Trial begins for former TikTok star accused of double murder

Zara Barker
·7 min read
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UPDATE: Friends of slain wife take the stand in former TikTok star’s trial

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — The trial of Ali Abaluban, a former TikTok star accused of killing his wife, Ana Abulaban, and her friend, Rayburn Barron, began Wednesday.

Ali had amassed a nearly million person following, under the username JinnKid, where he did impersonations and comedy videos.

The 12-person jury was seated by the afternoon session, and Ali’s trial officially began shortly before 2 p.m. Wednesday, about two-and-a-half years since the murder of his wife and romantic partner.

The defense attorney is not suggesting Ali didn’t shoot Ana and Rayburn. It appears what’s on trial is his motive. She alleged Ali’s shooting of Ana and Rayburn was in a “heat of passion.”

During the first day of trial, the defense and prosecution shared snippets about the pair’s relationship.

Ana and Ali met in 2015 in Okinawa, Japan, while Ali was in the military. At the time, Ana was married to another man.

TikTok star accused of double murder speaks from jail

The defense painted Ali as this man that had never really fit in, and who was discriminated against, for being raised Muslim. They also claimed he had a troubling childhood.

The defense claims Ana and her friends liked to “party hard,” and Ali had allegedly began drinking to make the pressure of fitting in better.

In August 2015, on the Air Force base, a fight had broke out and Ali was arrested by military police. He was discharged from the Air Force on “less than honorable” conditions, the prosecuting attorney said during opening statements.

After he was discharged, Ali went back to Virginia to begin the Visa process to bring Ana to the United States. In January 2017, the two were married. Ali was working in the state department and had top security clearance. By this time, their daughter was born, they had bought their own house and Ali had referred to “having the American dream.”

At the time, Ali had been doing comedy impressions, which the prosecution noted, was of violent characters. The attorneys claim Ana would record Ali’s TikTok videos.

In 2020, Ana had gone on a girls trip to San Diego to visit her friends, and when she returned, the defense said she convinced Ali to pack up the family and move to San Diego, despite Ali not wanting to leave behind their life in Virginia.

In February 2021, the two moved to San Diego, and the partying intensified, while the two started using cocaine.

In either the 2020 girls trip, or in their first party in San Diego, Ana met Rayburn Baron and immediately, Ali did not get a good first impression.

In July 2021, the alleged domestic violence worsened. On July 1, 2021, the prosecution claims Ali allegedly punched Ana in the face, and showed a photo of a bruise.

Then, Ali sent an email apologizing to Ana, they were still together, yet the problems continued. In August, the prosecution said they were fighting, and Ana left the house with a friend. Ali followed and allegedly tried to swerve them off the road.

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On Sept. 8, Ali allegedly had pushed Ana in the bedroom, causing her to fall and hit her head on the headboard. Ana had reportedly told some of her friends, neighbors, and in only a few instances, called 911, and some of the instances, their daughter had witnessed. In one of the emergency calls, Ali reportedly did a live recording. The prosecution said Ali also sent another apology email after that violent episode, showing the “power and control” he had.

The prosecution gave several dates and examples of alleged domestic violence.

In September 2021, Ana and their daughter had moved in with a friend as the marriage issues escalated. Around that time, Ali had been sleeping with another woman he met in the elevator at their apartment complex.

The next day, Ana and Ali tried to make amends, and Ali confessed his affair to Ana, while Ana had reportedly had an affair as well, but the timing is blurry between the defense and prosecution’s statements.

The spiral of their relationship and Ana allegedly being with another man sent Ali spiraling. He had been talking with family members, saying that if he saw Ana with another man, he would kill him.

Days before the killing, Ali was allegedly searching for “decapitated heads,” “how to plant a listening device.”

According to the defense, Ali was supposed to go to Los Angeles on Thursday, Oct. 21, 2021, to film TikTok videos with a friend. He sent a $200 Instacart order to the apartment, which included their daughter’s favorite snacks, a pumpkin and flowers for Ana.

The following is a timeline of Oct. 21, 2021, according to prosecutors and the defense:

  • 8:40 a.m., Ana left the apartment to take their daughter to school.

  • 9:12 a.m., Ali allegedly entered the apartment complex through the front door and went up the elevator, Ana wasn’t there, and she allegedly lied, saying she was there. Ali allegedly found the flowers, crushed with Ana’s makeup bag sitting on top of them. In turn, Ali allegedly trashes the apartment, throws the pumpkin and flowers on the ground, while throwing Ana’s clothing down the trash chute.

  • While there, he allegedly downloaded Discord on his daughter’s iPad, set up a live stream and plugged the iPad into the charger, and hid it behind the bed in the master bedroom.

  • He allegedly left the apartment around 9:50 a.m.

  • Around 2 p.m., Ana came back to the apartment, this time with Rayburn, and she allegedly sent pictures of the damage.

  • Around 2:08 p.m., Ali allegedly heard Ana’s voice and a man’s voice coming from the Discord livestream he had set up and was listening in on it.

  • He allegedly got into his black Jeep with more than 100 rounds of ammunition inside, drove nine miles from the hotel he was staying at in Mission Beach to the apartment.

  • He allegedly arrived, with a loaded gun, and ran into the parking garage, and started an audio recording.

  • At 2:10 p.m., Ali is allegedly seen inside the elevator, calm.

  • The defense said Ali was expecting to find Ana and a man inside the master bedroom, expecting a big “caught ya” moment, but instead Ali opened the apartment door and found Ana and Rayburn on the couch.

  • Ali had expressed that moment as an out-of-body experience.

  • He allegedly fired one shot into Anna’s head and several at Rayburn. The medical examiner said he was within inches of Rayburn’s face during at least one of the shootings. Ray had three bullet wounds, one through his neck, and two through his head.

  • At 2:59 p.m., he allegedly took photos of the dead victims and sent them to his friends.

  • At 3:02 p.m., he allegedly called his mom and told her what he did. He left the building.

  • At 3:10 p.m., he called 911 and reported his wife and another man were shot, said he found them and was asking for help.

  • At 3:31 p.m., Ana and Rayburn were pronounced dead.

  • Around that same time, Ali picked his daughter up from school and planned to take her to meet his mom. He allegedly told his daughter that he had killed mommy.

  • Moments later, Ali was pulled over and arrested. He’s been in jail since, with no bail.

When that crime scene was processed that night, the detective found flower petals in the kitchen and unfired bullets scattered through the apartment.

During the investigation, detectives found the same glock pistol, holster and more than 116 rounds of ammunition in his Jeep, and gunpowder on Ali’s hands.

SDPD criminalists tested the cartridge casings, which matched his gun.

The defense attorney is not suggesting Ali didn’t shoot Ana and Rayburn. It appears what’s on trial is his motive.

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