In October 2021, the viral TikTok star Ali Abulaban, who posted under the handle Jinnkid and boasted nearly one million followers, killed his wife Ana Abulaban and her friend Rayburn Barron, suspecting that she was cheating on him. He was convicted of the crimes in May 2024. The paranoia that led to these murders was coupled with addiction, an obsession with fame, and multiple accounts of domestic violence.
On June 25, Peacock will release the documentary TikTok Star Murders, which features rare recordings and footage that paint a picture even grimmer than what the internet has already seen.
The trailer shows how Ali would often capture his arguments with Ana, with clips showing him exclaiming, “Don’t get married, guys. I threw my whole life away for her.” In other moments, Ana can be seen begging her husband to leave her home and screaming that he’s hurting her.
“Ali’s a rising star on TikTok. He’s doing these impressions. Ali becomes obsessed with fame,” Rolling Stone staff writer Andrea Marks, who is featured in the documentary, states in the trailer. “And ultimately, that path reveals the dark underbelly of social media.” The documentary also includes first-time interviews with Ali and Ana’s close friends and family, as well as commentary from reporter Kelsey Christensen, who interviewed Ali when he was first arrested. The events of the incident are contextualied within the 90-minute project by a clinical and forensic psychologist.
Ali came to fame in late 2019 through his impressions of Skyrim and Scarface and shared one child with Ana. Following a two-week-long trial in May 2024, he was found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder. He is currently scheduled to be sentenced on June 28 and faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Michaela Coel in ‘The Christophers.’Claudette Barius/NEON
