T’Neya Tovar case: Preliminary hearing set for April 28 after emotional court appearance
El Centro, Calif. (KESQ)braham Feinbloom, the 51-year-old Salton City man charged with murdering 17-year-old T'Neya Tovar, appeared in Imperial County Superior Court Monday morning, where a judge set his preliminary hearing for April 28.
The hearing will determine whether prosecutors can present enough evidence to establish probable cause and hold Feinbloom for trial.
It was an emotional morning inside the courtroom. T'Neya's mother, Charro Tovar, saw Feinbloom in person for the first time. She was seen crying as she left the courtroom after the hearing wrapped up. Feinbloom appeared in a red jumpsuit and shackles, standing alongside his attorney, Melanie Roe.
T'Neya's father, Josh Carter, spoke with News Channel 3 outside the courthouse.
"We just got to take them one step at a time," Carter said. "Obviously, we wish our daughter was here."
Carter said faith and community support have kept the family going.
"God, my family, my friends and the support of everybody," he said.
Ahead of Monday's court date, Feinbloom's defense attorney put out a statement raising pointed questions about the prosecution's case. Roe says she's gone through more than 20 discovery packets from the DA's office including police reports from multiple agencies and the FBI, forensic and lab reports, and search warrants.
Among her claims: no human blood was found on anything seized from Feinbloom's home or vehicles, and the rest of Tovar's remains still have not been recovered.
Roe also highlighted disagreements between the prosecution's own forensic experts. One examiner who analyzed the remains noted a gunshot wound but couldn't determine a cause or manner of death. A second examiner reached the same conclusion cause and manner of death remain undetermined.
The two experts also couldn't agree on when Tovar may have died. One placed the estimated time of death around Dec. 14, 2025. The other placed it around Dec. 1. The remains were found Dec. 21.
Feinbloom was arrested Feb. 13 for the murder of T'Neya Tovar after the Imperial County Sheriff's Emergency Response Team and the FBI served a search warrant at his home on Harlequin Court in Salton City. Authorities say he tried to jump a fence as officers arrived. He's been held without bail.
On Dec. 21, 2025, deputies found a human leg near Portsmouth Avenue and Newhaven Court in Vista Delmar. The remains were later identified through DNA as Tovar's. She had been reported missing out of Riverside County and was last seen in Thermal on Dec. 1, 2025.
The FBI says it is still seeking information about her disappearance.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Investigator Moreno at the Imperial County Sheriff's Office at (442) 265-2265, or the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI.
