Former TikToker Convicted of Killing Wife and the Man He Thought She Was Cheating with in 2021
Ali Abulaban was found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder, and will be sentenced on June 28
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 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, reports local affiliates NBC 7, CBS 8, and Fox 5.
In court, Ali, who performed skits under the handle Jinnkid and had nearly 1 million followers on TikTok, became emotional after hearing the verdict, wiping tears from his face as the gallery cheered, NBC 7 reports.
Ali 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.
Related: TikTok Star Accused of Killing Estranged Wife After Allegedly Spying on Her with Daughter's iPad
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, per Fox 5 and NBC 7.
He was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, using a firearm, as well as a special circumstance charge for killing multiple people, according to NBC 7.
While deliberating, the jury decided he was guilty of first-degree murder, "an intent to kill with malice aforethought," instead of second-degree murder, which is "intending to do so with malice, not premeditated," criminal defense attorney Gretchen Von Helms said, per CBS 8.
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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, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Ali previously said that while listening to the app, he heard Ana talking to another man. He went back to the apartment, shot Barron three times and struck Ana in the head.
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During the trial, Ali's mother Dalal Warra testified that moments after the crime, he called her and confessed to committing the double murder.
Ali also took to the stand on May 21 and testified that his and Ana's relationship was tumultuous, and confessed to using drugs. He also admitted to physically abusing Ana in a previous incident, stating, "I was just very impulsive."
The two were together for seven years and shared one child.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
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