A former TikTok star from San Diego has been convicted by a jury for the 2021 murders of his estranged wife and the man he thought she was cheating with.
Ali Abulaban, 32, was found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder for his wife, Ana Abulaban, 28, and her male friend, Rayburn Barron, 29, on Wednesday, May 29,
Ali, who performed skits under the handle Jinnkid and had nearly 1 million followers on TikTok, confessed to killing Ali and Barron during the trial and has been in prison since the October 2021 murders. He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 28 and could receive up to life in prison.
The jury began deliberating after closing arguments on Friday, May 24 — about a month after the trial began — and returned with the guilty verdict Wednesday morning. He was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, using a firearm, as well as a special circumstance charge for killing multiple people.
Ali and Ana were Living Separately Over Marriage Troubles; He Downloaded a Listening App on Daughter's iPad
Ali and Ana had been having issues in their marriage at the time of the killings, prosecutors previously said. He was living in a hotel and had been stalking Ana after she told him to leave their apartment.
Deputy District Attorney Taren Brast said ahead of the trial that Ali was convinced Ana was cheating on him, so he snuck into the apartment when she was away and downloaded an app with a listening device on his 5-year-old daughter's iPad and hid it in the bedroom so he could eavesdrop remotely.
Ali Shot Ana and Barron After He Heard Her Talking to Another Man
While listening to the app, he heard live audio of his wife and Barron talking and giggling, Ali then drove to their building, rode the elevator to the 35th floor, burst into the apartment and fired, prosecutors said. His movements throughout the property were captured by a number of surveillance cameras.
Barron was shot three times in the head and neck, prosecutors said, at such close range that the medical examiner found soot on his cheek. Ana Abulaban was shot in the middle of her forehead.
Ana Abulaban had for years been a victim of her husband's possessive, controlling behavior and physical assaults, prosecutors said, finally culminating in her murder.
A friend of Ana Abulaban's testified that she had planned to file a restraining order later that day, Oct. 21, but never got the chance, Fox 5 San Diego reported. The two were together for seven years and shared one child.
