Tik-Tok Star Accused of Killing Wife and ‘Companion’

When you’re a social media influencer, almost every facet of your life is under a microscope. Whether you’re having a

Tik-Tok

When you’re a social media influencer, almost every facet of your life is under a microscope. Whether you’re having a bad day at the gas station, your hair’s a little funky on camera, or you’ve had a rude exchange with a fan in messages, fans are always watching. It’s like traditional celebrity but with more day-to-day coverage. But one aspect of most influencer’s lives that will never be shared is the capital crimes they commit, since most obviously don’t. That is, unless you’re Ali Nasser Abulaban, a popular Tik-Tok star who has now been accused of murder.

High-Rise Shooting

According to news reports, Abulaban killed both his wife and her “companion” in a gruesome high-rise shooting in San Diego. On October 18th, Abulaban moved out of the apartment he shared with wife Ana Abulaban, 28, and their daughter. A domestic violence incident is what prompted Abulaban to move out, and reportedly Ana had sought a restraining order against him.

Abulaban secretly kept a key to the apartment and was entering it without his wife’s knowledge, also installing an app on his daughter’s iPad, allowing him to snoop on conversations in the apartment. On October 21st, Abulaban reportedly heard through that device the sound of a man’s voice, Rayburn Cardenas Barron, 29. 

WGN 9 Chicago reports, ” He drove from a hotel to the apartment complex, took an elevator to the 35th floor, ran to the apartment and opened fire, Brast said. The prosecutor said Ali Abulaban shot Barron three times at close range, striking his neck, one cheek and the back of his head before he turned the gun on his wife, leaving one gunshot wound in her forehead.”

With the loaded murder weapon still in his car, Abulaban picked his daughter up from school and told her he, “hurt mommy.” Police apprehended him shortly after. Video surveillance from the apartment showed him at the premises, and he confessed to the killing. A judge overseeing the case denied bail, citing him as a danger to society as well as a flight risk. If convicted, Abulaban faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Ali Nasser Abulaban aka JinnKid

Tik-Tok

But if you don’t recognize the name, you may be wondering who Abulaban is in the world of TikTok. On the app, he goes by the name JinnKid. JinnKid has just over 940K followers on TikTok. His videos are mostly made up of comedic clips and comedy sketches. At 29 years of age, Abulaban’s influence isn’t limited to just TikTok, he has also wracked up over 250K followers on Instagram. 

One thing Abulaban is known for his impressions, and some of his best include imitations of fictional characters like Scarface and John Wick, along with the Godfather. During this week’s arraignment, Abulaban was seen at court shaking and crying, showing signs of disbelief. 

Influencers Turned Criminals

Tik-Tok

Unfortunately, Abulaban isn’t the only influencer with a criminal rap sheet. After all, influencers are just human too – they’re just very well-documented humans. Recently, another influencer was arrested for another crime of passion. This time it fell short of murder, but barely. 

Instagram influencer and model Genie Exum made headlines for all the wrong reasons last week. Per E! News, “On Oct. 18, NYPD responded to a 911 call of a man being assaulted inside an apartment, authorities confirmed to E! News in a statement. When police arrived, the man told officers that he got into a dispute with the 22-year-old model, who allegedly stabbed him in the arm and back with a kitchen knife.

Emergency responders also arrived on the scene and transported the man to a nearby hospital, where he is currently in stable condition. Following the incident, Exum was arrested and charged with assault. “

It’s always shocking to hear about murder, but perhaps doubly so when it’s from someone whose smiling, joking face you’re used to seeing across your feed every day. Influencers are just normal people though – and sometimes normal people hurt those they love. Abulaban may seem in a state of disbelief at what his life has become, but he’ll soon have to face the music for what he’s done. It’s not clear yet what his sentence will be as the incident is still be investigated, but it’s likely he won’t be free any time soon, if ever.

Anyone with information on the incident is asked to contact the department’s Homicide Unit at 619-531-2293 or anonymously by contacting Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.

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