A raging TikTok star gunned down his estranged wife and her friend.
The two were killed on Oct. 21, 2021, at the San Diego high-rise apartment Ali and Ana had shared, though Ali had moved into a hotel shortly before the murders.
Ali Abulaban took the stand in his own defense, breaking down and admitting to assaulting her on multiple occasions.
He is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Ana Abulaban and Rayburn Barron.
ALI PLEADS GUILTY
Ali, now 31, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder.
His defense team says he was experiencing a mental health crisis due to his marriage falling apart, was upset that his wife was seeing someone else and was not thinking rationally.
HOW ALI WAS FORCED TO LEAVE MILITARY
Ali met Ana while working as a police officer in the Air Force, but was later forced to leave the military after he was accused of assaulting her.
THE DAY OF THE MURDERS
On the day of the murders, Ali said that he heard his wife and a man’s voice laughing on the app. His response was to do cocaine and head to the apartment, armed with a gun.
Driving over to the apartment, Ali testified that he was continuing to use the drug, saying, ‘It’s probably the most coke I’ve ever done.’
Ali became emotional on the stand, recounting walking into the apartment and discovering that Ana was there with his friend, Rayburn Barron.
READ ALSO: Trump BOASTS Putin will free jailed American journalist Gershkovich for him if he’s elected
HIS CONFESSION
‘When I saw that it was him, I couldn’t take it. I couldn’t take the [expletive] betrayal. I couldn’t believe she could do that to me, to our daughter.
‘And before I could stop myself, I just [expletive] snapped and my gun was in my hand and next thing I’m shooting and I can’t stop. I’m just shooting, I’m shooting. I’m even startled, it’s like I’m watching it happen, like I’m in the passenger seat of my own body.’
While Ali said that he remembered shooting at Barron, he said he couldn’t remember shooting Ana.
He also denied remembering taking a photo at the scene, saying he was in a fog and didn’t know how to ‘process’ what was happening.
Ali faced a contentious cross-examination that had him asking the judge at one point, ‘What happens when the question is forcing me to say something specific?’ as the prosecutor grilled him on the patterns of violence in his relationships.
The judge had to intervene to calm both sides after a particularly tense exchange in which the prosecutor asked about an alleged assault on his mother.
Watch him speak in court below.
