Boyfriend Charged 8 Months After Prom Date's Death

The boyfriend of 17-year-old Jacqueline Gomez, who was found dead in a Houston hotel room the morning after her May 16 prom, has been charged with aggravated assault in connection with her death, KHOU reports. Police say Eddie Herrera, 18, told them that he and Jacqueline drank alcohol together on prom night and that he had choked her during rough sex, stating in a confession, "I put my hands around her neck and squeezed." He insists, though, that she was alive when they fell asleep and that it was only the next morning when he discovered he couldn't rouse her.

Another person is also being investigated in Jacqueline's death: Herrera's mother. Prosecutors say she not only booked the teens' hotel room, but also provided hydrocodone and alcohol for them. The mother was staying at the same hotel as the teens that night and came to the room the next morning when Herrera called her for help. She allegedly helped her son dress Jacqueline, then called hotel staff to ask if an on-site doctor was available instead of calling 911. Herrera is in jail with a $50,000 bond; prosecutors are still mulling charges for the mom. (Jacqueline's mother previously said her daughter was supposed to come home after prom.)