Local & Community
Chilling Evidence Revealed in Preliminary Hearing for Salton City Man Accused of Murdering Teen
The Imperial County Superior Courthouse was filled with witness testimony during the second day of a preliminary hearing in the case of People vs. Abraham Feinbloom — a 51-year-old Salton City resident accused of murdering 17-year-old T’Neya Tovar, who was reported missing in December 2025.
Prosecutors called a total of 11 witnesses to the stand, including investigators, Imperial County sheriff’s deputies and FBI agents, who testified and provided new findings related to the case.
During several hours of testimony, one of the lead FBI agents in the case, Taryn Hunter, confirmed Tovar’s last known location was at Feinbloom’s residence in Salton City. That conclusion came after interviewing one of her friends, Angel Martinez, who said he dropped Tovar off at Feinbloom’s home on Dec. 1 after she told him she was picking up Christmas gifts. The agent also referenced multiple photos and videos of Tovar in and around the home as evidence.
The FBI agent also interviewed several of Tovar’s friends over multiple days in March. They said Tovar had been visiting Feinbloom since mid-November and described him as her “sugar daddy” who “did not want sugar.” According to those friends, Tovar was believed to exchange unspecified favors for food, a place to stay and gifts. Testimony also revealed Tovar — who had previously been in a juvenile group home in Perris, California — was planning to stay with Feinbloom until she turned 18.
One of the last people to see Tovar alive, Saje Edwards — who said he was in a relationship with her — testified the last time he communicated with Tovar was Dec. 1 during a FaceTime call, when she sounded incoherent.
According to FBI interviews with Tovar’s friends, her last social media post was Dec. 2, and communication with her stopped the day before.
Much of the FBI agent’s testimony focused on two search warrants carried out at Feinbloom’s home on Feb. 6 and Feb. 13. Agents reported presumptive positive tests for blood inside the trunk of one of Feinbloom’s vehicles and noted the front seat had been removed. Investigators also seized seven cellphones — some with phone numbers written on the back — along with USB drives, recording devices and other items.
Agents also seized a MacBook Feinbloom claimed belonged to him. A review of the laptop showed multiple internet searches between Dec. 1 and Dec. 3, including “eye gouging,” “cannot remove contact from phone,” “missing person what happens,” and “can I take one-way flight to Thailand no extradition USA.”
When Feinbloom was arrested outside his home during the Feb. 13 search warrant, agents said he had his passport and Thai currency on him. He told investigators he carried them for identification purposes and did not have travel plans. However, certified travel records from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, along with email confirmations, show Feinbloom purchased a flight from Los Angeles International Airport to Hong Kong scheduled for Feb. 17.
During the hearing, prosecutors also presented three clips from an FBI interview with Feinbloom conducted Feb. 13 at the Imperial County Sheriff’s Office. In that interview, Feinbloom said he did not recognize Tovar after being shown a photo of her inside his home and claimed he was not there on Dec. 1.
Feinbloom’s defense team pushed back, arguing he had asked to speak with an attorney before the interview but that request was ignored. The FBI agent testified Feinbloom did not explicitly request an attorney until after he was told DNA evidence matched Tovar and that her remains were found less than a mile from his home.
Tovar’s family was also in the courtroom, with emotions running high as they heard much of the evidence surrounding her death for the first time.
The preliminary hearing began April 28 and is expected to conclude April 30. A judge will ultimately decide whether there is enough evidence for the case to move forward to trial.
Stay with NBC Palm Springs for continuing coverage on air and online.
UPDATED AT: April 29, 2026 at 11:12 PM
By: Alondra Campos
April 29, 2026
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