SAN DIEGO — Three men were sentenced this week in San Diego federal court for their roles in abducting a San Diego teenager who was tortured and killed in Tijuana , while a fourth defendant in the case continues to seek a new trial on the grounds that an unsolicited text message tainted the jury that convicted him of shooting and killing the victim.

U.S. District Judge William Hayes has now sentenced four of the five defendants in the case to prison terms ranging from five years to just under 12 years. He is continuing to weigh whether to grant the new trial. He had not made a ruling as of Friday.

The case is centered on the May 2020 death of 19-year-old U.S. citizen and San Diego resident Miguel Anthony Rendon, who prosecutors said stole more than 2 pounds of methamphetamine that

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