Man faces homicide charge for May car crash

CLOVIS — A former airman at Cannon Air Force Base was arrested Wednesday in connection with a May 29 crash at an apartment building that left its occupant dead.

Gillian Sweeney, 74, was in her bedroom at the time of the crash on the 3400 block of Lore Street.

Mathew Delaware, 22, of Cannon, was booked into the Curry County Adult Detention Center on Wednesday afternoon. He faces a charge of homicide by vehicle, a third-degree felony.

Jason Sweeney, Gillian's son, said some portion of closure was delivered with the news Wednesday of the charge.

“It's a huge relief for not just me, but the whole family,” said Sweeney, who noted about 700 people showed up for a virtual memorial service for his mother. “It's been very, very difficult, especially the last three months waiting. It does bring us a little bit of closure, and it helps a little bit.”

According to a criminal complaint filed Tuesday in Curry County Magistrate Court:

• Officers on the scene spoke with Delaware, the lone occupant in the 2016 Ford Fusion that crashed into the apartment building. The vehicle had crashed through a brick veneer and a wall with sheet rock on the inside. The vehicle struck the bed with Sweeney on it.

• Approximately 400 feet to the west of the building, officers observed tire marks and noted it did not appear Delaware tried to straighten the vehicle out of a turn or apply his brakes.

• Delaware admitted to drinking two or three beers an hour before, and almost lost his balance during a field sobriety test.

• Three people on the scene told police they were traveling in one vehicle on Llano Estacado Boulevard when the vehicle in the crash came into their lane, driving directly at them before swerving.

• Delaware consented to a blood draw. An Aug. 19 email from the Scientific Laboratory Division said there were no drugs or alcohol present in Delaware's blood at the time of the crash.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Brian Stover said the wait on the toxicology report did play some role in the timing of filing charges, as the district attorney's office was determining the charges based on that information. Sweeney said Stover was in contact with the family throughout the process and as frustrating as it was to see nothing happen for months, “we understand it takes time for all of this.”

In response to an inquiry from The News, Cannon officials said Delaware was previously assigned to the 27th Special Operations Security Forces Squadron. He was no longer a member of the Air Force, spokesperson Misty Mercado said, but his separation was not related to the criminal charge.

Michael Garrett, Delaware's attorney, declined comment Thursday afternoon.