Current:Home > MyFormer TikToker Ali Abulaban Found Guilty in 2021 Murders of His Wife and Her Friend -FundTrack
Former TikToker Ali Abulaban Found Guilty in 2021 Murders of His Wife and Her Friend
TrendPulse Quantitative Think Tank Center View
Date:2025-04-07 23:45:00
A verdict has been reached in the case regarding former TikToker Ali Abulaban.
On May 29, a jury in San Diego, Calif., found the social media personality—who went by "JinnKid"— guilty of two counts of first-degree murder in the case regarding the killings of his wife Ana Abulaban and her friend Ray Barron.
In a video of the verdict shared by CBS San Diego, the gallery can be heard cheering as the conviction was revealed and Abulaban can be seen breaking down in tears.
While Abulaban initially pleaded not guilty to the charges back in 2021, he admitted to the killings during the trial that began earlier this month, per the outlet. The jury was then tasked with determining whether this constituted as first or second-degree murder (and if his actions were intended and premeditated) or voluntary manslaughter done in a heat of passion.
As seen in footage from the trial shared by Court TV, Abulaban—who'd accused Ana of cheating on him—detailed how he'd been recording his estranged wife to see if she was with another man and how he went to the apartment they used to live in together with a gun, found her and Barron on the couch and shot them in 2021.
"Before I could stop myself, I just f--king snapped," Abulaban said on the stand. "My gun was in my hand, and next thing I'm shooting and I can't stop."
However, during closing arguments, prosecutor Taren Brast argued that Abulaban did not act out of heat of passion.
"There is not of heat passion when you walk in on your separated wife who is not with you on the couch with someone else, fully clothed, not having sex," she said, as seen on Court TV. "And heat of passion does not apply when you walk into an apartment that you had bugged with a keycard you are not supposed to have to a fight that no one else knew was happening but you, and you brought a gun. That is not heat of passion."
Meanwhile, Jodi Green for the defense argued Abulaban—who shared daughter Amira with Ana—did act out of heat of passion and pointed to his "spiraling" mental health and cocaine use.
"Yes, he killed Ana—the woman he loved, the mother of his beautiful daughter Amira—and he killed Ray, a man with whom Ana was having an affair," she said, as shown on Court TV. "And he cannot undo what he has done, but he did not murder them. He is not a murderer."
Abulaban is set to be sentenced on June 28.
For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News AppveryGood! (452)
Related
- B.A. Parker is learning the banjo
- New To Self-Tan? I Tested and Ranked the Most Popular Self-Tanners and There’s a Clear Winner
- New To Self-Tan? I Tested and Ranked the Most Popular Self-Tanners and There’s a Clear Winner
- Officials confirm 28 deaths linked to decades-long Takata airbag recall in US
- Trump invites nearly all federal workers to quit now, get paid through September
- California settles lawsuit with Sacramento suburb over affordable housing project
- Hoda Kotb Celebrates Her Daughters’ First Day of School With Adorable Video
- Taraji P. Henson Debuts Orange Hair Transformation With Risqué Red Carpet Look
- Sam Taylor
- Donald Trump's Son Barron Trump's College Plans Revealed
Ranking
- 'Most Whopper
- NASA is looking for social media influencers to document an upcoming launch
- A transgender teen in Massachusetts says other high schoolers beat him at a party
- Olympian Stephen Nedoroscik Shares How His Girlfriend Is Supporting Him Through Dancing With The Stars
- The FTC says 'gamified' online job scams by WhatsApp and text on the rise. What to know.
- GameStop turns select locations into retro stores selling classic consoles
- New Hampshire US House hopefuls offer gun violence solutions in back-to-back debates
- George R.R. Martin slams 'House of the Dragon' changes from book, spoils Season 3
Recommendation
Meet first time Grammy nominee Charley Crockett
North Carolina public school students inch higher in test scores
Mark Meadows asks judge to move Arizona’s fake elector case to federal court
Consumer spending data looks solid, but some shoppers continue to struggle
NHL in ASL returns, delivering American Sign Language analysis for Deaf community at Winter Classic
The Daily Money: A Labor Day strike
A list of mass killings in the United States this year
USA TODAY's NFL Survivor Pool is back: What you need to know to win $5K cash