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TikTok Star Murder Trial
Prosecutors wanted the jury to hear from close friends and relatives of the Abulabans. On the stand was Ali's cousin who was communicating with him at the time of the murders. Jurors learned more about what may have motivated this TikTok star to plot and carry out the murders of his wife and her friend. According to his cousin, Ali got jealous that his wife was hanging out with another man after they separated. This was after Ali himself had sex with another woman in the couple's apartment.
S1, EP51 "Life In The Military And Overseas"
Jurors heard directly from Ali Abulaban on the stand explain his life in the U.S. military. Years before he was accused of shooting and killing his wife, Ana, and her friend, Rayburn Barron, the defendant was in the Air Force based in Japan. That's where he first met his wife, Ana. Ali was formally discharged from the military. But he claimed it was not a dishonorable discharge nor was it an honorable discharge. Instead, he said it was in the gray area.
S1, EP52 "The Beginning Of The Troubled Romance"
It was great in the beginning was how Ali Abulaban described the start of his marriage with Ana which included the birth of their daughter. On the stand In his double murder trial, Ali gave his side of the story. For the first time jurors heard a different perspective of Ana, her character and personality. Instead of the abused wife from a controlling, jealous husband, Ali painted a portrait of her as a manipulative, demanding wife who had a party side to her.
S1, EP53 "The Rising Social Media Star"
Ali Abulaban explained to the jury how he began a cocaine addiction which was his attempt to cope with his new life in San Diego. Next, jurors watched the defendant's most viral social media clips as a rising star. He was a hit on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. Before Ana was killed along with her friend Rayburn Barron, she would help shoot these videos that grew his fan base online.
S1, EP54 "Breaking Down His Rocky Marriage"
The marital problems between Ali and Ana Abulaban were told by him in his double murder trial. So far jurors heard how Ana's manipulation, selfishness and insults were the causes of the major fights in their relationship-which ended up with her being shot to death along with her friend, Rayburn Barron. On the stand, Ali was detailed in giving jurors more backstory and explanations to his marital drama he had with Ana over the years.
S1, EP50 "Defendant Takes The Stand"
The defendant took the stand in his own murder trial. Jurors would decide later if he's guilty of plotting and carrying out the fatal shootings of his estranged wife, Ana, and her friend, Rayburn Barron. On the stand, Ali Abulaban explained his allegedly abusive childhood caused by his tormenting father. This was all part of the Defense's aim to highlight how serious his mental issues were when he committed the deadly shootings.
S1, EP49 "Challenging The Psychological Evaluation"
Under cross-examination, the State drilled the forensic psychologist who evaluated the defendant after he was arrested for murdering his wife, Ana, and her friend, Rayburn Barron. The lead prosecutor accused the defendant of exaggeration, omissions, and flat-out Lies throughout the whole process. Was Ali Abulaban a victim of mental illness before committing the murders? Or simply an out-of-control husband who could not accept that his wife left him?
S1, EP48 "Mental Health Diagnosis"
In her testimony to the jury, Dr. Francesca Lehman claimed that his mental illness may have affected the defendant's judgment and decision making in the lead up to the murders of his wife, Ana, and her friend, Rayburn Barron. After performing a full mental health evaluation, Dr. Lehman diagnosed Ali Abulaban with bipolar I disorder, Complex trauma, alcohol and stimulant dependence, and unspecified Personality Disorder with borderline, antisocial, and narcissistic features.
S1, EP47 "Dr. Francesca Lehman"
Would mental illness be a mitigating factor in Ali Abulaban's role in the double homicides? The Defense argued he acted out of heated passion while the state contended years of domestic abuse opened the door to first-degree murder. The psychological evaluation of Ali Abulaban made its way to his defense case to jurors. Dr. Francesca Lehman, was the forensic psychologist who evaluated him. She explained in detail her findings to the jury.
