Latest / Murder Files Unsealed / TikTok Star Convicted of Murdering Estranged Wife and Her Friend
Transcript
- 0:00Ali Abulaban, a former TikTok sensation, has been convicted of the murder of
- 0:05his estranged wife Anna Abulaban and her friend Rayburn Baron by a San Diego jury.
- 0:12The sentencing for the two counts of first degree murder is scheduled for June
- 0:16twenty eighth. The documentary TikTok Star Murders on Peacock delves into Ali's journey to
- 0:24fame on TikTok and the events leading up to the tragic deaths of Anna and
- 0:29Rayburn. Close friends and family members share their perspectives on the heartbreaking incident for
- 0:36the first time in this feature length film. Louis Ali's cousin, expressed to
- 0:43the producers that the recovery process from this devastating event will be a lengthy one
- 0:49for everyone involved Ali and Anna's relationship. Ali and Anna first crossed paths in
- 0:58Okinawa, Japan, back in twenty fourteen. Anna's friend Julia mentioned that Anna
- 1:03was drawn to Ali, who was then serving in the U. S Air
- 1:07Force, due to his vibrant personality. Another friend of Anna's, Kayla,
- 1:11shared, I believe she saw in him someone who was accomplished, level headed,
- 1:15and held a high position in the military, they shared many moments of
- 1:19joy and love. Their relationship encountered a hurdle when Ali was discharged from the
- 1:26military after a drunken dispute with one of Anna's friends. As per Julia,
- 1:32he would get quite upset whenever someone praised Anna's beauty or expressed envy at having
- 1:37her, Julia explained. Following his discharge, Ali chose to return to Virginia
- 1:44while Anna went back to the Philippines with her family. However, Anna soon
- 1:49found out she was expecting Ali's child after returning to the Philippines, leading the
- 1:53couple to apply for a marriage visa. During the waiting period for the visa
- 1:59approval, Anna gave birth to their daughter, Amrah. In twenty seventeen,
- 2:06Anna relocated to Bristow, Virginia with their daughter Amira, and tied the knot
- 2:12with Ali in a simple courthouse ceremony. It seemed like a perfect match,
- 2:17remarked Ali's cousin Louis Ali's TikTok videos. Ali's dedication to his craft was evident.
- 2:25Journalist Andrea Marx noted it served as his gateway to stardom, shedding light
- 2:30on the murky side of social media. Anna occasionally made appearances in Jinkid's videos,
- 2:37contributing to his TikTok following. By twenty twenty, he amassed millions of
- 2:43views and achieved Instagram verification, a significant milestone for online creators. The verified
- 2:50badge opened doors to brand collaborations, allowing Ali to monetize his content effectively escalates.
- 3:01During that period, Ali initiated live streaming his arguments with Anna on TikTok
- 3:07and spoke negatively about her to his followers. Julia mentioned that this was the
- 3:13turning point when things took a significant turn for the worse. Ali crossed paths
- 3:19with Rayburn, a friend of Anna's who displayed romantic interest in her. Anna's
- 3:24bond with Rayburn sparked jealousy in Ali, leading to physical altercations. Following a
- 3:30domestic violence incident, Anna threatened to involve the authorities and share evidence of her
- 3:37injuries on social media. Despite the turmoil, Anna hesitated to end the relationship
- 3:44with Ali. It wasn't until a neighbour revealed that she had been intimate with
- 3:49Ali that Anna decided to leave him and seek refuge at another friend's residence.
- 3:57In the midst of this, Anna uploaded a tik tok video accusing Ali of
- 4:01infidelity in their shared home, prompting Ali to issue threats of further violence.
- 4:09Although she eventually removed the video, the damage was done as Ali felt his
- 4:14reputation was at stake. In October twenty twenty one, Ali proposed to vacate
- 4:20the apartment so that Anna could reside there with their daughter. However, unbeknownst
- 4:26to Anna, Ali had vandalized the apartment and installed an application on their daughter's
- 4:30iPad to eavesdrop on conversations as detailed in the documentary. Concerned that her daughter
- 4:38would return to a chaotic environment and inquire about the situation, Anna requested Julia
- 4:44to pick a Mira up from school and look after her while she cleaned up
- 4:47the apartment. The murder trial. During one of the initial court hearings,
- 4:56Ali displayed no signs of remorse for the deaths of Alie and Rayburn, referring
- 5:00to his deceased wife as a derogatory term after learning that she had invited Raeburn
- 5:06to her hotel. Bailiffs had to restrain Ali during this courtroom outburst, which
- 5:13garnered significant attention in the local media. Following Ali's disruptive behavior in court,
- 5:18Local journalist Kelsey Christensen contacted him for a jailhouse interview. During the interview,
- 5:27Ali claimed to have caught Anna kissing Raeburn on their couch, but stated that
- 5:31the events afterward were hazy. Expressing his regret, Ali emotionally declared, I
- 5:39wanted to be an actor and it was right there. While discussing his arrest,
- 5:44I'm the loser here. I lost. During his testimony, Ali claimed
- 5:48to have felt manipulated by Anna upon discovering Raeburn's presence in the apartment, as
- 5:55revealed in the documentary. Ultimately, following the presentation of all audio recordings and
- 6:00Ali's testimony, the jury convicted him on two counts of first degree murder.