Man ran over, killed wife during fight on way home from casino, MI officials say
A Michigan man accused of fatally running over his wife after an argument has been sentenced to prison, according to state officials and local news outlets.
Mark Casterman, 60, was sentenced to 15 to 50 years in prison in a Mason County courtroom on Tuesday, June 17, records show. The sentencing comes more than a year after he was arrested on charges including homicide and operating a vehicle while intoxicated, records show.
According to officials, Casterman and his wife, 45-year-old Melissa Casterman-Medacco, were on their way home from a casino after 11 p.m. on Sept. 15, 2023, when they got into an argument, the Mason County Press reported.
Casterman-Medacco pulled over onto the shoulder on US 31 in Free Soil Township, and she started walking away, leaving her husband in the passenger seat, according to the Mason County Sheriff’s Office.
Casterman got into the driver seat and drove past his wife twice, then did a U-turn, accelerated down the road, crossed the center line and hit her, the sheriff’s office said, adding she “was killed instantly.”
Casterman’s blood alcohol level that night was .209, more than double the legal limit, prosecutors said, the Mason County Press reported.
His attorney, Horia Neagos, called Casterman-Medacco’s death an accident, the outlet reported. Neagos also pointed to video evidence showing Casterman attempting to resuscitate his wife after she was hit.
But Casterman-Medacco’s mother, Eva Villareal, said “jealously” led Casterman to kill her, WZZM reported.
“He was thinking of himself, that he couldn’t live without her,” Villareal said, the station reported.
Casterman-Medacco’s sister echoed that sentiment.
“I will say my sister was going to leave Mark Casterman. That’s why this happened,” Mary Medacco said, the station reported. “And he used to say when he was drunk, ‘Oh, she ain’t going nowhere. I’ll kill her first.’ It was either he was gonna run her over or he was gonna tie her to the bed and set the house on fire — that my sister owned. Mark Lazon Casterman, you are a murderer.”
Records show Casterman pleaded no contest to a charge of second-degree murder on May 2.
“The family is satisfied with the agreement of 15 years,” Mason County Prosecuting Attorney Beth Hand told the Mason County Press. “They didn’t want the mother to undergo the stress of a trial.”
This story was originally published June 18, 2025 at 3:27 PM with the headline "Man ran over, killed wife during fight on way home from casino, MI officials say."