Albuquerque man charged with DWI after allegedly crashing into home, killing owner

Dec. 28—A 62-year-old man is accused of driving drunk and on drugs and plowing into a person's garage on Thursday, killing the homeowner after he was pinned between the wall and an unoccupied vehicle.

Mark Castello is charged with DWI-related vehicular homicide, having an open container and drug possession in the crash.

The 74-year-old homeowner, who police did not identify by name, was initially hospitalized in critical condition.

Castello told police he had been drinking, taken several illicit opiates and smoked methamphetamine and cannabis before getting behind the wheel, according to court records.

The incident happened around 12:30 p.m. in the 10900 block of Mahlon NE, near Morris and Propps.

Albuquerque police spokesman Gilbert Gallegos said Castello, who was in a Ford Expedition, drove through a stop sign at Propps and crashed into the garage door of a home, striking a car parked in the garage.

He said Castello's SUV pushed the unoccupied car into the home, striking the man who was sitting inside.

"The Expedition traveled through the garage and halfway into the residence behind the second vehicle," Gallegos said.

He said the 74-year-old man, who had been pinned between the vehicle and a wall, died at a hospital.

"Castello was also transported to the hospital for minor injuries," Gallegos said.

When officers spoke with Castello at the hospital, he told police he took several illicit narcotics and drank before "giving a friend a ride" to the area where the crash occurred, according to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court.