Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities

Jury acquits man in 2021 homicide by vehicle case

CLOVIS — A Clovis jury on Wednesday acquitted a man charged with homicide by vehicle in connection with a 2021 car crash that killed a 74-year-old woman in the bedroom of her home.

Mathew Delaware, 23, was accused of driving recklessly on May 29, 2021, when his 2016 Ford Fusion crashed into the apartment building where Gillian Sweeney lived in the 3400 block of Lore Street.

The vehicle crashed through a brick veneer and a wall with sheet rock on the inside, then struck the bed with Sweeney on it, records show.

Delaware told police he was driving to pick up some friends when he saw a vehicle enter his lane of travel.

“He stated he swerved to avoid the vehicle and he hit the grass causing him to lose control of the vehicle,” court records show.

He told police officers he “heard loud noises and blacked out” after losing control of the car.

Attorney Michael Garrett said Delaware testified and told jurors that a vehicle turned in front of him, “pushing him into oncoming traffic.” Witnesses also told the jury they had seen Delaware’s car forced out of his lane by another car. The vehicle that initially caused Delaware to leave his lane was never located, Garrett said.

Witnesses told police on the night of the accident that Delaware’s Ford Fusion was driving in the wrong lane and swerved to avoid their car, which led to the crash.

Prosecutor Brian Stover said jurors deliberated 6 ½ hours before reaching their verdict. The trial lasted three days.

Records showed Delaware was traveling between 41 and 48 mph as he lost control of the vehicle. The posted speed limit was 45 mph. Tests showed there was “no alcohol or drugs in (Delaware’s) blood at the time of the crash,” police records showed.

Delaware was an airman stationed at Cannon Air Force Base in 2021. He has since left the Air Force but his separation was not related to the criminal charge, a Cannon spokesman said. He now lives in Omaha, Neb.

Garrett said Delaware was “front and center, like a military person,” during the trial. “He testified very truthfully.”

Garrett said Delaware is “very distraught over this tragic accident. He is a very fine young man.”

Delaware did not respond to a request for comment.

Jason Sweeney said in a 2021 interview that his mother moved to Clovis in 1984 when his father was stationed at Cannon.

He said Gillian Sweeney “loved talking to people … And she liked to help the underdog.”

He said his mother thrived on helping others in challenging situations.

“She tried to share with people Bible truths that can help them through difficult times,” he said.

Author Bio

Do you have a question?
A comment you'd like to see published?
Or maybe a story idea for a future edition?

— Please email the publisher: [email protected]