TikTok star arrested for murdering wife and man could face death penalty

He has pleaded not guilty to the murder charges.

TikTok star Ali Nasse Abulaban has pleaded not guilty to shooting and killing his estranged wife and a man she was with.

The incident took place at an East Village apartment in California on Thursday, 21 October.

Abulaban was reportedly arrested and charged for killing his wife, 28-year-old Ana Nasse Abulaban, and 29-year-old Rayburn Cardenas Barron at the Spire San Diego luxury apartment complex.

The San Diego Union-Tribune reports that Abulaban, who is known as JinnKid on TikTok and has more than 940,000 followers on the platform, is alleged to have used a handgun to murder the pair.

He is also accused of installing a listening device on his five-year-old daughter's tablet. When he heard his wife and another man talking, he is said to have gone to the apartment and shot them both.

Because he has been charged with multiple murders, he could now face the death penalty if found guilty.

Deputy District Attorney Taren Brast said after the shootings, Abulaban collected his daughter from school while still carrying his weapon.

Brast also claimed that Ana Abulaban had been pushing for a divorce, after a prior alleged incident of domestic violence with her husband.

Ali Abulaban, known as JinnKid on TikTok, is accused of fatally shooting his newly estranged wife and another man at a San Diego high-rise. https://t.co/KL1aDD5C7a

— David Hernandez (@D4VIDHernandez) October 26, 2021

Abulaban grew popular on TikTok for his comedy skits and impersonations of Tony Montana, from the 1983 film Scarface.

According to Brast, he was asked to move out by his wife on October 18 and checked into a hotel.

However Brast said Abulaban made a copy of the apartment key without his wife's knowledge and three days later he sneaked back into the apartment, vandalising it and installing a listening app on his daughter's tablet.

Hours later he was listening to the app and heard his wife talking and laughing with man. He then rushed back to the apartment, shooting Barron three times before shooting his wife in the head.

Brast said that Abulaban then called his mother and confessed.

Judge Kimberlee Lagotta ordered Abulaban to be held in jail without bail.