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Photograph of Ana and Ali Abulaban

Ali Abulaban: The TikTok star convicted of murder

TikTok Star Murders
Image: Ana and Ali Abulaban | TikTok Star Murders

TikTok Star Murders tells the story of Ali and Ana Abulaban's toxic relationship behind the camera and the horrifying circumstances that led to a double murder. The show starts Sunday, 9th February at 10pm on Crime+Investigation.


Ali Abulaban amassed nearly one million followers on TikTok before he was convicted of murdering his wife and her friend. The social media star was known for doing funny skits and impressions to his audience under the alias 'Jinnkid'.

But, it turned out that things in Ali Abulaban's life weren’t so funny…

This article explores Abulaban's life on the internet compared to what was really happening behind closed doors. We at Crime+Investigation will investigate how things went wrong for the TikTok star and the aftermath.

Behind the camera

Scarface’s Tony Montana was a favourite amongst Abulaban’s impressions, but did the TikTok star take the Al Pacino impersonations too far? Although funny and vibrant in front of the camera, Ali Abulaban’s home life was falling apart behind the scenes.

After several months of marriage problems, his wife, Ana, asked her husband to leave their marital home on 18th October 2021 – this is when things turned sour. Abulaban moved into a nearby hotel during the separation.

A crime of passion?

Ali and Ana Abulaban were together for seven years and had one child, a daughter named Amira. However, according to family and friends, their relationship was tumultuous. During court, the father-of-one admitted to physically abusing his wife during their marriage and using drugs.

He claimed: 'I was just very impulsive.'

Before the shootings, Abulaban believed his wife to be having an affair with the second victim, Rayburn Cardenas Barron, sending him on a downward spiral.

It was discovered that the then-29-year-old had installed a listening app on the couple’s five-year-old daughter’s tablet to spy on his estranged wife at their San Diego apartment.

According to reports, the double murderer was 'stalking' his wife, listening to her conversations through their daughter’s iPad. This is when he claimed to hear Ana giggling with a male friend and eventually 'snapped'.

Convinced his wife was cheating on him, Abulaban exploded into the couple’s apartment and shot Rayburn three times. He then turned the gun on his wife and shot her in the head.

'I'm shooting and I can't stop', Abulaban told the court during his trial.

A confession

After the tragic double murder, it’s reported that Abulaban contacted his mother and confessed to shooting the two victims dead. Initially, his mother didn’t believe him, stating: 'That's not funny, Ali. Don't say that.'

However, her son sent her a photo to prove what he had done, which she later deleted – the witness explained this to the court during the trial.

Although Abulaban confessed to the double murder, the judge at the trial said that he didn’t think the suspect showed any remorse. Judge Jeffrey Fraser said: 'He's a very selfish person, as I think the jury saw. The bottom line here is, he will die in prison. He will never be a free man. He will take his last breath there.'

The conviction

After confessing to killing his wife, 32-year-old Ana and 29-year-old Rayburn, Ali Abulaban was sentenced to two consecutive 25-year life sentences.

The court granted the victim’s friends and family the opportunity to provide a victim impact statement during the trial, highlighting the tragic murder's repercussions on their lives. The statements were provided before the judge made his ruling.

One of the first statements was made by Ana’s sister. She told the court:

'Ali, if I had known what my sister had been through with all that abuse, if I had known, if I had known! I would have flown again to see her and to take her and Amira from you.

'I had no idea that my sister's life would be miserable living with you. You treated my sister like she didn’t matter, but she mattered.'

A member of Rayburn Cardenas Barron’s family described the victim as a caring family man and an amazing little brother. They tearfully told the court that life hasn’t been the same without him.

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