Salton City man who pled no contest to manslaughter sentenced in teen’s killing

IMPERIAL COUNTY, Calif. (KYMA) - The Salton City man who pled no contest to manslaughter in a teen's killing was sentenced to 13 years to life in state prison Monday.

Abraham Feinbloom, 52, agreed to plead no contest to manslaughter and torture last month in connection to the death of 17-year-old T'neya Tovar.

As part of the plea agreement, Feinbloom was required to show investigators where the rest of Tovar's body was, and just a day later, Tovar's remains were found.

During the sentencing hearing, Tovar's family made statements.

"Don't mistake this plea agreement or this sentence for the end. To me, justice is not finished today. This is just the beginning of you having to face the consequences of what you did," said Charo Tovar, Tovar's mother. "When you become eligible to ask for your freedom as long as I'm alive, able, and legally permitted to be there. I intend to be there."

Tovar's older sister, Crystal Behn, also addressed Feinbloom.

"I think you are weak. I think you are pathetic. I think you are cruel. I think you are a coward who showed exactly what you were and are when my baby sister was at your mercy," Behn expressed.

Tovar's father, Joshua Carter, has been a constant fixture in the court in the courtroom hearings, and had some choice words for Feinbloom.

"I want to make this perfectly clear. You're a racist. And it's not acceptable for racist people to kill our kids," Carter remarked.

Outside the courthouse, Feinbloom's attorney, Melanie Roe, said she expects her client to be paroled in the future.

"The Penal code states that parole is the rule, not the exception. And if you look at the history in the last 20 years in California, I mean going back to Governor Schwarzenegger...[who] approved parole for over 550 lifers," Roe explained.

Meanwhile, Imperial County District Attorney George Marquez said the plea deal guaranteed Feinbloom would serve time.

"We were looking at a maximum exposure time of 15 years probably. And we got 13 years to life. On top of that, he waives his right to appeal," Marquez said.

In addition to the prison sentence, Feinbloom was ordered to pay $10,000 in restitution.