Current:Home > MyFormer TikToker Ali Abulaban Found Guilty in 2021 Murders of His Wife and Her Friend -Ascend Finance Compass
Former TikToker Ali Abulaban Found Guilty in 2021 Murders of His Wife and Her Friend
Surpassing View
Date:2025-04-08 11:06:25
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! (94)
Related
- 2 killed, 3 injured in shooting at makeshift club in Houston
- Gabrielle Union and Daughter Kaavia's Affirmations Ritual Will Melt Your Heart
- Joran van der Sloot, prime suspect in Natalee Holloway case, arrives in U.S. to face charges
- What's The Best Way To Help The Climate And People, Too? Home Improvement
- Nearly 400 USAID contract employees laid off in wake of Trump's 'stop work' order
- Former Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon released after arrest amid financial probe
- Canada Battles More Than 180 Wildfires With Hundreds Dead In Heat Wave
- Gino Mäder, Swiss cyclist, dies at age 26 after Tour de Suisse crash
- Gen. Mark Milley's security detail and security clearance revoked, Pentagon says
- Tommy Lee's Wife Brittany Furlan Shares Update on Pamela Anderson Relationship After Documentary Comments
Ranking
- Questlove charts 50 years of SNL musical hits (and misses)
- Andy Cohen Teases Surprising Vanderpump Rules “Turns” Before the Reunion
- The Record Temperatures Enveloping The West Are Not Your Average Heat Wave
- Fearing Their Kids Will Inherit Dead Coral Reefs, Scientists Are Urging Bold Action
- Former longtime South Carolina congressman John Spratt dies at 82
- As Seagrass Habitats Decline, Florida Manatees Are Dying Of Starvation
- Andy Cohen Shares Juicy Details About Tom Sandoval & Raquel Leviss' VPR Reunion Reckoning
- Zendaya Sparkles on Night Out With Tom Holland at Star-Studded Cultural Center Opening in India
Recommendation
The Daily Money: Spending more on holiday travel?
Record Heat Wave Set To Scorch Pacific Northwest To Southern California
Gabrielle Union Has Never Felt More Connected to Anyone Than Her and Dwyane Wade's Daughter Zaya
Men's Spending Habits Result In More Carbon Emissions Than Women's, A Study Finds
Juan Soto to be introduced by Mets at Citi Field after striking record $765 million, 15
Grey's Anatomy's Kelly McCreary Reveals What She'll Miss Most Ahead of Her Exit
Justine Bateman’s Message on Aging Gracefully Is Beyond Refreshing
Meghan Markle Scores Legal Victory in Sister Samantha's Defamation Case