A TikTok star with almost a million followers has pleaded not guilty to the fatal shooting of his newly estranged wife and a man she was with.
Prosecutors in court on Monday said Ali Abulaban, 29, installed a listening device on his five-year-old daughter’s tablet, according to NBC 7.
He went to their home in San Diego, California, when he heard his wife and another man talking and laughing. He then allegedly shot them both to death.
San Diego County Deputy District Attorney Taren Brast said the TikToker, known on the app as ‘JinnKid’, then went to pick up his daughter from school, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Abulaban pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder as well as special circumstance allegations of multiple killings in San Diego County Superior Court.
In court, Brast explained that Abulaban is a well-known TikTok creator with over 940,000 followers. His account features comedy skits and impersonations of the character Tony Montana from the 1983 film ‘Scarface.’
The charges and special allegations allow prosecutors to pursue the death penalty if Abulaban is convicted although the district attorney’s office has not announced whether it plans to do this.
These decisions are usually made after a preliminary hearing. Abulaban’s attorney did not comment on the allegations during the hearing.
Police identified the victims Monday as Ana Abulaban, 28, of San Diego and Rayburn Cadenas Barron, 29, of National City, California.
The shooting happened just before 3pm last Thursday in Ana Abulaban’s apartment on the 35th floor of a San Diego high-rise.
Brast said Ali Abulaban confessed to detectives and accused his wife of cheating, but the prosecutor said she believes Barron was a friend.
Ana Abulaban had asked her husband to move out on October 18, and he checked into a hotel.
Brast said he returned three days later, trashed the apartment and installed the app on his daughter’s iPad to spy. Hours later, while listening to the app, he heard his wife and a man.
Security footage shows him running out of the elevator to the apartment.
Brast said Abulaban shot Barron three times before shooting his wife in her head and then called his mother and confessed.
Abulaban called police around 3.10pm after picking up his daughter. He was arrested while she was in the vehicle. She was not present during the shooting and has since been staying with family.
Police records show his wife called and reported that he had pushed her, causing minor injuries. She had planned to file a restraining order, Brast said.
Abulaban is being held without bail. He is also required by a protective order to stay away from his daughter.
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