SAN DIEGO — A TikTok star with nearly a million followers on the platform pleaded not guilty on Monday after being charged with shooting and killing his wife and her companion at a local apartment complex.
According to police, 29-year-old Ali Nasser Abulaban was arrested and charged with the murder after his wife, 28-year-old Ana Abulaban, and her companion, 29-year-old Rayburn Cardenas Barron, were fatally shot dead on Thursday.
The shooting happened just after 3 p.m. local time in the East Village district of San Diego.
When officers arrived, they found the victims with gunshot wounds to their upper bodies in the home's living room.
"Officers and San Diego Fire-Rescue personnel assessed their injuries, but both were pronounced deceased at the scene," police said.
Detectives learned that the man who reported the shooting was also a resident of the apartment where the shooting took place and left the scene. Officers later spotted him on State Route 94. At that point, officers took Abulaban into custody.
"Abulaban's 5-year-old daughter was with him when he was arrested, however, she was not present at the time of the shooting. She is currently with family," police said.
According to Deputy District Attorney Taren Brast, Ana Abulaban had filed for divorce. Brast said Ali Abulaban was living in a hotel in nearby Mission Beach and had made a copy of a key to the couple's apartment.
Ali Abulaban had allegedly snuck in and vandalized the apartment Thursday morning. He also allegedly installed a listening app on his daughter's iPad, Brast added.
According to Brast, Ali Abulaban returned to the apartment later that afternoon after hearing his wife with another man. Abulaban proceeded to shoot both his wife and her companion before calling his mother to confess to the crime, Brast said.
Abulaban is currently being held without bail.
According to The Associated Press, prosecutors noted Abulaban is a well-known TikTok content creator who uses the handle "JinnKid." Abulaban has more than 940,000 followers on the social media platform.
Abulaban's TikTok account includes him impersonating Tony Montana, the lead character in the movie "Scarface."
This story was originally published by Zac Self and Jonathan Horn on Scripps station KGTV in San Diego.
