Social media influencer Ali Abulaban, also known as “JinnKId,” has been sentenced to two consecutive life terms without parole for the murder of his Filipino-American wife, Ana Abulaban, and another man in San Diego, California.
A social media personality has been sentenced to two consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole, along with an additional 50 years, for the fatal shooting of his Filipino-American wife and another man inside an apartment in East Village, San Diego, California.
Ali Abulaban, 32, known in online circles as content creator “JinnKId,” was convicted in May on two counts of first-degree murder for the shooting of Ana Abulaban, 28, and Rayburn Cardenas Barron, 29, on October 21, 2022. The victims were found shot on a sofa inside the 35th-floor unit of the Spire San Diego apartments.
During the trial, which lasted nearly a month and included three days of testimony from Abulaban, Deputy District Attorney Taren Brast emphasized that Abulaban became enraged after learning that his wife was planning to leave him. It was argued that he premeditated the killing of his wife and any man she might be with.
Defense attorney Jodi Green sought a voluntary manslaughter conviction, stating that Abulaban had suspected for months that his wife was having an affair. Overcome with anger, Abulaban shot the two after finding them together on the sofa.
The defense also argued that Abulaban had undiagnosed mental health issues and a cocaine addiction and that he had grown up in an abusive family. These experiences, according to the defense, influenced his emotional responses and contributed to the breakdown of his marriage.