Nevada – In a deeply upsetting case in Nevada that began in June 2025 and ended with a controversial plea deal this year, a 35‑year‑old man, identified as C. Rabino, will not serve prison time after admitting involvement in the death of his girlfriend’s 17‑month‑old son, identified as K. Tesoro. Rabino, originally charged with first-degree murder and two counts of child abuse resulting in substantial bodily harm, struck a plea deal that dramatically altered the course of the case.
On Tuesday, Judge J. Bluth handed down a sentence of up to five years’ probation after Rabino entered an Alford plea to voluntary manslaughter—a charge that typically carries one to ten years in prison. The prison time was suspended under the agreement with prosecutors. Though the Alford plea results in a conviction, it allowed Rabino to maintain his innocence while acknowledging the state had enough evidence to likely convict him at trial. The terms of his probation include completion of a six-week anger management program, community service, and a nightly curfew. He is also barred from contact with minors—except for his own child.
On the morning of June 1, 2025, police rushed to an emergency call reporting that a toddler had stopped breathing. Responding officers found young Tesoro unresponsive and rushed him to ER. There, doctors were horrified to find extensive signs of abuse—multiple brain bleeds, deep bruising to the head, and a broken leg inflicted by what they described as “a large amount of force.” One physician, visibly shaken, described it as among the most disturbing abuse cases he had encountered. Despite being placed on life support, Tesoro’s condition deteriorated. Five days later, on June 6, his life support was withdrawn. His family made the heartbreaking decision to donate his organs, hoping his death might give other children a chance to live.
Initial statements from both Rabino and Tesoro’s mother offered conflicting, and ultimately implausible, explanations for the toddler’s injuries. Rabino told police that Tesoro had been sick with a fever and suddenly stopped breathing. The mother added that Tesoro had recently fallen off a bed. Medical experts, however, swiftly ruled out such a fall as the source of the injuries. The trauma was consistent with violent shaking and blunt force—not an accidental drop.
The case took a turn when a witness stepped forward, telling police that Rabino was directly responsible for the child’s injuries. The witness also accused Tesoro’s mother of lying about the cause and said that Rabino had urged her not to seek medical help. Under further questioning, the mother eventually admitted to seeing Rabino violently shake Tesoro after becoming frustrated with his crying. In another incident, she described how Rabino, upset the child couldn’t walk, slammed him feet-first onto the floor—resulting in both of Tesoro’s legs being broken.
Despite the harrowing evidence, prosecutors opted for the plea deal, citing potential issues that could have jeopardized a conviction at trial. Chief Deputy District Attorney D. Rinetti acknowledged the emotional weight of the decision, telling the court that the case carried significant risks on both sides. She noted the lack of eyewitnesses and the mother’s changing narrative as serious hurdles. “This is a rare negotiation for me as well,” Rinetti told the judge. “I take these cases very seriously, but I also have to live with the facts of the case and what I can prove at trial.”
Judge Bluth, who formerly prosecuted child homicide cases, made her disappointment clear during sentencing. Though bound by the plea agreement, she issued a stern warning to Rabino. “I do not like this deal,” Bluth said in court. Addressing Rabino directly, she added: “You will get one shot. You step sideways on this, and I will not bat an eye at sending you away for the maximum.”
For Tesoro’s family, the outcome has been nothing short of devastating. The grief of losing a child has now been compounded by a legal resolution that, to them, feels painfully inadequate. Still, Tesoro’s memory lives on—in the lives of other children saved by his organ donations, and in a community grappling with how such a tragedy could result in so little accountability.
