The father of a recent parolee beaten to death with a folding chair by a neighbor on a quiet Queens street admitted his son struggled with alcohol, drugs and could get boisterous — but told the News that was no reason for the violent beating that led to his death.
Michael Tobon, 39, was attacked on 175th St. near 90th Ave. in Jamaica about 4:15 a.m. July 26 by an angry resident who neighbors said worked as a security guard and may have been awakened by Tobon’s loud antics.
Cops say Rahmel Tedder, 30, burst out of his home to confront Tobon and the pair argued. Tedder then went behind the single-room occupancy home where he lives and grabbed a black folding chair, which he used to pummel Tobon, according to prosecutors.
Tedder was arrested for attempted murder and Tobon died the next day at Jamaica Hospital. The two men are believed to have been strangers before their deadly clash.
Tobon’s father, Anthony Torres, 59, said he couldn’t understand why the accused killer just didn’t walk away.
“He walked away and came back,” Torres said. “The DA told me he hit him more than one time. (Tedder’s) life was no longer in danger. If you walk away your life is no longer in danger.”
Tobon had issues of his own but they shouldn’t have gotten him killed, his father said. The victim struggled with cocaine addiction, alcohol abuse and smoked too much weed, Torres said.
According to witnesses, Tobon appeared intoxicated and had been running around the area and yelling loudly before he was accosted. The commotion apparently woke Tedder, prompting him to go outside and confront Tobon, according to a man who lives in Tedder’s building and witnessed the attack.
Tedder, who works as a security guard, “was trying to get some sleep but the person outside was drunk and screaming,” William Rowe, 73, told the Daily News.
After the two men argued Tedder allegedly went in the backyard and returned with the folding chair.
When police arrived they found Tobon on the sidewalk with a cut on his head and multiple wounds to his upper body.
Tedder was arrested and charged with attempted murder, assault and weapons possession. He admitted attacking the victim, according to the court papers.
Medics rushed Tobon to Jamaica Hospital, where he died the next day. Tedder’s charges could be upgraded now that Tobon has died from the attack. He is being held without bail in Rikers Island and is due back in Queens Criminal Court on Aug. 27.
Tobon did three stints in state prison, records show, for Queens drug possession, attempted drug possession and robbery convictions. He was most recently released on parole in April.
“My son was not a violent person,” Torres said. “Yes he was boisterous. If you say something he would answer back. I could see them getting into an argument but I can’t see (my son) reacting with violence.”
Despite Tobon’s struggles, he was an upbeat and happy person who worked hard as a plumber whenever he was able to hold down a job, his father says.
“He was getting part-time jobs,” said Torres, a chaplain with the NYC Chaplain Task Force who provides drug counseling services to at-risk youth.
“He just came home from state prison. He was supposed to abide by a curfew but parole never followed up with him.”
Following his release from prison in April, Tobon reported to his parole officer on three occasions and fell out of compliance with the conditions of his release on May 29. He was arrested twice, on June 25 and July 17, for drug-related offenses, according to NY State Department of Corrections spokesman Thomas Mailey.
Torres, who is also a building engineer at the Jamaica YMCA, set his son up in a single-occupancy room at the Flushing YMCA, where he lived until about two weeks ago. Torres said his son was most recently living a couple of blocks away from where he was killed, most likely with his oldest son’s mother.
“He was close, very close with his children,” Torres said. “My granddaughter, we just told her yesterday. My oldest grandson, Tony, he’s not handling it well. He’s asking a lot of questions. He’s a little hot over it. I think he’ll be alright. Mentally, of course, he’s a little messed up.”
Like his children, Tobon also struggled with the pain of losing a parent. His mother died in her sleep of a heart attack at age 55 three years ago.
“That hit him very hard,” Torres said. “Everything went downhill after that. His last two years have been volatile.”
“He had his struggles,” Torres added. “I’m not going to say he was a boy scout but he was a human being. He has love, he has family, he has children and he was not a person to get violent with people.”
