A TikTok star accused of murdering his wife and “lover” told court he “broke” after she bragged about sleeping with one of his friends.
Ali Abulaban, 32, who went by JinnKid on social media, is accused of shooting his wife, Ana Abulaban, 28, and his friend Rayburn Cadenas Barron, 29, on October 21, 2021, in San Diego.
Abulaban took the stand for trial Tuesday to face first-degree murder charges, but Tuesday’s day-long testimony didn’t even get a chance to touch on the events of Oct. 21.
The TikToker, who has a history of domestic violence, was allegedly kicked out of the couple’s apartment at the Spire San Diego luxury apartment complex.
Prosecutors allege he secretly got the key to the room and shot his wife and Barron to death while they sat on the couch.
Ali Abulaban, 32 (pictured left), who went by JinnKid on social media, is accused of shooting his wife, Ana Abulaban, 28 (pictured right), and his friend Rayburn Cadenas Barron, 29, on October 21, 2021. San Diego
Abulaban took the stand Tuesday to face first-degree murder charges.
During Tuesday’s testimony, Abulaban admitted to hitting and pushing his wife on several occasions, but claimed he never would have done so before the family moved from Virginia to San Diego in early 2021.
Abulaban then described the volatile state of his relationship with Ana following the couple’s move, a decision he said was driven by his wife.
Ana became obsessed with moving to San Diego and would get angry if anything interfered with her plans to move, according to Abulaban.
After his brother suffered a mental health episode, Abulaban wanted to postpone the move, but Ana allegedly told him, ‘take me to San Diego or I will divorce you.’
When the couple finally moved in, they dove headlong into a life of drugs and partying, a lifestyle that was allegedly sparked by Ana’s group of friends. Abulaban claims he felt like an outcast and struggled to fit in during his stay. in San Diego.
“We were a very close-knit unit and then we brought these friends into our lives,” Abulaban testified.
Abulaban said the couple began arguing frequently over alleged infidelities on both sides. She remembers one particular fight in July 2021 in which Ana claimed that she had slept with one of her friends.
At the time, high on cocaine, Abulaban said the comment “shook me and I exploded.” He then punched him three times in the face.
The accused killer testified in court that he was using cocaine to cope with his emotional struggles, but that the drugs made him violent and aggressive.
A few days after the argument, the couple fought again because Ana was going to a girls-only party, which Abulaban considered to be an attempt by her friends to exclude her.
PICTURED: Victim Rayburn Barron on his Facebook page. Prosecutors said the jealous Tiktoker believed his wife was cheating on him with Rayburn, as Brast said Ana and Ali had already been separated ‘for quite some time’ before that.
Abulaban then described the volatile state of his relationship with Ana following the couple’s move, a decision he said was driven by his wife.
He was also concerned because his wife mentioned bringing their young daughter to the party, which he felt would be inappropriate because he assumed there would be drugs there.
He testified that he tried to stop Ana from leaving through the front door and, in his effort to keep her out, he pushed her and she hit her head on the refrigerator.
Prosecutors previously said Abulaban had surreptitiously installed a listening device on his five-year-old daughter’s tablet, and when he heard his wife and another man talking, he went to their San Diego apartment and shot them to death.
Around 3:10 p.m. on the day of the murders, police discovered both victims dead on the 35th floor of the Spire San Diego luxury apartment complex.
Prosecutors said the ‘jealous’ TikToker believed his wife was cheating on him with Rayburn, as Brast said Ana and Abulaban had already been separated ‘for quite some time’ before that.
According to Brast, Ana had asked her husband to move out on October 18 while he checked into a hotel.
Three days later, Brast said, Abulaban sneaked back into the apartment and vandalized it while his wife was away. While she was there, she said she also installed the listening app on her daughter’s iPad.
Prosecutors believe Abulaban copied a key to Anna’s apartment and used it to get inside.
Hours later, Abulaban listened to the app and heard his wife and a man talking and laughing, before running back to the skyscraper, Brast said.
Security camera video showed him running out of the elevator on the 35th floor toward the apartment.
Brast said Abulaban shot Rayburn three times at close range, in the neck, cheek and the back of the head, before turning the gun on his wife, shooting her once in the forehead.
Abulaban faces life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted of all charges and accusations, and jurors are expected to begin deliberating toward the end of the week.
In the photo: Abulaban with his wife in one of his viral TikTok videos.
The suspect then called his mother and confessed, Brast said.
“The defendant then fled the building, went to pick up his daughter from school and still had the loaded gun in his car,” Brast said. ‘(He) told his daughter that he “hurt mom” and was soon detained by the police.’
With his young daughter still in the car, Abulaban was stopped by police later that day and arrested, according to investigators.
Abulaban faces life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted of all charges and accusations, and jurors are expected to begin deliberating toward the end of the week.
