apartment. Responding to a shooting report at a residence on Oak Valley Drive around 11:30 p.m., Knox County Sheriff's Office deputies discovered Belcastro with a gunshot wound to his head. He was rushed to a local hospital, where he was pronounced deceased.
The investigation into his death quickly focused on his 29-year-old girlfriend, Alexandria Pastor-Light.
During questioning, Pastor-Light admitted to shooting Belcastro. According to police reports, she had forced him to take off his clothes in a bedroom before shooting him in the face. The events leading up to the fatal shot were partially captured on a chilling 911 call made by Pastor-Light herself. In the recording, which was later played during a preliminary hearing, she could be heard crying and telling the operator she believed Belcastro was cheating on her with a man and that he had attempted to poison her. Her words on the call were both revealing and disturbing, as she stated, 'He could have just told me that he was bi, or he could have just separated but he tried to kill me.' At one point during the call, Pastor-Light chillingly remarked, 'I believe in headshots.'
Alexandria Pastor-Light was taken into custody at the scene and subsequently charged with first-degree murder. Her bond was set at $500,000. Investigators at the apartment found evidence that included a gunshot hole in the hallway door and several. 22 caliber shell casings and live ammunition in the bedroom. After a preliminary hearing, a judge determined there was enough evidence to forward the case to a grand jury. The grand jury later indicted Pastor-Light on charges of first-degree murder, felony murder, and aggravated kidnapping. Prosecutors are pursuing a conviction for first-degree murder, which carries potential sentences of life in prison, life without parole, or the death penalty.
