Man accused of strangling girlfriend, hiding body in closet

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A southwest Houston man is accused of killing a woman, and then hiding her body.

Brian Castello, 29, is charged with the murder of his girlfriend, Damaris Gonzalez.

Castello faced a judge this morning in probable cause court. He is being held without bond.

In court, attorneys said the investigation shows Castello was confronted by the victim's family members on November 9 in the apartment they shared in the 6000 block of Willowbend in Houston. They asked if Castello had seen her.

Gonzalez's family says Castello claimed that they had an argument and she left. But someone smelled a foul odor in the apartment the victim and suspect shared.

They opened a closet and discovered a green comforter wrapped in duct tape, with a woman's body inside.

The medical examiner later determined the victim was Gonzalez and she had been strangled.