Ali Abulaban: California TikTok Star Charged in Double Murder

Ali Abulaban is a California man accused of shooting and killing his estranged wife and her friend at her home in San Diego. Ana Abulaban was in the process of filing for divorce from her husband and they were living apart when she was killed, KGTV reported, citing Deputy District Attorney Taren Brast. Police identified the male victim as Rayburn Cardenas Barron.

Ali Abulaban is well-known on the social media app TikTok. He uses the account name “Jinnkid” and has more than 940,000 followers.

Heres’s what you need to know:

1. Prosecutors Said Ana Abulaban Accused Her Husband of Domestic Violence Weeks Before Her Death

Prosecutors said Ana Abulaban was taking steps to end the marriage before her death. The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that during the arraignment hearing, Deputy District Attorney Taren Brast explained that Ana Abulaban had called the police in September, accused her husband of pushing her and said he’d injured her.

Brast said Ana Abulaban wanted to file a restraining order against her husband and, KGTV reported, was filing for divorce.

Brast said Ana asked Ali Abulaban to move out of their apartment on October 18, three days before her death. Ali Abulaban checked into a hotel in Mission Beach, KGTV reported, but made a copy of the key to the San Diego apartment.

2. Ali Abulaban Installed a Listening Device in the Apartment & Accused His Wife of Cheating, Prosecutors Said

TikTok/Jinnkid

Ali Abulaban returned to the San Diego apartment on the morning of October 21 and “trashed it,” the San Diego Union-Tribune reported. Prosecutors said he also installed a listening app on his young daughter’s iPad, NBC San Diego reported.

Hours later, prosecutors said Abulaban returned to the apartment with a loaded gun after hearing his wife talking and laughing with a man now identified as Rayburn Cardenas Barron. Brast explained in court that Ali Abulaban thought Ana was cheating on him but that investigators believe Barron was just Ana’s friend.

Brast detailed in court that Barron was shot in the neck, cheek and back. She said Ana was shot once in the head. NBC San Diego reported Ali Abulaban was recorded on a neighbor’s camera leaving the apartment.

3. Abulaban Confessed to His Mother & Picked Up His Daughter From School Shortly After the Shooting, Prosecutors Said

After the shooting, prosecutors said Abulaban drove to his daughter’s school to pick her up. He told the 5-year-old girl he had “hurt Mommy,” KSWB reported.

The San Diego Union-Tribune reported Abulaban called his mother and confessed to the killings. Prosecutors said Abulaban also called the police just after 3 p.m. while he was still driving with his daughter. Police arrested him about 45 minutes later on State Route 15.

During the arraignment hearing, the judge ordered Abulaban to stay away from his daughter. The AP reported other family members stepped in to care for the little girl.

4. Abulaban Pleaded Not Guilty & Is Being Held Without Bail

San Diego County Sheriff DepartmentAli Abulaban is accused of killing his wife and her friend.

Inmate records on the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department website show Abulaban was booked into the San Diego Central Jail around 11:30 p.m. on October 21. He has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder.

He is being held without bail. The San Diego Union-Tribune reported it was not immediately clear whether prosecutors would pursue the death penalty.

Abulaban pleaded not guilty during the arraignment hearing on October 25. The San Diego County District Attorney’s website shows another court event was scheduled for October 28, with the preliminary hearing set for January 5, 2022.

5. Abulaban Posted a New Video to Facebook Hours Before the Shooting

Abulaban has a large following on social media. He has nearly one million followers on TikTok and 170,000 YouTube subscribers. His YouTube account shows his videos on that platform have garnered more than 25 million views since 2018.

Abulaban is best known for impersonations. He most often does impressions of the Tony Montana character from “Scarface,” as well as impressions of rapper 6ix9ine.

On his Facebook page, Abulaban described himself in the bio section: “I’m just a guy who loves watching movies and creating parodies of my favorite characters.” He posted a video to his Facebook page hours before the shooting on October 21. It was an impersonation of the characters Tony Montana and John Wick.

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