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00:21San Diego Emergency, dispatcher 8107.
00:25Yes, ma'am. My wife and another man were, um, I found them dead on the couch, bullet holes to
00:30the face.
00:31Wait, someone was shot?
00:34Two people, a man and my wife.
00:36Tell me what you saw when you went in there.
00:38I saw my wife on the couch with blood coming out of her head.
00:42My wife is on the couch. He's been great.
00:44I couldn't even, I couldn't even breathe when I saw them. They're so terrible.
01:03All right. So what do you call yourself, tough guy, huh?
01:06Como se llama?
01:09Antonio Montana.
01:11And you? What do you call yourself?
01:13Alia Bulaban is a TikTok superstar, blowing up the internet along with his glamorous wife, Anna.
01:19This couple is at the top of their game. Ali's impersonations of movie bad guys are racking up views and
01:26followers on TikTok.
01:28A lot of you have been asking me how to do the Tony Montana impression. I'm going to try explaining
01:33it.
01:33Hey, how'd you like that?
01:35People loved it. That's why they followed him. Wow, he portrays these characters so well.
01:40For Ali and Anna, it all started as a fairytale romance.
01:45Anna and Ali were living in Okinawa, Japan when they first met.
01:51He was in Japan, stationed there with the Air Force. She was working at a bar in Okinawa. She's from
01:58the Philippines.
01:59He just flipped out over when he first met her. I thought she was beautiful.
02:03She was also, I think, attracted to him. He had a very, very big personality.
02:07He was somebody who was doing well in the military, and sparks flew.
02:13They fell in love, and together they moved from Japan to the United States to Virginia.
02:19They had a little girl, and it seemed that they had a beautiful marriage.
02:24You ever look at your person and think to yourself, wow, how did I land you?
02:32Ali Aboulaban finds an outlet for his acting talent by making TikTok videos.
02:36So in 2019, Ali starts this as a hobby, and he is very gifted and talented, I think, at imitating
02:45these characters that are on TV.
02:48And in particular, his favorite movie was Scarface, and he was really amazing at impersonating Tony Montana, the character that
02:59Al Pacino plays.
03:00You guys aren't real.
03:02Are you kidding me or what?
03:04No, I'm serious.
03:06Nah, I'm real as fuck.
03:08Both of you guys are characters that I play.
03:11Over time, he begins incorporating Anna into the videos as well.
03:26The two of them are dancing together, and they're interacting with each other, and again, appear from TikTok videos to
03:34be this couple that's drama-free at one point, as they say, and seems to be incredibly happy together.
03:41In Virginia, Ali and Anna really did seem to have it all.
03:45They were the perfect couple living an American dream.
03:48Over time, though, Anna really began missing her friends, and she ends up taking a trip to San Diego to
03:57spend some time with one of her friends.
03:59And when she's there, she just falls in love with San Diego.
04:02She realizes how much she wants to be closer to her support network.
04:06Ali, he also saw what was in for him, which was, if I'm in San Diego, I'm two hours away
04:13from L.A., and this is going to give me an easier opportunity to do networking, to do other collaborations
04:19with our content creators.
04:20So I think it was a win-win.
04:22So in February of 2021, they moved their family to San Diego.
04:29They got an apartment at the Spires San Diego high-rise building.
04:34Anna was working on and off in San Diego.
04:37Ali got a job also as a contractor on the Naval Base with a security clearance.
04:43Once they got to San Diego, they continued their TikTok channel, which flourished.
04:50I've never met anyone else like you.
04:54And I don't think I ever will.
04:57I'm not saying that because it's cliche.
04:59I'm saying that because no one's ever moved me the way that you do.
05:04They had a lot of followers.
05:06It seemed they were living a really fun, lavish life.
05:10She's reconnecting with friends of hers.
05:13She's getting some positive feedback from people who are watching TikTok.
05:16Both Ali and Anna are enjoying the nightlife of San Diego.
05:21They are beginning to go out more as a couple.
05:24They're both beginning to do, to experiment with different drugs, particularly cocaine.
05:31Anna is more of a recreational drug user, but Ali goes all in.
05:36The drug use by Ali was far worse.
05:41He admitted that he had been using a couple of grams of cocaine a day and that he was addicted.
05:48And so the cocaine in their lifestyle became a problem.
05:53The cocaine boosts his already agitated state.
05:57The cocaine seemed to have quite an effect on Ali.
06:01It made him controlling, made him aggressive.
06:03Again, something that just doesn't mix well with the relationship, especially a relationship with troubles.
06:09Internet stardom, cocaine, and conflict at home make for a deadly cocktail.
06:14Getting a million followers and getting all this adulation, it's more than his ego can handle.
06:20And the line between Ali's characters on TikTok and his real-life role as a husband and father start to
06:26blur.
06:28Ali Aboulaban's bad boy persona, it's a hit on social media.
06:32But it's when it follows him home that it doesn't go so well.
06:54A few years into their marriage, Aboulaban starts getting violent with his wife, Anna.
07:03But then he takes it one step further.
07:05He starts making it all part of his act.
07:16When Anna was calling the police to report that he was violent with her and had pushed her down in
07:22their apartment,
07:23while she was on the phone with the dispatcher, Ali was making a live social media post
07:30where he was berating Anna for calling the police on him.
07:36Soon, a shot of jealousy is stirred into the toxic mix.
07:40What's his name?
07:41There's no name, Ali.
07:43What's his name? Just be honest.
07:44There is nobody.
07:45There has to be.
07:45The drugs distort Ali's view of the world.
07:48He feels threatened when he sees Anna getting all this attention on his TikToks.
07:52And that adds fuel to his rage.
07:54He's realizing that by including Anna in these videos, which I think he initially saw was going to boost his
08:02success
08:03and his feedback, he's all of a sudden saying, wow, my wife is getting also this attention.
08:09She's getting all these comments.
08:10And that's not really the role I want for her.
08:13Give me my phone back.
08:16Ali, give me my phone back.
08:18There we got Marquise.
08:18That's the fucking place you have the birthday.
08:21Yeah.
08:21Oh, so you're going.
08:23Luke's going to be there.
08:24I told you we're going to hotels, dumbass.
08:26Yeah, this is the after party, and you're going.
08:28Luke is not there.
08:29Yeah.
08:29Why do you think I can bring a kid?
08:30Because nobody's there with our girls, you stupid fuck.
08:33Ali begins to spiral, and he starts to feel that Anna is hanging out with her friends too much.
08:39He's berating her for not having sex with him.
08:42He's becoming more abusive, controlling, and he starts to think that she's cheating on him.
08:51You are fucking lying to me.
08:53You said you were going to be out for two hours, and we were going to pick our daughter up,
08:57and we were going to go back home.
08:58You said you were going to fucking call me when we get home.
09:00It's four in the goddamn morning.
09:01You fucking lied, and you're cheating on me, you fucking bitch.
09:04He's on TikTok.
09:06He's discussing with others about how his relationship is going south.
09:11Ali Aboulaban is jealous.
09:12He is afraid that his wife, Anna, is cheating on him, and that he's losing her.
09:17That is what leads to the 911 phone call that Anna makes on September 8th.
09:22But for Ali, his alpha male persona takes over, and he turns what is a real-life marital crisis into
09:30a TikTok video.
09:31And that was the instance where, while Anna was calling the dispatcher and speaking with the 911 operator
09:38to report what Ali had done to her, he was making that live social media post.
09:45I'll bring you to San Diego for what, so you can run to your friends?
09:49Fucking bitch.
09:51You're not even an American citizen.
09:52I brought you to this goddamn country.
09:54Name one man that would do that shit for you, bitch.
09:56Yeah, just don't say anything to him.
09:58That way, there, he doesn't flare up again.
10:00Oh, great.
10:00You were on the phone with police while I said that?
10:03Wow.
10:05I thought you were done with the phone call.
10:06Okay, great.
10:07Are we on speaker?
10:08Yes, ma'am.
10:09Can you take me off the speaker, please?
10:11Yes.
10:12Then Ali fled the apartment after Anna called 911.
10:17So police arrived.
10:19San Diego Police Department!
10:24I think he just left that house.
10:26Just left?
10:26Is it just you?
10:27It's just me and my daughter's here.
10:29Yes, she's here.
10:29You want to take that?
10:30Yes.
10:31So what was the fight about?
10:33They were having an argument over a suitcase.
10:36Ali got mad.
10:38They were standing in the bedroom.
10:40Ali pushed Anna down towards the foot of their bed.
10:45And she fell on the ground, scraped her knee and her elbow,
10:50and hit her head on the foot of the bed.
10:53You're on your knees right here, fixing the suitcase,
10:57removing stuff.
10:58Yeah.
10:58And then he pushed you over there.
11:00And then can you show me where, like, your body part contacted that?
11:05It's right here.
11:06Like, my head.
11:07It's right here.
11:08So police got Anna's statement, took photographs of her injuries,
11:13and she was advised about obtaining a restraining order
11:18and the resources to obtain a restraining order against Ali.
11:22However, ultimately never filed one or sought one out,
11:27most likely because Ali and his family kept telling her,
11:31don't get a restraining order.
11:34You know, Ali said, I'll lose my security clearance.
11:36I'll lose my job.
11:38I'll lose our daughter.
11:40And so I'm sure that played a role in her thinking
11:43and ultimately not getting a restraining order against him.
11:46And so particularly in September and October,
11:50things become very, very difficult.
11:52And Anna, I think, is becoming increasingly concerned
11:55and increasingly convinced that it is no longer safe
11:59to be in this relationship or to be in this living space with him.
12:04And then Anna moved out of the apartment with their daughter,
12:09stayed with her friend Claire,
12:11while Ali stayed in the apartment because he refused to leave.
12:16He alternates between trying to be super sweet
12:18and, you know, coats her back into the relationship
12:21and then becoming abusive again.
12:24Hey, Anna.
12:25Um, just want to say good morning.
12:27Good morning to Amira.
12:29Um, I just figured instead of texting you,
12:32I'll send you a video.
12:33My intention here is to just let you know
12:35I get it.
12:37And I'm so sorry.
12:38I really am so fucking sorry for what I'm putting you through.
12:41How fucking stupid.
12:43What happened to me?
12:45It was the drugs?
12:46It wasn't my insecurities?
12:48And then he is angry
12:49and he begins doing really strange things
12:53in terms of recording their arguments
12:55and going on, you know, TikTok
12:58and really putting her down and berating her
13:01and, you know, just recording things
13:04that you would never expect him to record.
13:06Abulaban's marriage is failing
13:08and it's playing out right on TikTok.
13:11She don't think.
13:12She don't think.
13:14She don't think.
13:15And you know what?
13:17Goodbye to your little citizenship there, Miss Filipino.
13:22But I'm not fucking petty.
13:24I don't call the police on people I love.
13:26Fuck out of here, bro.
13:29This bitch lured me to San Diego for what?
13:31So she could be a hoe with all her friends?
13:33I'm lying to them, Molly.
13:34No, it's the truth.
13:35Yeah, you got friends now.
13:36Now you don't have a husband.
13:37Okay.
13:37Has Anna had enough and started seeing a male friend?
13:41Or is her husband just imagining her infidelity?
13:44Either way, they're fighting more and more
13:46and it's becoming louder and louder.
13:48And so between July and October of 2021,
13:53there are nine phone calls to police,
13:56primarily by neighbors and people who are overhearing this,
14:01concerned about Anna and about what's happening to her.
14:05She had told him the marriage was over towards the end of September,
14:09that there was no going back after he was with another woman sexually.
14:13And so she started ultimately seeing Rayburn Barron.
14:19Rayburn Barron was a friend of Anna's,
14:22somebody that Ali did not like from the get-go.
14:24But he was described as being a caring guy,
14:27caring for his family,
14:28and overall a good person.
14:32Ali was still living in the apartment.
14:34And then they agreed that Anna and their daughter would move back in
14:39because their daughter's school was nearby.
14:42It was a more stable setting for her
14:44to be back in the home where she was living.
14:47And so Anna and their daughter moved back in on October 18, 2021,
14:52and Ali moved out.
14:55His father paid for a hotel for him in Mission Bay,
14:59but their marriage was deteriorating.
15:03There was more violence by Ali,
15:05more controlling and possessive behavior over Anna.
15:09Enough!
15:11Ali, enough.
15:12You don't fuck this shit.
15:15Can somebody please help me?
15:18Hello?
15:19Ali!
15:20Stop.
15:21You mean the fuck alone?
15:22You're hurting my fucking finger!
15:24I'm trying to leave this house!
15:25Yeah, that's not cool.
15:26Give me my phone!
15:27There's a bunch of guys?
15:28Give me my phone!
15:29Bunch of guys, huh?
15:30Give me my phone!
15:31There's no guys!
15:33Give me my phone!
15:33He's becoming more stressed
15:35about the fact that he's starting to feel like
15:38he is losing control of his wife.
15:40I think that that change in behavior
15:43that Ali sees is extremely threatening to him,
15:46and I think he starts realizing
15:48that he really is losing his grasp on her.
15:54I want to know what's going on.
15:56Talk to me.
15:56Respond to my texts.
15:57I gave you seven texts.
15:58You're not responding.
15:59You're not answering my calls.
16:02You said you're not going out tonight.
16:03You lie to me all the time!
16:06Ali is so convinced that Anna betrayed him
16:09that he comes up with this stalker-like plan
16:11to find out exactly what's going on.
16:14Ali was researching how to install a listening device,
16:20how to install an application on an iPad,
16:23how to listen to a room remotely,
16:26how to spy on your wife, things like that.
16:29And so he was looking up various websites
16:31and reading up on it,
16:33and then ultimately decided to activate
16:37a Discord application on their daughter's iPad,
16:41which was inside the apartment.
16:42So on the morning of October 21st, 2021,
16:46Ali used that key card that he had kept,
16:50didn't tell Anna that he was going into the apartment,
16:54entered the apartment,
16:55at some point located the iPad,
16:58activated that Discord application,
17:01also activated an application on his phone
17:04to be able to listen to live conversations
17:06from the apartment.
17:08And then Ali put the iPad on a charger
17:11behind the master bed and left the apartment.
17:14He wants to know what's going on with her all the time.
17:18He is increasingly paranoid
17:20about her faithfulness to him.
17:23He is definitely spiraling.
17:25It's very scary in a relationship
17:28when one person wants it to end
17:30and the other person is so obsessed
17:33with the idea of them having this perfect marriage
17:38or appearing to have a perfect marriage
17:40and the control that they want to retain over that person.
17:44That's when it becomes very dangerous.
17:46When Ali leaves the apartment
17:48just before Anna returns
17:49with her friend Rayburn Barron,
17:51it's basically a ticking time bomb.
17:54So Anna and Rayburn Barron
17:57went back to the apartment at Spire San Diego
18:00around 2 o'clock on October 21st, 2021.
18:05Ali is listening in on the device
18:07that was planted on his daughter's iPad.
18:09He then hears Anna and a male's voice
18:12in the apartment.
18:13He heard Anna giggling with another man
18:16inside their apartment.
18:18So he got into his Jeep.
18:21At some point, he loaded his gun.
18:23Ali is big mad,
18:25and he's going to do something about it.
18:28When someone is in a fit of rage,
18:31they are not in their right frame of mind.
18:34He was high on drugs.
18:36He felt powerful.
18:38He had a gun.
18:39He felt like he could end them both
18:41for deceiving him.
18:50When Ali hears his estranged wife, Anna,
18:53and her male friend talking and laughing
18:55on this listening device he's concocted,
18:57his toxic masculinity goes into overdrive,
19:01and he races over to her apartment,
19:02dead set on getting revenge.
19:05He parked outside of the Spire parking garage.
19:09Ali entered on foot,
19:12ran down the parking garage ramp.
19:14This was on surveillance video
19:16around 2.50 p.m. on October 21st.
19:20You can see Ali running back to the street
19:23and then back down the parking ramp.
19:26He was adjusting the belt around his holster.
19:30At 2.53 p.m.,
19:31Ali started an audio recording on his cell phone
19:34that he put in his jeans pocket.
19:37And then you can see on the surveillance video
19:40at 2.55 p.m.,
19:42Ali enters the elevator
19:45at the parking garage level.
19:47He had the white key card.
19:48He flashed it to press 35,
19:51and it was a three-minute elevator ride
19:54up to the 35th floor.
19:56You can see Ali
19:58with a black baggy sweatshirt on,
20:01so covering the gun in the holster
20:03that was inside his jeans.
20:05His phone also not visible in his pocket.
20:07And then he rode the elevator up calmly.
20:10He would have a couple of short interactions
20:13with other individuals
20:14who got on and off the elevator.
20:16And then ultimately,
20:18at 2.58 p.m.,
20:20Ali ran off the elevator,
20:22not even waiting for the doors to fully open.
20:24Ali ran down the hallway.
20:27This was captured on a Nest video.
20:30Then he turned the corner,
20:31ran down that short hallway
20:33to their apartment.
20:34He still has the audio recording on,
20:37so you can hear him running
20:40with the phone in his pocket.
20:43Then you hear him using the key card
20:44to enter the apartment.
20:47You hear the door open,
20:49and then you hear Anna scream.
20:53One second after Ali entered the apartment,
20:56he racked his gun,
20:58and you hear a clink
20:59as if a bullet fell to the ground.
21:01And then Ali fired the first shot.
21:05Ali shot at Ray first.
21:07Then he's walking towards the living room.
21:10He racks his gun again.
21:12He fired four more shots.
21:14They're about one second apart.
21:16He killed Ray first,
21:18and he shoots him twice in the head
21:22and once in the throat.
21:25Meanwhile, there's Anna,
21:27just terrified.
21:29And then he stood in front of Anna.
21:32He racked his gun again,
21:33and she screams.
21:35And he turns to Anna,
21:39and he shoots her in the forehead.
22:01He has taken pictures
22:03of the bodies of his wife
22:08and her friend, Ray.
22:11He's also recorded the whole thing.
22:22And then he left the apartment.
22:26He opened the door,
22:27screamed Anna's name,
22:28and then closed the door,
22:32walked down the hallway pacing,
22:34and then went back into the apartment,
22:36again screaming Anna's name.
22:38Around 3.07 and 3.09,
22:43Ali sent text messages
22:45with that photograph of the dead bodies
22:48to both of his parents
22:49and to his friend.
22:51Why would he videotape this?
22:53Why would he take pictures?
22:55You know, was there this blurring
22:56of boundaries
22:57between his online persona
22:59and himself?
23:00He was, in some respects,
23:03documenting his victory
23:05over the situation.
23:07So maybe the influencer in him
23:09lost sight of the difference
23:11between a video playing on social media
23:13and a murder playing out
23:14in real life.
23:15It definitely feels
23:17as if he was not in reality.
23:21He didn't realize
23:22the cul-capability
23:24that he was admitting to
23:26when he filmed the killings,
23:29when he took photographs
23:31of their bodies afterward,
23:32and when he called folks
23:34to tell them what had happened
23:36and admitted to it.
24:02You could hear it
24:03where he is
24:04in the hallways of the apartment
24:06where he's telling his mother,
24:07I killed her, I killed her.
24:17He doesn't seem
24:18to have any remorse
24:19until he's saying,
24:20I'm sorry, Mom.
24:21I'm sorry, Mom.
24:23Which is very interesting
24:24because he seems
24:25very cold-blooded
24:26and matter-of-fact
24:27about the killings
24:28of Anna and Ray,
24:30but almost soft
24:31when it comes to
24:32how much he's hurt his mom
24:33in committing
24:34this brutal crime.
24:44At about 12 minutes
24:45after the murders occurred,
24:46he makes a 911 call
24:48where he says
24:49that he has
24:50come to the apartment
24:51and he has discovered
24:55the bodies
24:56of his wife
24:57and another man.
24:59San Diego Emergency,
25:00dispatcher, 8107.
25:03Yes, ma'am.
25:03My wife and another man
25:04were, um,
25:05I found them dead
25:06on the couch.
25:07Pull it home to the face.
25:10Wait, someone was shot?
25:13Two people,
25:13a man and, uh,
25:14my wife.
25:15So he is telling them
25:18about this crime scene,
25:20but he's portraying it
25:21as somebody
25:22who is a witness
25:24to the aftermath
25:26of these two murders.
25:29Stand by.
25:29Please help my wife.
25:30Please help me.
25:31Okay, hold on, sir.
25:32Please help me.
25:34Sir, sir, stand by.
25:35I'm bringing on my supervisor.
25:37What is your name?
25:38My name is Ali.
25:39Ali?
25:40Okay.
25:40Yes, I'm her husband.
25:41I'm her husband.
25:42Tell me what you saw
25:42when you went in there.
25:44I saw my wife
25:45on the couch.
25:47I don't know who he is.
25:49I mean, I know him.
25:50He's been a great.
25:51I couldn't even,
25:52I couldn't even breathe
25:52when I saw him.
25:53It was so terrible.
25:54Ali was calm at first
25:56during that call
25:57and then tried to say
25:58it was horrible.
25:59Please help them
26:00and then hung up the call.
26:03And so officers
26:03were already dispatched
26:05to the Spire building.
26:07But Ali Aboulaban
26:09evades the officers
26:10when he slips out
26:11of the building
26:12to pick up his daughter
26:12from school.
26:13We got two down.
26:14We got two down.
26:15Emergency entry.
26:16I need a team.
26:17I need a team.
26:17I need a team.
26:18Clear his app.
26:19Go, go, go, go, go, go, go.
26:22Someone came here
26:23and shot them.
26:24That's the guy
26:25that he's describing.
26:26Yeah, Chief,
26:27they both took rounds
26:27on their head.
26:28Do me a favor.
26:29Help out with security.
26:31For us,
26:31I don't want someone
26:32coming back,
26:33doubling back over here
26:34and smoking.
26:35Okay.
26:35Okay.
26:36And so the officers
26:37were able to gather information
26:39on who they thought
26:40got the suspect was
26:42and the vehicle
26:43associated with the apartment,
26:45which is when
26:46they were able to
26:47send units around
26:48looking for the black jeep.
26:50And ultimately,
26:51a couple of officers
26:52located the black jeep
26:54driving away
26:55from the area
26:56of the school
26:56towards the freeway.
26:58And they followed him
26:59for a short while.
27:00And then Ali
27:01pulled the vehicle over
27:03and the officers
27:04arrested him.
27:10I don't want anyone
27:18else to be in the car.
27:19No, no, no.
27:20It's Bruce, my daughter.
27:21Please, she's there.
27:23I understand, man.
27:24We're going to make sure
27:28she's all right, man.
27:30I'm saying my mom
27:31is driving to Vegas
27:31to try to come get her.
27:32Okay.
27:33And at that point
27:34as he's getting out,
27:35he tells Amira
27:36that he's hurt mommy
27:38and that he's going
27:38to be going away
27:39for a long time.
27:41To tell a five-year-old
27:42little girl
27:43in that moment
27:44that you hurt mommy,
27:46it's just really tragic
27:47for her.
27:48Amira, I love you, Amira.
27:50Amira, I love you.
27:52Take a soft neck
27:53and put everything
27:54in a spot about you.
27:56Ali was arrested
27:57on two charges
27:58of first-degree murder,
27:59a charge for Anna
28:00and one for Ray.
28:02Prosecutors,
28:03Bulabon's attorneys,
28:04they start preparing
28:05for trial.
28:06But I will tell you,
28:07there is really
28:08no way
28:09that anyone
28:10could be prepared
28:11for the show
28:12that he puts on
28:13in court.
28:14And so it's perfectly
28:16reasonable for me
28:16to ask those questions.
28:20All right,
28:21let me make something
28:23clear right now.
28:24If there is
28:25any disturbance,
28:26you will be put outside.
28:30So you were looking
28:31up trash cans
28:32because you wanted
28:34to hide some bodies,
28:36correct?
28:37I'm sorry.
28:38You're out of your mind.
28:41Now,
28:41Aliah Bulabon's trial
28:42doesn't happen
28:43right after the murders.
28:44He remains in custody
28:45for several years
28:46as San Diego police
28:48gathered more evidence
28:48in the case.
28:49The San Diego
28:50police department
28:51conducted an amazing
28:53investigation,
28:54was able to get
28:55warrants for
28:56both Ali and Anna's
28:59cell phones,
29:00their social media pages,
29:02the apartment,
29:04Ali's car.
29:05And so all of those
29:07pieces of evidence
29:08were looked at.
29:11If I see that,
29:12I don't even know
29:12what the fuck I'll do
29:13if I see my wife
29:14kissing on another man.
29:15I'll fucking go to jail, bro.
29:16We looked through
29:18many, many, many videos,
29:21listened to audio messages,
29:23looked at photographs,
29:25looked at Ali's
29:27web search history.
29:29All of this was done
29:31to prove that
29:32this was first-degree murder,
29:34that Ali had been
29:36wanting to kill Anna
29:38or any man that she was with.
29:40The truth is,
29:42Ali doesn't do much
29:43to help his defense team.
29:44In fact,
29:44he does the complete opposite.
29:46He is so unhinged.
29:48He did jailhouse interviews
29:50where you could see
29:52how angry he would become.
29:55You could see
29:56how he would trigger
29:57and he'd start shouting.
29:58I'm broken.
30:00I'm devastated.
30:00I lost my wife.
30:03My goal was to just
30:04try to get a hold
30:05of my family.
30:06It was slipping
30:07through my fingers.
30:10I'm the loser here.
30:12I lost.
30:14I lost.
30:15I lost the love
30:16of my life.
30:16I lost the love
30:17of my life.
30:20Everybody,
30:21everybody I reached out to
30:22when I was going
30:22through this problem
30:23and I couldn't get
30:24a hold of Anna.
30:26Dude, you gotta leave her.
30:28You gotta leave her.
30:29I know I gotta leave her,
30:30but I don't want to leave her.
30:32Dude, you're so handsome.
30:33You're famous
30:33on the internet.
30:34You can get any model.
30:35I know I can't.
30:36I don't want you.
30:38I want my wife.
30:39And it really was
30:40kind of what you would see
30:42on these TikTok videos.
30:44See, when he was portraying
30:45Scarface or Godfather
30:46or these characters.
30:48If you want to be forgiven,
30:49you must first confess
30:50your sins.
30:52To me.
30:54Ali Aboulaban's murder trial
30:55begins in May of 2024,
30:57about three years after
30:59Anna and Rayburn were murdered.
31:00At the trial,
31:01the battle between
31:02the prosecution
31:03and the defense,
31:04it seems like it's right out
31:05of a TV legal drama.
31:17That was the defendant
31:18executing Anna and Ray.
31:21Cold, calculated murders.
31:23The defendant was jealous,
31:26controlling,
31:27and violent
31:28during their relationship.
31:30And Anna finally left him
31:32and was moving on.
31:34But the defendant
31:35couldn't take it.
31:37If he couldn't have Anna,
31:39no one could.
31:40So the prosecution
31:41was very confident
31:42because they felt
31:43they were going to be able
31:44to prove that Ali
31:46did premeditate this crime.
31:49And you are going to hear
31:50the defendant saying
31:51that he wanted to kill
31:52another man that Anna was with
31:53and that he would go to jail
31:55if he found her
31:56with another man.
31:58You will hear
31:59overwhelming evidence
32:00that the defendant
32:01intended to murder
32:02Anna and Ray.
32:04At the end of this trial,
32:05I will ask that you
32:06find the defendant guilty
32:07of two counts
32:09of first-degree murder.
32:11Is that heat of passion
32:12or was it premeditated?
32:13It could be that
32:14he was honestly curious
32:17as to whether or not
32:18she was cheating on him
32:19like he believed
32:20she was doing.
32:21And then when he heard it,
32:22it just sent him
32:24into a tailspin.
32:25The defense's ultimate goal
32:27is to paint a picture
32:28that this is either
32:29a heat of passion
32:30or heat of the moment,
32:32which could reduce
32:33something from
32:34first-degree murder
32:34to second-degree murder.
32:36That would be
32:37the strategy here
32:38to get something
32:38reduced from
32:39first-degree
32:40to second-degree
32:41or voluntary manslaughter.
33:07So they have no choice
33:08but to try to mitigate
33:10this case and say,
33:12okay, he committed
33:13the murders.
33:13We admit that,
33:14but they were not
33:15premeditated.
33:16On October 21st, 2021,
33:19Ali was driven
33:20to the brink.
33:21It was the perfect storm.
33:24It was so completely
33:25overcome by the months
33:27of torture
33:28and heartache
33:29and pain
33:30that he reacted
33:31without thought,
33:33without judgment,
33:35and without malice.
33:37Ali shot Ray and Anna
33:39in the heat of passion.
33:41So you can't say
33:42that it's heat of passion
33:43when you're the one
33:44who walked into
33:45an apartment
33:46you weren't supposed
33:47to be in
33:48with a loaded gun
33:49and you fire
33:51immediately upon entering.
33:53As the trial continues,
33:55Abulaban uses his flair
33:56for theatrics
33:57to turn in
33:57an Oscar-level performance.
33:59Show me what,
34:00show me
34:01what you just said.
34:02I've never seen that
34:03in the discovery.
34:04I've been incarcerated
34:04three years.
34:05You never showed that
34:06to my team.
34:06Where did you get that?
34:09I mean,
34:10you guys have a history
34:11at this point
34:11of trying to get
34:12under each other's skins.
34:14Yes.
34:15So this sort of
34:16back and forth,
34:17low-blow,
34:18return a low-blow
34:19in terms of
34:20the things that you would say
34:21to try to get
34:21under each other's skins.
34:22This was something
34:23that was happening
34:24with some regularity
34:25at this point
34:25in your relationship.
34:26Yes,
34:27and one of the things
34:28when I'm under
34:29the effects of cocaine,
34:32I become really impulsive
34:33and I don't think
34:34before I speak
34:34and I say very mean things.
34:36I don't recognize
34:38how much of an impact
34:39it is.
34:40Then comes the moment
34:41that everyone
34:42has been waiting for.
34:44TikTok star
34:45Ali Aboulaban
34:47takes the stand.
34:48He takes the stand
34:49for three days
34:50in his own defense,
34:51which is not something
34:54many defense attorneys
34:55would recommend,
34:56but they were trying
34:57to prove here
34:58in this case
34:58this heat of passion.
34:59So they possibly believed
35:01he needed to take the stand
35:02to explain how he was
35:03feeling in that moment.
35:04What happened next?
35:07I snapped.
35:08I...
35:11I rolled on top of Anna
35:13and I began punching her.
35:17Where did you punch her?
35:18In her face.
35:21Do you have any idea
35:22how many times
35:23you punched her?
35:24Three times.
35:26And then what happened?
35:27I got off of Anna.
35:28Anna was crying
35:29and I was like,
35:31I'm so sorry
35:32and I'm apologizing profusely
35:33because it's not something
35:35I ever want to do.
35:36It's not something...
35:38I mean, that's disgusting to me.
35:40And...
35:41I was just very impulsive.
35:43When Ali was on direct exam,
35:46he was calm.
35:48He told his story.
35:51Obviously, a lot of that
35:53was rehearsed beforehand.
35:54But when I was confronting him
35:57with certain bad facts
35:59on cross-examination,
36:01he had some outbursts.
36:12You heard that word, respect, correct?
36:14I didn't hear anything.
36:15Okay.
36:16You, before you shot Anna,
36:19you told her,
36:20essentially,
36:21that she wasn't respecting you, correct?
36:23That is false.
36:25That is not a female voice
36:26saying respect, correct?
36:28That is not...
36:28There's nobody saying respect in there.
36:30That is not Ray saying respect
36:32because he's already dead, correct?
36:35I do not know the status of Ray,
36:36but there's nobody saying respect
36:38in that audio.
36:39That's what you said to Anna
36:40and then you killed her.
36:41Can you play it closer
36:42to the last shot, please?
36:44Can we just play it
36:44right before the shooting, please?
36:46I'm asking you a question.
36:47All I heard was, ah!
36:48You cannot ask me anything.
36:49I'm asking you.
36:51Before you shot Anna in the head,
36:53you said respect to her.
36:56I did not say that shit.
36:57He would curse at me.
36:59He would ask me questions.
37:01Ali was ultimately
37:02trying to be very controlling of me
37:05while I was conducting
37:07my cross-examination.
37:08And so his true colors
37:11came out during the cross-examination.
37:14You shot her
37:15because she had disrespected you
37:17and was with Ray, correct?
37:19No.
37:21Right after you shot Anna in the head,
37:24you pushed her head down
37:25into Ray's lap, right?
37:26Oh, good.
37:27I'm not going to tolerate this.
37:29The jury just was able to see
37:32who he really was
37:34as the violent and controlling person
37:36that Anna had always described him as.
37:39Ali's mother also takes the stand.
37:41You see him here in court today.
37:44I miss him.
37:46Ali always said
37:47he had a very close relationship
37:48with his mom.
37:49She really wanted to help her son.
37:51It was just always harder on Ali.
37:53Always.
37:54It was stressful.
37:56When you say it was stressful,
37:57was it stressful for you as well?
37:59Yes.
37:59I always had to hide stuff
38:01from Ali's dad
38:03just because he would get angry.
38:05And there were times
38:06that Nassar physically disciplined Ali, right?
38:09Yes.
38:10Can you describe
38:11what that would be like?
38:13Just grabbing him
38:14and hitting him on the butt.
38:16How old was he
38:17when he was grabbing him
38:18and hitting him on the butt?
38:21I mean, around 10?
38:23Going on the stand
38:24and talking about
38:25the abusive childhood,
38:26which I do find credible
38:28in terms of
38:29some of the things
38:30that she shared
38:31and this history
38:32and this history
38:32of domestic violence
38:33that Ali
38:34and his siblings
38:36witnessed,
38:37some of the terror
38:38that she experienced
38:40in this situation.
38:41He was very temperamental.
38:44He would get angry quick
38:45at anything.
38:47And there were times,
38:49Dalal, this were in this
38:51home environment
38:52where Nassar was abusive to you,
38:55right?
38:56Yes.
38:57Physically?
38:58Yes.
38:59More verbally
39:00than physically.
39:01And the children
39:03in the home
39:04witnessed this.
39:05Is that right?
39:05Yes.
39:06And Ali was one
39:07of those children
39:08who saw abuse.
39:10Yes.
39:12Ali's mom also stated
39:14he had mental health issues
39:15and then, obviously,
39:17you pair all of this
39:18with drugs,
39:19it's a dangerous cocktail.
39:21After about a month,
39:22the trial winds down
39:23with closing arguments.
39:25The defendant felt
39:26disrespected
39:27by Anna and Ray.
39:28So he executed a plan
39:30and then he executed them.
39:33And their families
39:34could not see them anymore
39:35because the defendant
39:37was so possessive
39:38and controlling of Anna
39:39that if he could not have her,
39:42no one could.
39:43And she couldn't live.
39:45And any man she was with
39:47could not live either.
39:50This case is all about
39:51power and control
39:53until the very end.
39:55It's almost like
39:57this is a possession of mine.
39:59This person is a possession of mine.
40:01It's a matter of ownership.
40:03Somebody is trying
40:04to take something
40:05that belongs to me
40:06and that is intolerable to me.
40:09He's guilty of first degree murder.
40:12He murdered Anna and Ray
40:14in cold blood
40:16and he is guilty.
40:18And I ask that you find him guilty
40:19of both counts
40:20of first degree murder.
40:22The defense had an insurmountable
40:24hill to climb in this case
40:25in many, many respects.
40:27Holy Hulibon is not a murderer.
40:30Yes, he killed Anna,
40:33the woman he loved,
40:34the mother of his beautiful daughter,
40:36Amira,
40:37and he killed Ray,
40:39a man with whom Anna
40:40was having an affair.
40:43And he cannot undo
40:44what he has done,
40:46but he did not murder them.
40:49He is not a murderer.
40:50The law in homicide
40:52recognizes and requires you
40:54to consider heat of passion.
40:57That is,
40:57what's going on
40:58in someone's mind
40:59at the time
41:00that something's happened.
41:01Heat of passion
41:02can lead to
41:03voluntary manslaughter,
41:05which would really
41:06reduce the exposure
41:07and consequences
41:09to Ali in this case.
41:10I'm asking you
41:12to hold Ali responsible,
41:14but only responsible
41:16for what he did.
41:18This was a crime
41:19of passion.
41:21He reacted to the provocation
41:23that he was experiencing.
41:26He is not guilty
41:27of first-degree murder.
41:29He is not guilty
41:30of second-degree murder.
41:33Find him guilty
41:34of two counts
41:35of voluntary manslaughter.
41:39So the jury was tasked
41:41with determining
41:42whether or not Ali
41:43was guilty
41:44of first-degree murder,
41:47and if not first,
41:48then was it second-degree,
41:50and if not second-degree,
41:51then was it
41:52voluntary manslaughter?
41:53They deliberated
41:55about a day and a half.
41:56That is fairly long.
41:58It could kind of give
42:00a defense attorney
42:01some hope in a case
42:02any time a jury
42:03is going beyond a day.
42:05Be the jury
42:06and above-entitled cause
42:08find the defendant,
42:09Ali Nasser Aboulaban,
42:11guilty of the crime
42:13of murder
42:13in the first degree
42:16of Rayburn Cardenas.
42:19Silence.
42:20Nothing.
42:23Be the jury
42:25and above-entitled cause
42:26find the defendant,
42:27Ali Nasser Aboulaban,
42:29guilty of the crime
42:30of murder
42:31in the first degree
42:32of Anna Aboulaban.
42:38Before Ali is sentenced,
42:40the victim's family
42:41speak out.
42:41They bring a lot
42:42of raw grief
42:43and emotion
42:43to the courtroom,
42:44and they don't mince words
42:45on what they think
42:46justice should look like.
42:49My mom tweet you out!
42:51I'm sorry,
42:52I'm sorry,
42:53Your Honor.
42:54What did they do to you?
42:56They didn't do anything to you!
42:57What did they do to her?
42:58You know,
42:59you know Anna Marie
43:00is not gonna go cheat
43:02if you're gonna cheat first.
43:05All right.
43:05Ma'am,
43:06if you're not gonna be able
43:07to control yourself,
43:08I'm gonna have to excuse you.
43:09Mr. Aboulaban,
43:10please.
43:11Your Honor,
43:12my name is for me,
43:12sorry,
43:14and I want to share
43:16the court
43:17the devastating impact
43:18the loss
43:19of my sister Anna Marie
43:23has had in our lives.
43:24My sister was a gentle,
43:26loving,
43:27sweet,
43:28young woman
43:29who absence
43:30has left a hole
43:31in my heart
43:33that can never be filled.
43:35No sentence
43:36can ever bring
43:37my sister back to us,
43:39but we hope
43:40that justice
43:41will be served.
43:42The sentencing phase
43:44of this case
43:44was incredibly intense.
43:47The family spoke
43:48and they were very angry
43:50as they should be.
43:51They were extremely heartbroken
43:52and there was a lot of emotion
43:54in that courtroom.
43:56My name is Jordana Barron
44:01and Rayburn was my brother.
44:03He had a beautiful soul.
44:05So I'm here today
44:06to ask for justice
44:07for my brother Ray,
44:08for Anna,
44:09and for my mom
44:10and for my mom
44:11who has to suffer
44:12the rest of her life
44:13knowing that her youngest son
44:15and her baby
44:16was taken from her
44:17in such a violent way.
44:19The defendant deserves
44:20to pay for this horrible crime
44:22with the highest sentence possible.
44:24He has destroyed many lives
44:26and victims
44:26to serve justice.
44:29Mr. Bolivar?
44:31Yes, Your Honor.
44:32If you want to make a statement,
44:33this is the time.
44:37Your Honor,
44:38I have something we're in.
44:39Okay.
44:40May I face?
44:41Sure.
44:42It is truly unfortunate
44:44that despite the compelling evidence
44:46that this was a crime of passion,
44:48somehow the jury still landed
44:49on this verdict
44:51and they certainly wasted
44:52no time in doing so.
44:54The fact that I spent
44:55more time on the stand
44:56than the jury took
44:57to deliberate my fate
44:58is very concerning
44:59and that justice
45:00was not the motivating factor
45:01behind her decision.
45:02It was vengeance.
45:04Ali read a statement,
45:06a very lengthy statement,
45:07I believe about 10 minutes long.
45:09It was very apparent
45:10that his statement
45:12wasn't fully sincere,
45:14that he was just doing,
45:17saying these things
45:18to try to get
45:18a better sentence for himself
45:20and that he was a good actor.
45:22And so the judge
45:23did make comments
45:24about Ali being
45:26a very talented actor.
45:28I've watched him here
45:29during all of this time.
45:31When I saw the Scarface videos,
45:35it's as if
45:36when he committed these crimes,
45:37he became that persona
45:39of Scarface,
45:41of just the cold-blooded killing
45:43without remorse.
45:45Any tears that he's cried
45:47in this courtroom
45:48have been for himself.
45:49I don't know
45:50if he's really sorry.
45:51I felt like the judge
45:53was saying,
45:54I've just seen a performance.
45:56I've just seen
45:56a three-day performance.
45:58So I will give it to you
45:59that you're a good actor,
46:01but I'm not talking
46:02about you on TikTok
46:04or potentially in Hollywood.
46:05I'm talking about
46:06what we all saw
46:07in the courtroom
46:09because it seemed to be
46:10very, very calculated
46:11in so many ways.
46:13And so the judge
46:15sentenced him
46:16to the maximum sentence
46:17that he could get.
46:18The bottom line here
46:19is he will die in prison.
46:22He will never be a free man.
46:23He will take
46:23his last breath there.
46:26Please, please, please.
46:29In this matter,
46:31please, please, please.
46:33In this matter,
46:34the defendant
46:35on count one
46:36will be sentenced
46:37to life without
46:38the possibility
46:39of probation.
46:41Consecutive
46:42to count one
46:43will be count two,
46:44which will be life
46:45without the possibility
46:45of parole.
46:46I wanted to
46:48make sure
46:49that this case
46:51highlighted
46:53domestic violence
46:54and that victims
46:56should not be scared
46:57to report violence
47:00by an abuser
47:00to the police.
47:02The only thing
47:03that's different
47:03about this scenario
47:04is they're TikTok famous.
47:07And so we know
47:08so much more about that.
47:10Is there anything else
47:11really different
47:12about this story
47:13than so many others?
47:15How many people
47:16looked at this couple
47:17as, I want to be them?
47:19They're fun.
47:20They put on TikToks together.
47:21They're family on TikTok.
47:23And people had no idea
47:25that there was this abuse
47:26behind the scenes.
47:27There was this control.
47:28So you just never know.
47:30You have to be very careful.
47:32It's tragic
47:33because ultimately
47:35their daughter
47:36is the one
47:37who loses out on this, right?
47:38Because she lost both parents.
47:40Ollie was incredibly selfish.
47:43Incredibly self-centered.
47:46And it's unfortunate.
47:48You could say
47:48that Ali Abulaban
47:49narrated the rise
47:50and fall of his marriage
47:51on social media.
47:53But it was his wife,
47:54her friend,
47:54and their daughter
47:55who paid the ultimate price.
47:57And now he's spending
47:58the rest of his life
47:59in a place
47:59where no one
48:00wants to follow him.
48:01And that's behind the bars
48:03of a prison cell.
48:04That's right.
48:07That's right.
48:07And now we can go to P agree
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