'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAGAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQG/8QAFQEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAX/2gAMAwEAAhADEAAAAIsKKnf/xAAhEAACAAYBBQAAAAAAAAAAAAABAgADBAURIhQhIzOhov/aAAgBAQABPwCstNunUZC0AlqylNJ7B+owdsY+Y4tsk9rl3TTXx059lI//xAAWEQEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACAAH/2gAIAQIBAT8A0G//xAAYEQACAwAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQITQf/aAAgBAwEBPwCyS0//2Q=='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Ana Abulaban lost her life during a very tragic incident that has gained immense interest due to the surprising amalgamation of violence and social media stardom. On October 21, 2021, Ana was brutally murdered by her husband Ali Abulaban, a rising TikTok star.
This horrific incident, which also took the life of Ana's friend Rayburn Barron, has been featured in a documentary titled TikTok Star Murders that aired on Oxygen on June 25, 2024. The documentary covers, in detail, the toxic and abusive relationship between Ana and Ali, which led to the fatal day when Ali's uncontrollable jealousy and paranoia caused him to murder them in cold blood.
This episode, which aired days before Ali's sentencing, revisits the events leading up to this tragedy and shines a light on the hazards of unchecked social media influence and domestic abuse.
Trending
Events leading up to Ana Abulaban's death
Ana Abulaban met Ali in 2014 while both were serving in the Air Force in Okinawa, Japan. A once-promising relationship rapidly turned toxic as Ali's social media fame rose. In 2021, the couple moved to San Diego, where Ali's controlling behavior and abuse allegedly began to escalate.
Ana Abulaban, who had started building her online following, now found herself an object of Ali's growing jealousy. All of this culminated in Ana leaving Ali after consistent months of verbal, emotional, and physical abuse at his hands.
According to Time, in the days leading up to her death, Ana Abulaban had left Ali because of domestic violence. The separation did little to break Ali's obsession with Ana, who had attached a listening device on the iPad belonging to their young daughter, to keep tabs on whatever Ana said.
On October 21, 2021, Ana Abulaban called her friend Rayburn Barron for help after finding that Ali had vandalized her apartment.
Events of the morning of October 21, 2021
Rayburn Barron was a very good friend to Ana Abulaban and had supported her during her separation from Ali. Rayburn came over to Ana's apartment on the day of the murder to help clean up the mess Ali made earlier in the day when he broke her mailbox and toilet, and spray-painted slurs onto the walls.
What Ana failed to realize was that Ali had been listening in on their conversation via the app that Ali had installed on their daughter's iPad.
According to Time, upon hearing Rayburn's voice, a triggered Ali immediately rushed to the apartment armed with a handgun and gained entry by forcing his way in. In a rage of uncontrollable anger, he shot Ana and Rayburn to death.
Rayburn, though there for reasons innocent and out of concern for Ana, became one more target of Ali's violence. His death, with that of Ana, underlines the terrible outcome because of a lack of check on Ali's violent tendencies.
The aftermath and arrest of Ali Abulaban
According to the same publication, following the murders, Ali Abulaban was arrested and readily admitted to the killings during his police questioning. He was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, a gun use allegation, and the special circumstance allegation of committing multiple murders.
In May 2024, he went before the court to start his trial, where horrific details would be shared by the court about Ali's abusive behavior and events leading to the murders. As such, Ali's temper and unpredictable behavior came into focus during the trial. Most notably, during a January 2022 preliminary hearing, he erupted in anger when one detective insinuated that Ana and Rayburn were intimate.
Throughout the trial, his failure to accept that the marriage was over and his jealousy over the friendship between Ana and Rayburn ultimately led to his conviction. Ana Abulaban's tragic death puts into stark focus the lethal consequences of domestic abuse, jealousy, and anger management issues.
Oxygen's TikTok Star Murders documentary shows, in harrowing detail, the events leading up to the murders, giving viewers insight into a less-than-savory side of social media fame and where it might take one to compromise toxic personal relationships.
The documentary is, most poignantly, a reminder of the lives lost and the amount of ruining it has caused while Abulaban waits for sentencing for these senseless acts of violence.
