Arrest made in January death of Durham student
DURHAM N.C. (WTVD) -- Durham Police arrested a man Friday and charged him with murder in the January death of a high school student.
The man, Eliseo Verver Gonzalez, 38, of Durham, was arrested by DPD homicide investigators in the 800 block of Brye Street in connection with the January death of 18-year-old Alondra Gonzalez Mejia.
On Jan. 12, officers were dispatched to a call in the 200 block of Stokes Street. They found Gonzalez Mejia unresponsive in her room, and she was rushed to the hospital, where she died a short time later.
Investigators labeled her death "suspicious" at the time and now say she had been strangled.
ORIGINAL STORY: POLICE SAY DURHAM TEEN'S DEATH IS SUSPICIOUS.
The incident was not random, according to investigators, who said the suspect and the victim knew each other.
"She was a talented, kind, lovable person, someone you could go to and speak to if you had any problems," a friend and former classmate, Izzy Garcia, said. "And she will be truly missed. Her death was unexpected and tragic."
READ MORE: FRIENDS RECALL DURHAM TEEN'S LIFE
Gonzalez Mejia was a volunteer at R.N. Harris Elementary School and also served as a coordinator for other volunteers from Middle College High School, the high school she attended, which is part of Durham Technical Community College.
