TikTok Star Accused of Murdering Wife and Friend: Ali Abulaban Shooting Explained

The TikTok impressionist received his prison sentence earlier this month.

By Michael Hein

Former TikTok star Ali Abulaban was found guilty of first-degree murder earlier this year, and on Sept. 6 he received his sentence. According to a report by In Touch Weekly, Abulaban was sentenced to two consecutive terms of life in prison with no possibility of parole, plus an addition 50 years due to gun enhancement charges. Read on for the details of Abulaban's crimes and his fall from grace on social media.

Abulaban was better known by his TikTok username JinnKid up until the fall of 2021, when he murdered his wife and his close friend. He gained a huge following for his voice impressions, video game content and more. He and his wife, 28-year-old Ana Marie lived in San Diego, California and had a daughter who was 5 years old at the time of Marie's death. The couple were reportedly estranged for a while before the murders, with Abulaban living outside of the family home. Abulaban himself acknowledged that this was due to multiple incidents of domestic violence, which he explained as "impulsive."

Abulaban would later testify that he was growing jealous and paranoid during the estrangement, and his drug use was not helping. He was reportedly using cocaine in large amounts – especially on the day of the murder, telling authorities: "It's probably the most coke I've ever done."

By then, Marie had reportedly made it clear to Abulaban that this was not a temporary separation, and that their marriage was over for good. She even texted him hours before the murders, saying: "I want you out of my life once and for all. Believing that Marie was now seeing someone else, Abulaban snuck into the family home and installed a listening app on his daughter's iPad without Marie knowing.

Hours later, Abulaban was listening through the app when he heard a masculine voice in his former home. Believing that this was Marie's new partner, he drove to the house with a firearm, continuing to use cocaine on the way. He opened the door to see Marie sitting on the couch with their friend, 29-year-old Rayburn Cardenas Barron. Abulaban hesitated for just seconds before shooting Barron three times, then shooting his wife once.

In his testimony, Abulaban was certain that Marie and Barron were starting a relationship together. He said that when he saw them together, "I couldn't take it. I couldn't take the f-ing betrayal. I couldn't believe she could do that to me, to our daughter. And before I could stop myself, I just f-ing snapped and my gun was in my hand and next thing I'm shooting and I can't stop. It's like I'm watching it happen, like I'm in the passenger seat of my own body."

Abulaban's trial lasted about a month, concluding in May. His sentencing was held on Sept. 6, and in spite of the convictions, he still argued for leniency. He told the court: "Being sent to prison forever feels like I'm being sent to hell, and I don't think that's fair." He was given two consecutive life sentences in prison, plus 50 years for gun law violations, with no possibility of parole. His content is still available on TikTok and other platforms.

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