Investigators said in a complaint filed Monday that Eric Tavulares told them he and Lauren Aljubouri watched about half of the movie Friday night before going to bed.

"He stated he does not recall exactly what happened next, but something caused him to switch mentally and he rolled over on Lauren Aljubouri and he began strangling her," the complaint said.

When a police officer arrived at the apartment at 3 a.m., Tavulares said "I did it."

The couple, both 18, had known each other since they were young children and had been dating since they were in sixth grade.

Tavulares has a criminal record for resisting an officer and obtaining a prescription drug illegally.

"I knew him," Debbie Aljubouri, Lauren's mother, said. "He was turning his life around more this year, I thought."

Tavulares told police he had seen the 1994 Oliver Stone movie 10 or 20 times.