BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Nearly eight years after a Bakersfield teen’s newborn was drowned and buried in her family’s backyard, the final person connected to the incident was sentenced Wednesday.

Bakhshinderpal Singh Mann, 31, received six years’ time served after pleading no contest last year to having sex with and impregnating the girl, possessing sexually explicit photos of her and an accessory charge.

He received six years for the sex offenses, defense attorney Elliott B. Magnus said after the sentencing hearing, and an additional year to be served concurrently for the accessory charge.

Magnus said his client spent years in custody in Canada — where he fled after the baby’s corpse was discovered — which counted toward fulfilling his sentence.

“Hopefully this brings closure for everyone and they’re able to move on,” he said.

The girl and Mann, who were 15 and 23 at the time, lived with her family and kept her condition a secret until Nov. 12, 2018, when she gave birth in a bathroom at her home on Shining Crag Avenue.

The baby boy was immediately drowned by his grandmother, Beant Dhillon, who told officers she killed him because of the shame she believed her unwed daughter’s pregnancy would bring the family in Bakersfield’s Sikh community.

Beant Dhillon sits next to attorney David A. Torres during her sentencing in this file image.

Mann allegedly helped bury the body, and Dhillon’s husband, Jagsir Singh, also took part in the cover-up.

The daughter, who passed out and was unaware of what had taken place, was later told by her parents that the baby had been put up for adoption.

Months later, the teen spoke with school counselors after an argument at home in which a family member indicated her child was buried in the backyard. The counselors notified police, who unearthed the heavily decomposed remains from a 2-foot hole.

Jagsir Singh was arrested but released on bail and hanged himself.

Dhillon was found guilty of murder and is serving 29 years to life in prison.

Mann fled the country. Authorities in 2021 captured him in Canada, where he remained in custody until his extradition to Kern County in late 2024. The plea agreement was reached in September.

Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

 For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KGET 17 News.