All language subtitles for TikTok.Star.Murders.2024.720p.WEBRip.x264.AAC-[YTS.MX]

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Can you take me back to jail
and shit?

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YTS.MX

Trust is hard to get.

I don't have to follow
that shit.

The declaration of independence.

You guys are fucking pathetic.

Ali is a rising star on TikTok

with almost
a million followers.

Yo, like, literally

you're motherfucking
beautiful for me.

I want you to say,
"Y'all know the fucking vibes."

Y'all-- [laughing]

Ana's one of the most beautiful
people on the planet.

The woman could be
like Miss America.

[camera shutter clicking]

Ali and Ana,
they fell in love the second

they laid eyes upon each other.

It all seems so perfect.

LOUIE: On TikTok
all it takes is one video.

You could wake up
the next morning

and your whole life
could be changed.

I remember
coming across the video

that had probably
2.4 million views.

And I was like,
"Oh my God, this is Ana."

It's hard to sometimes
separate that online persona

to who you truly are
in the real world.

Me, I want what's coming.

The world...

and everything in it.

And that's when things
start to hit the fan.

I'm a fucking god!

I'm a fucking
internet celebrity!

- Give me my phone back!
- Close the door!

ANA: You're hurting
my fucking finger!

JONI: Ali actually
starts recording with his phone.

Some of the things that we would
never expect him to record.

- ALI: I can fix it.
- You think that

and then you wake up
and you're mad again, so stop.

ALI: You're my woman, bitch!

I brought you
to this goddamn country.

You should be kissing my feet!

The internet
can be such an evil place.

You're need people like me

so you can point
your fucking fingers.

I say, that's the bad guy.

All I could think about
was this is not gonna end well.

[gun cocks]

[gunshots banging]

REPORTER: A double
homicide inside

an East Village high rise.

ALI:

[dramatic music playing]

***

ALI: Ana? Ana?

[dramatic music playing]

ANDREA: It's not surprising
that TikTok is successful.

It's really entertaining.

It's addictive
and it's really quick.

So it's, like,
really satisfying to just, like,

get these little
bite-sized bits of content

that are just so easy
to consume and easy to share.

It can track, like,
what grabs your attention

in the first second
and what keeps you watching.

[indistinct]

Once you watch
something a couple times,

it'll just feed you
more and more of that.

The algorithm is just
really good at keeping you

on the app,
keeping you scrolling.

And by 2022, it was the most
downloaded app in the world.

My name's Andrea Marks.

I'm a journalist
and I often report

on the intersection
of social media and crime.

What drew me
to this story was that

I like writing about crimes

which portray this very
interesting section of humanity

and human behavior
and it makes you wonder

what would drive a person
to do something like that.

So that was initially why
I covered it for Rolling Stone.

TikTok's perfect for Ali,
and Ali's perfect for TikTok.

No! Fuck not!

ANDREA: Ali likes to make

this kind of
short form content.

He's doing these impressions.

The sun is shining on my face.
I'm blessed.

ANDREA: John Wick.

It wasn't just a dog,
it was my wife.

ANDREA: Nicholas Cage.

Well, there's a map
on the back.

You-- you can't see it,
but I can see it.

And his most famous one,
Tony Montana from Scarface.

I told you, man.
I told you. No fucking kids!

You know, TikTok
is the perfect platform for that

because it's grabby, it's quick
and he can put out a lot of it.

Say hello to my little friend.

[exclaims]

But not everything
on social media

and not everything on TikTok
is what it seems.

[pensive music playing]

[exhales sharply]

PRODUCER: You're gonna be
totally fine.

***

Well, you guys
have caused a lot of buzz

within the friend group.
[laughs]

Honestly,
it connected a lot of us.

We were kind of
mourning on our own.

I just want Ana's side
of the story to be heard.

I personally
witnessed everything

that she was going through.

And...

she was just trying
to keep it all together.

***

My name is Louie.
I'm Ali Abulaban's cousin.

And me and Ali have been close
since I was very young.

I feel that
this whole situation has,

you know,
turned my life upside down

as well as turned
my family's life upside down.

It's gonna take
a very long time

to recover from this
for all of us.

***

Ali comes from
a Middle Eastern family

that happens to be Muslim.

A more religious household
so it was stricter environment.

Ali was a free spirit

and didn't really
follow religion.

He did what he wanted to do.

I remember watching him
do all these different dances

and singing and all
different types of stuff.

[driving pop music plays]

It's what he was meant to do.

I really believe
Ali was meant to be a star.

***

Ali joined the Air Force
when he was in his late teens,

like 18, 19.

I think joining the military

was a sense
of Ali wanting to, like,

improve himself, you know,
physically, mentally.

I think he wanted
to serve his country.

Ali was stationed
in Okinawa, Japan.

A lot of people
in the military actually

get stationed in Okinawa
for two to three years.

KAYLA: Okinawa is a huge
American military base.

It's hot, it's tropical,

it's beautiful, it's fun.

When you're on this
island together,

you create these friendships
that just never go away.

***

Ana and I grew up
together in Okinawa.

She's from the Philippines

and her dad
was stationed in Okinawa.

We were best friends

and we had a very tight-knit
friend group.

And Ana was
one of the more, like, caring,

loving, happy individual.

That's what drew me to her.

I don't think my life
would personally be the same

if she was never my friend.

And so I'm very thankful
for the friendship

that her and I
had shared together.

***

JULIA: Ali and Ana met in 2014.

She was attracted
to his big personality.

And he was a singer
in a band

and she found that
very attractive as well.

I think she saw someone
that was successful,

that had a good head
on his shoulders.

He had a good ranking
in the military.

And they had a lot of
laughter and love.

JULIA: At first,
I did feel that

she was very happy
and they were happy together.

But then Ali got in trouble
with the military.

He had gotten drunk
and gotten into a fight

with one of Ana's friends
and allegedly assaulted them.

Ali does have
a very strong personality.

He definitely is jealous.

Every time anyone
would comment on Ana's looks

or how lucky of a guy he was
to have somebody like Ana,

he would be very bothered.

I let her know my concerns.

I told her I feel like
he's a little bit controlling

and she explained to me that,
"He is but I love him.

You have nothing
to worry about."

But I just remember
feeling uneasy around him.

[tense music playing]

When Ali got in a fight,

what he had done was so extreme
it got him discharged.

Once you've disrespected
the island and the rules,

they will kick you off
the island.

LOUIE: Ali moves back
to Virginia

and his parents were not happy.

They really wanted their son

to be successful
in the Air Force.

They wanted their son
to be successful

in everything that he would do.

JULIA: At the same time,
Ana's family was leaving Okinawa

and they were moving back
to the Philippines.

[emotional music playing]

I'm Rachel and...

Ana is not only

just a best friend
but family.

Where we came from,
we only had each other.

When Ana moved back
to the Philippines,

we lived about

20 minutes away
from each other.

Ana was living at home
with her family

and at that point she found out

that she was pregnant
with Ali's child.

She was excited and nervous,
but more excited than anything.

So, in this time,

Ali wanted to apply
for a visa for Ana.

RACHEL: While doing that,
Ana waited in the Philippines.

And eight months later,

their baby girl,
Amira, was born.

It takes time before you get

marriage visa
in the Philippines.

So, by the time
Amira was nine months...

he finally was able
to bring Ana to Virginia.

[muffled announcements]

- Hi, baby.
- Hi baby.

Oh, she's so cute.

[percussive music playing]

Ali and Ana decided
to go to Northern Virginia

because Ali's entire
family is there.

KAYLA: Ana liked Virginia,
she loved Ali's family.

They didn't have a wedding,

they just went
to the courthouse.

Ali and Ana get their own home
and they started their family.

Ana was a beautiful woman

and she was also creative
just like Ali.

And I just saw
like a match made in heaven.

[whimsical music playing]

- Hey, what's up guys?
- Yo, what's good, Jinn?

In Virginia,
Ali starts to produce content

on a lot of platforms
like YouTube and Instagram

and he goes by the online handle
JinnKid.

Hey, Jinn,
why the fuck you been?

I've been working, man.

These bills
aren't gonna pay themselves.

LOUIE: Ali created
this persona of JinnKid.

JinnKid was an escape
from Ali Abulaban

being an actual human.

He wanted to be this different
entity that was super famous.

- [lights buzzing]
- Oh, shit.

Goddammit.
I just paid the light bill.

Hey, Jinn.

Maybe it's a power outage,
you know?

What don't you check
outside the windows.

[eerie music playing]

LOUIE: The word Jinn,
pretty much means a ghost

or like a soul
or like an entity we cannot see.

And he felt that
it was like a unique word

to attach to Kid
and it stuck with him

and he pretty much wanted
everybody to call him JinnKid,

including his own family.

Later on, Ali started making
TikTok videos.

No! Fuck no!

Ali loved
making TikTok videos

'cause that was pretty much
like the new YouTube.

It was like his new platform
to start a new fan base.

- [exclaiming in other language]
- Ah!

Success on TikTok
is a numbers game

and Ali becomes
obsessed with it.

Listen to me, okay.

I gotta make that film
one day, one way or another.

ANDREA: It's his path to fame.

And ultimately
that path reveals

the dark underbelly
of social media. Well,

I've got news for you,
assholes.

You're all bad people.

- ALI: Hey, babe.
- ANA: Mm-hmm.

I want you to try to do
the six nine impression.

- Alright.
- Okay.

So I'll do it first.
All right?

- All right.
- Yo, like, literally

you're motherfucking
beautiful for me.

I want you to say,
"Y'all know the fucking vibes."

Y'all-- [laughs]

When they first moved
to Virginia,

she was happy,
she was in love.

Wait, let's try
the Scarface one.

Okay.
I fucking love you, babe.

I want you to be
the love of my life.

- Okay. How do I do the face?
- I want you--

Like this.
Like you smell something nasty.

[both laughing]

KELSEY: Ali in the videos
can be charming.

As Ana's filming him,

you can actually
hear her giggle.

I'm trying to save the world.

What are you doing?

[Ana laughing]

KELSEY: Ali describes it

as they're living
the American dream.

So you're looking at
these videos

prior to this case
thinking what happened?

[thrilling music playing]

I'm Lucifer.

Lucifer is my online
name because not everybody

is comfortable
using the real names.

I just wanna keep my online
social media platform

private from my personal life.

It's good to remain anonymous
because you don't want people

trying to track you.

The very first day I met Ali,
it was 2019.

LUCIFER: He was doing
Skyrim videos.

Skyrim is a medieval
role-playing game.

Stuck here. Stuck.

Ali was playing characters

he used to interact with
in the game.

I see there's potential in Ali.
There's lots of talent in there.

So, I just decided to message
him and tell him like,

"Hey, let me help you out.
I can help you grow."

So I became
his social media manager.

I would help him out
with things like Discord,

Twitch, TikTok,
Instagram, YouTube,

and all kinds of
other platforms.

ANDREA: Ali wants to grow
his brand so he gets help.

Content creators
often have a person

or a team of people
who help manage their content

and decide when
and where to post it.

LUCIFER: We would talk
to each other on a daily basis

and we actually became
really close friends.

Ana played a role
in some of these videos

that Ali posted on TikTok.

Sometimes Ana's in the video,

sometimes
she's filming the videos...

...and fans like to see them.

They like to see Ana
in the video as well.

LOUIE: Ana was in pretty much
any Skyrim video

where there was a hand.

Like the hand
that follows Ali in the videos,

Ana was the hand.

[grunting]

A lot of times
I would call her,

she would tell me
that she had to go

because she had to film
a short skit for Ali

so they could post it online.

On TikTok, as a creator,

your only goal is to get
what you wanna make

in front of as many
people as possible.

The more people
see what you do,

the more people follow you.

It's like the views
compound on each other.

Everyone has
a chance at virality.

All it takes is one video.

[glass shattering]

ANDREA: So that's
what happens for Ali.

He's making TikTok's
about the video game Skyrim

and one of them takes off.

***

I was on online one day
and I saw this...

video that was reposted
by some of my friends.

[knocks on door]

KELSEY: And I realized
that it was Ali on the video.

People really love it.

He even got shout outs
from Jenna Marbles

and some other folks
who are high up

- in the social media world.
- [laughs]

Jenna Marbles
is a longtime YouTuber

and an established talent
on social media.

That's the part that kills me.

So for Ali to be getting
attention from her is huge.

It makes me laugh so hard.

This guy has
a whole YouTube channel.

- Is that the name of it?
- JinnKid, yes.

LUCIFER: Ali just kept
posting more and more and more.

Each video gains more views,

more followers from that,
more likes.

He made little skits
outside of Skyrim

and he gained a lot of
popularity from that too.

Yo, am I my bad too?

The worst.

You right. You right.

Ese...

Shut the fuck up. Okay?

To come in my house
to tell us what we do,

what to think, what to feel.

Ali's favorite movie
was definitely Scarface.

He was obsessed
with Tony Montana.

He really loved
impersonating that character.

He liked how dramatic
Tony Montana is

and the way
that he portrays himself.

So say goodnight
to the bad guy.

So say goodnight to the bad guy.

All right, Joni,
take one, marker.

I'm Dr. Joni Johnston,

a clinical and forensic
psychologist

and private investigator.

It seems like
Ali especially likes

these kind of
violent characters.

I got the money,
I gotta cash up it to you.

- You'll cash up--
- I gotta cash up it.

What the fuck you think--
Get the fuck off!

It's like
they're so exaggerated

and he's throwing these
kind of temper tantrums

over these very minor things.

- [phone rings]
- Oh, it's my brother.

How's it going, bro?
Nice to meet you.

ALI: If you put
one finger on her,

I'm gonna come
to your [bleep] house.

I know your whole family.
I know your neighbors.

I know your
neighbor's neighbors.

And, you know,
it's funny, it's humorous.

I'm sure people
look at that and kinda go,

how ridiculous at the time.

Of course, now looking back
it has a different meaning

because we know
the outcome of this story.

Do you see
that woman over there?

[dramatic music plays]

Oh, yeah.

Beautiful, isn't she?

KAYLA: It was kind of fast.

I remember
coming across a video

that had probably
2.4 million views

and I was like,
"Oh my God, this is Ana."

So Ali
is on this crazy ascent

on social media
and his life is changing.

RACHEL: And that was the time

where Ana slowly started

to disappear
from people's lives.

***

[thrilling music playing]

My name is Rain
and I'm an online friend to Ali.

The first time
that I saw Ali

was back in 2019.

There was something
about his eyes.

I could tell that he had
some type of story to tell.

It was like a connection.

We have a group chat together
and we talk nearly every day.

We would talk about
his streams and his videos

and I helped him
get verified on Instagram.

Getting verified on Instagram
means simply,

you are who you say you are.

Tends to be
a sign of notoriety

because it implies that someone
would be impersonating you.

WOMAN: Oh, congratulations.

LUCIFER: When Ali
got verified on Instagram,

that was literally one
of the best days for him ever.

[all cheering]

For social media influencers,

there are these
objective measures

of how popular you are.

You know, you get recognition,
you get certain markers,

you get blue checks,

and that can be
very, very seductive.

Who they think I are?

[uplifting music playing]

KAYLA: Once
you're on this platform

and you're seeing
your followers grow

and you're seeing
there's more comments,

that's all triggering
a positive, like, "ding."

Oh, another follower, another
follower, another follower.

It sparks
this obsession at times

where you don't wanna lose that

so you have to keep going
or you'll lose followers.

***

LUCIFER: He went
from 700,000 followers

to around 2 million followers,
which is pretty amazing.

That's a huge
increase in people

looking at his content.

That can include companies

who might hire him
for brand partnerships.

Hey Jinn,
where'd you get this?

- I wanna get me one.
- Yeah, but that's my new

Manscaped Lawn Mower 4.0,
all right?

What are you talking?
Lawn Mower.

Brands want more exposure
on these social platforms.

When a creator
is getting a lot of attention,

a company might see that
as an opportunity

to get their product
in front of more users

on that platform.

You actually can make money
from social media.

Lots of influencers,
they are millionaires.

That's why a lot of people
are going towards

content creation
in this generation.

[brooding music playing]

But when you get that
little taste of fame,

it alters your...

viewpoint of reality.

Me, I want what's coming to me.

What's coming to you, Tony?

The world, Chico.

And everything in it.

Through Ali, Ana got
a lot of her followers as well.

She liked to post.

[camera shutter clicking]

[laughs] Oh, my God,
I wish I looked like that.

That's a picture of yourself
from like two days ago.

Yeah, back when I was pretty.

But it wasn't something
she was doing

for followers or for the money.

That mattered
more to Ali than Ana.

["Jet Black" by Hunnit playing]

RACHEL: Ana growing up
was very insecure about herself.

She was a nerdy girl,

skinny who played video games.

JULIA: She definitely
did change.

She went from, like,
Philippines to America.

Started dressing differently.

She started going to the gym
and working out.

***

KAYLA: She just loved
looking nice

and her family looking the same.

She was an amazing mother.

She adored her daughter
more than anything in the world.

She loved dressing her up
in cute little outfits

that kinda matched hers
and they would go around

and take pictures everywhere.

* Now don't come around
like it ain't shit *

* I gave you my time
but you played with it *

They would make
little cute TikTok's together.

* Roll up with a baddie
in a Rolls Royce *

* Headed to the top *

JULIA: I was living in San Diego

and Ana was in Virginia.

It was COVID during the time

and we were bored out
of our minds.

So we were either
making TikTok's

or we are playing
video games online.

Ana did say that
she was feeling alone

in Virginia.

She was just raising Amira

and her life revolved
around Ali and his family.

She told me she felt
like she had nobody else there

that was there for her.

[brooding music playing]

I don't think he really
allowed her to have friends.

I remember spending time
together over the phone.

He started to get
kind of jealous.

JONI: They really did live
in Ali's world.

They're in the United States.
Her family is overseas.

He really is in control

of who she hangs around,
what they do.

And what people
didn't know was

she was actually
screaming for help.

I would call Ana
from time to time

and I kept saying, "You should
really come visit me."

And eventually she said,
"I spoke with Ali,

he's going to let me come
visit you in San Diego."

[upbeat music playing]

Ana went to visit San Diego
where a lot of her friends were

and she just loved it.

The lifestyle with the clubs
and the high life.

And at the end of her trip
she told me,

I'd really love to move here
and be closer to you

and to her other friends
from Okinawa.

JULIA: So she goes
back to Virginia

and she is trying to convince
Ali to move to San Diego.

She said, "I've been
in Virginia for you.

We've been doing
your TikTok's here,

raising our daughter.

I wanna do San Diego for me."

For Ali, it was a win-win.

Moving to San Diego
would help his career

working with influencers
based in LA

and also
would make his wife happy.

It was 100% exciting.

'Cause, you know,
his dream of becoming an actor

is even closer
than he was ever before.

* Something about today *

* That changed me *

Ultimately,
they moved in downtown San Diego

at the Spire.

They're up on the 35th floor.

* Something
about the way today... *

KELSEY: It overlooks downtown,
the beach and the sunset.

San Diego has a good nightlife,
the Gaslamp.

It's a fun place,
especially if you're young.

It all seems so perfect.

* Something about today
that changed me *

[uplifting music plays]

So the thing about
social media is of course

you're trying to display
the elements of your life

that you want people to see.

Here's my best dance movie.

Here's my wonderful vacation.

Here's a beautiful picture
of me and my partner.

Because we're all putting

our best foot forward
on social media.

Anything
that you're looking at

as a consumer of social media

is simply
not telling the whole truth.

Many social media
influencers feel a need

to let their followers

into their personal life,

and I think that's a catch-22
in some respects.

It creates,
I think, this image

that they now
feel the need to uphold.

There's this TikTok
of Ali and Ana dancing

and there's, like,
a cutesy moment

where she pulls back
the shower curtain

and he is in the shower.

And they're just having
so much fun as a couple.

And the hashtag was

"when your relationship
is drama free."

***

I don't know
if they just posted that video

as a TikTok
just for the views.

In the back of my mind I know
they had their problems too,

but every relationship does.

They're perfect.
That's what you see.

I think those are the moments
that she really held onto.

So she would
post that content

and show this side of them

that she wanted
the world to see.

She wanted it to be good,

but not everything
online is real.

[brooding music playing]

Right after they moved
to San Diego,

Ali goes to LA
and does this comedy show.

Hello, everybody.
It's my first time on stage.

You can see
that he is really trying

to make things happen
for his career.

He's chasing these dreams that
he's always wanted to achieve.

You wanna play rough? Okay.

Say hello to my little friend.

- [audience cheering]
- Hey!

Ali felt that this was his
moment to shine and get fame.

He wanted to be a movie star.

MAN: Look at that.

RAIN: Ali is becoming
very successful.

It got to the point
that we all started

counting his views for him.

He just told us
how happy he was

and we were happy for him.

JinnKid becomes almost

like a part of him in the sense
that he really saw that

this brand that he had
could reach great success.

Yo, y'all gotta see his 6ix9ine.

This motherfucker's 6ix9ine
is spot the fuck on.

Yo, go ahead bro.
I'm-a set you up.

Y'all dirty motherfuckers
can't fucking touch me.

You feel me? All of y'all.

- [laughing]
- Yo.

Yo, what other impressions
do you do, bro?

Oh, I do Scarface.

"I told you, man.
No fucking kids!"

What you think I am, huh?

What you think
I'm a worm like you?

I told you, man. I told you.
No fucking kidding!

That's just spot the fuck on.
Spot the fuck on, man.

It seemed like
he was really fulfilled

by the chance for fame.

Well, you know,
I'm following you.

Yo, what's your tag?
I want everybody to follow you.

JinnKid.

And the way social media

sort of levels
the playing field,

anyone can have
a little bit of fame.

He embodies the identity
of "I am TikTok famous."

That's who I am.
And, like, that's my life now.

I'm a TikTok celebrity.

- Bro, give me the 6ix9ine.
- 6ix9ine?

Yo, word to my mother,

I'll smack the teeth out of all
y'all, you feel me?

- Y'all the internet gangsters?
- [laughter]

Being famous is a fantasy
that a lot of people have.

You need that recognition.
You need that fame.

And I think
for certain people,

and I would include Ali in this,

it becomes
almost like an addiction.

I follow this dude, man.
It's crazy.

Ali is somebody
who took this fame

and really
let it go to his head.

Who put this thing together?
Me.

Who do I trust?
Me. That's who!

When they first
moved to San Diego,

it was good
for a couple months...

and then things were starting
to go really downhill.

They would hang out with only
who he wanted to hang out with.

If he didn't want Ana
to come out with a girl's night,

she wasn't going.

He kinda just controlled

how she spent her time
in San Diego.

I started to think that they
actually have problems

or there's something going on.

You're now tuning live.

Ali does tend to rub
some people the wrong way.

He loves to talk about
himself a lot.

I don't even wanna be
like fucking,

what do you call it,
Leonardo DiCaprio.

I'm not trying to be
the next Al Pacino.

I probably could.

Ali felt
that he was better

than other people,

and I think social media
has a lot to do with that.

Ali, as he becomes successful,

he began to almost
talk about himself

like he was this
larger than life person.

Like he was this person
who was so important, so famous.

College is bullshit.
I'm a college dropout, bitch.

And I make more money than
fucking half the people I see.

Ali would walk
into a room sometimes

and be like,
"Don't you know who I am?

I'm JinnKid.
I could do whatever I want."

So that persona didn't leave
once he stopped filming.

Ali becomes increasingly
invested in his brand

and it seems like almost
the boundaries between his brand

and his image
and who he is as a person

becomes very confusing
and blurred for him.

ALI: I'm a fucking God!
I'm a sexy motherfucker!

I'm a fucking
internet celebrity!

If you're not able
to separate that online persona

to who you truly are
in the real world,

it could take
a huge toll on you mentally

and affect real relationships
in your real life.

[upbeat music playing]

Ali and Ana,

they're partying a lot,
both of them,

and that's when things
start to kind of hit the fan.

***

I had found out
that he was abusing cocaine.

When I say this man
was on a coke binge,

I'm saying abnormal
amounts of cocaine.

LOUIE: Ali really became crazy
with this whole thing.

He'd have a bag of it,

like a big bag of cocaine
in his pocket,

and he would just pull it out
in the middle of a restaurant,

in the middle
of a movie theater,

pretty much anywhere
we would go.

He would even do it
on his live streams

right in front of his audience.

[sharp inhale sniff]

I can hear my friend
in the background going,

"Babe,"
like, "what are you doing?"

At first,
Ana was okay with it

because when they've moved
to San Diego,

Ana's goal was

to make everything
comfortable for him.

She was just allowing him
to do what he wanted.

And he is like, "Oh, this?"

[sniffing]

What, this? This nothing.

This... asthma medicine.
How'd you like that?

That's not fake.

That's him snorting cocaine
on live feed.

And you could see
how many viewers

are watching that
with laugh reactions.

As the marriage
begins to deteriorate,

we really do begin seeing

that this control
that he has tried to exhibit,

not just with Ana,
but with himself,

is really starting to loosen
and he's starting to unravel.

I have never heard
of Ana using cocaine

or doing it
with her friends.

But I had always
heard him doing it

and I think he was jealous

that she had this life
with friends.

I can't go out.

[mock cough] I'm sick.

[thrilling music playing]

Ali started to see that

Ana was becoming happy
and blooming

and he was not about
to have that

because for years
he had his wife on the sidelines

and that's how he wanted her.

And this is kinda
when the script flips.

[tense music plays]

Ann is the one in her element.

She has all her people there,

but Ali isn't liked
as much as Ana

by these friends.

Behind the scenes
you see Ali's not included

or he's not a part
of the photo

that's getting all the likes
and the attention.

Ali was kind of programmed
to think a certain way.

I believe that when you come
from a strict kind of culture,

there's certain
expectations of you

that come from your family.

JONI: Ali has a very rigid idea

of how their
relationship should be.

I don't think
in any respect he thinks

is an equal relationship.

It's about him.

All I have in this world
is my balls and my word.

And I don't break 'em
for no one.

You got that?

One day,
Ana and I went to the gym.

After that, we went back
to Ana's apartment to grab Amira

because we're gonna go
do something else.

Ali was very,
very angry with Ana

and pulled Ana
to the bedroom

and the next thing I know,
he's throwing things at her.

Ana runs out of the room,
we grab Amira

and we just storm off
out of the apartment.

Ali was non-stop
texting her like,

"Come back,
bring my daughter back.

I'm gonna take all the money
out of the account."

I asked her, you know,

"Does he treat you like this
all the time?

Has this happened before?"

And she's like, "No, no, babe,
don't worry about it.

Don't worry about it.
I'm fine. It's okay.

We're just gonna talk later.
He's just mad."

That was our first glimpse
of how crazy Ali could get.

KAYLA: He didn't want her
having a life outside of him.

He wanted her
to hold the camera for him

so he can make his skits.

KELSEY: He wants Ana
to basically

have Ali be the center
of her world.

And when that's not the case,
he loses it.

ALI: Ana, I'm really
starting to get hurt, man.

I... [sighs]
You didn't even tell me

that you're canceling on me,

and now
you can't answer my phone.

You said something came up.

And now my mind
is just telling me

I'm not important enough for you
to answer the phone.

Ali actually starts
recording with his phone

some of the things that we would
never expect him to record.

He had lost trust in her
and he felt from that moment on

that his wife
was cheating on him

and he became
extremely paranoid about that.

KELSEY: Ali degrades her
and degrades her.

Watching these videos,

I wonder why someone
would record that.

JULIA: He would berate her
for not having sex with him.

Almost demand it from her.

He was territorial

seeing her
as more of a property.

And I need to keep this
at all costs

and it's solely mine.

I think it made Ali
extremely jealous,

the attention
that Ana would get because

everyone was always
drawn to her.

Everyone always loved her.

It created these explosive
fights between the two of them.

I brought her to America.
I gave her the American dream.

Therefore,
she is my property.

That is how he felt.

[uplifting music playing]

RACHEL: Growing up
in a Filipino culture,

women are raised
to be quiet

and do what we're told.

We all have one dream
and one goal,

and it's to get out

and to come to America
to have a better life.

Certain men will think
that we are an item.

We should be grateful
because they gave us that life.

When you get married,
you don't get divorced.

Literally in our country,
it's illegal to get divorced,

so she needed
to stick this one out.

Ali felt that Ana was taking
everything away from him,

so he threatened
to get her deported.

If Ana was deported
out of America,

she wouldn't be able
to see her daughter.

JULIA: Ana just wanted to
keep the peace,

especially for her daughter.

She just loved her so much

and she would literally
do anything for her,

like, endure everything that Ali
was putting her through,

just for her daughter
to be happy and to have a dad.

When you listen
to these recordings,

it's hard to imagine that
anybody would want keep a record

because they're so filled
with venom.

Is he trying to build some
sort of case against her?

He's trying to frame up
a narrative

of himself as the victim,

or the kind of suffering
protagonist in their marriage.

But it doesn't read
like that at all.

Ana actually calls
Ali's mom for help.

I think that illustrates
the bind sometimes

that domestic violence
victims feel.

They want the abuse to stop.

They want to be safe, and yet,

they also don't want to get
this person in trouble.

They're thinking
about them being in jail.

They're thinking about
what this is going to mean

for their daughter,
they're thinking about,

what is this going to do
to Ali's career?

KAYLA: Ana is trying
to protect her daughter,

because she did witness
those arguments.

She did see
her dad angry at times.

She would hear the screaming,
the fighting, the violence.

[brooding music playing]

At this point,
what we're seeing

is this increase in conflict
between them,

which pretty quickly escalates.

By July of 2021,

it's becoming
very, very serious.

Ali will do
just about anything

to maintain the control
of that relationship.

Whether it's threatening Ana,

whether
it's threatening suicide.

I'm just disgusted
when I heard

that he had his gun out
around his daughter.

It's shocking.

I think what she was hoping for
was a change...

but I think Ana knew

that it wasn't safe
for her at home.

[Ana crying]

***

When the police arrive
at the apartment,

instead of answering the door
right away for the police,

Ali goes in
and he brushes his teeth,

because he's been
drinking alcohol.

- [water running]
- [Ali spits]

And after he gets finished
brushing his teeth,

he comes back out
and he answers the door.

CAMERON: For the San Diego
Police Department,

85% of the police reports
that are written

are for domestic violence.

Cops come inside and they
separate the two of them

to find out
what's going on.

One cop will go in
with one half,

another cop will go in
with the other half

and they'll determine,
"Do we have a crime?"

Now Ali is recording
this conversation,

which is highly unusual.

Most people don't record

their conversations
with the cops.

JONI: They will conduct some
kind of a risk assessment.

It may be arresting
one of those people.

You know, it just depends
upon the circumstances.

Ali is really good
at telling a story

that's believable
to the cops.

He's good
at presenting himself

as not being the type of guy
who would be violent.

There's no injuries
or anything like that,

because had there been
any visible injury on Ana

when the police officers
were there,

it would've been game over
for Ali.

And I think it is very
difficult for one parent,

no matter
how bad the situation is,

to think about removing
that kind of dual parenting.

Even though, of course, we know
it isn't healthy for that child.

But it can be very difficult
to make the decision to leave.

Let's get this clear.

Ali was holding Ana hostage.

She could not get
out of this marriage.

So what is somebody
supposed to do?

On August 17th,
Julia and I planned

a Disney trip
for Ana's birthday.

Mila!

I wanted
all of our kids to be together

and I needed to go there
to check on her.

I followed my heart and...

I'm glad I did.

The whole time
Ali was complaining.

Mostly, he didn't want to
walk around.

He was tired.

RACHEL: And, of course,
he was bringing his drugs

and I was not having it.

And neither was Ana.

We all were
practically ignoring him.

And he eventually gave in
at 11:00 a.m.

and went to the Jeep
and slept.

And we all had
an amazing time

and we stayed there
'til the fireworks.

It was kind of our dream
to take our kids to Disney.

- ANA: Look, it's Mickey.
- Mickey!

ALL: Cheers!

RACHEL: Happy birthday!

RACHEL: We went out
for Ana's birthday.

Ali eventually
got himself together

and we all chipped in
for a table...

at a club in San Diego.

She was really upset because
Ali was fighting with her

and making her feel worthless

and like
it wasn't her birthday.

What I realized then was that

if he wasn't the center
of attention,

he wasn't going to have it.

[menacing music plays]

Before she took me
to the airport,

we went to our favorite spot
in San Diego, La Jolla.

We took the girls
to see the seals,

let them run around
and eat ice cream.

ANA: Look at the seals.

Wow, look at the seals,
Mila.

MILA: Mom!

RACHEL: We had gotten
into an argument,

because I've been telling her,
you know,

"You need to leave him."

She made it seem

like there was
nothing going on.

That they were just
going through some phase.

But I knew that wasn't it.

And I remember
telling her at the airport,

"Ana, you can't keep
doing this."

And she's like,
"I know. I'm going to fix it.

I'm going to fix it."

And I said, "Okay."
And she said, "Okay, love you."

And I said,
"I love you too."

And that was the last time
I ever heard from her.

[somber music playing]

[sighs]

Can I take a break?

[pensive music playing]

Things start to get
really ugly at home

and Ali starts
to air them out publicly.

Don't get married, guys.
Don't get fucking married.

Ali would use
his online platform

against Ana at times.

He would go on live
and broadcast

really bad fights.

This fucking bitch.

KAYLA: He was saying, "This is
what a bitch looks like.

This is what
a whore looks like."

And I saw Ana
sitting on the couch,

not showing her face.

For him to do that was very
dangerous in my point of view,

and just overall wrong.

It showed how little he cared
about her wellbeing.

I dedicated my life.

I threw my whole life away
for her. [sniffs]

And now
she's throwing away my life.

Before they have, seemingly,
this perfect life

that they've shaped online.

And now it's a completely
different story.

And he is blaming Ana
for this.

I worked so hard
to build my platform and...

turns out
the one closest to you

is the one that tries
to destroy it.

That was definitely hard
for me to witness.

He was doing it
to embarrass her.

I don't even know
why I'm telling you, guys.

But I just care
about you guys, man.

I care about you guys.
I care about my brand here.

He wants his fans
or his followers to get

a look into his life
or that he cares about them.

But, you know, really,
he was just embarrassing...

both of them.

It was very heartbreaking

and very hard to watch
and very shocking.

The internet can be
such an evil place.

She didn't know what to do
and I didn't know

how I could help her.

And that's
when everything really,

really, really
started going downhill.

[brooding music playing]

Ali knew that a guy named Ray
in their friend circle

liked Ana,
was interested in Ana.

JULIA: Ana and Ali
met Ray together.

I remember Ali
coming back to me and saying,

"Yeah, Ray just told me
I'm so lucky

that I have
a beautiful woman like Ana.

That really bothers me.
Why does he say that?

That just means
he wants her."

Ali has had jealousy issues
with Ray from the start,

because Ray came off
like he admired Ana.

And so Ali started
creating this drama

about how
he doesn't trust Ray.

You want to fuck with me?

Okay. God, okay.

KAYLA: In actual real life,

he would say
certain things like,

"Would it be fun
if I just picked up this gun

and, like,
shot a bunch of people?"

People were like,
"Why would you say that?

That's actually not funny.

Are you your character
right now?

Or who are you right now?"

He was so high-strung
and so violent

to where nobody thought
it was funny outside of TikTok.

- You need people like me.
- You need people like me.

- So you can point...
- ...your fucking fingers...

...and say,
"That's the bad guy."

"That's the bad guy."

Say good night to the bad guy.

***

One morning,
Ana calls me a million times,

texts me a million times.

I'm reading all these texts,
"Louie, you got to come get me.

You got to come get me.
I need you.

He's crazy."

JULIA: She calls me
and she says,

"Hey, can I come over?"

So she comes to my house

and she has
a big suitcase with her.

It was Ali's cousin
dropping them off.

We went to the park
and I looked at her face

and I noticed the whole left
side of her face was bruised.

That's finally
when she's starting to tell us

that this has been
an ongoing thing since Virginia.

Domestic violence
does not happen overnight.

There's a reason

why abusers
isolate their victims.

It's because they can control
the narrative

of what's going on and what
happens and all those things.

When you are now in a place

where your victim
is exposed

to other people
and has support,

you began losing
sometimes the power

that you've had
in that relationship

to influence that person.

Everything started
coming out

and she's starting
to realize,

you know, this is a very toxic,
abusive relationship

and that
she needs to get out.

Ana has this picture of her
with kind of a bruised eye

and she's threatening Ali,

saying, you know,
"Should I call the police?

Should I show your family?

Should I put it online?"

And that strikes a chord
with Ali,

because his online persona
is his baby.

JONI: It's so complicated
for Ana in these situations

to think,
"How do I get him to stop?

How do I get him
to leave me alone?

And yet I do feel
protective of him

in terms of I don't want
to get him in trouble.

I don't want to ruin his
career."

And we all look
and kind of go, now,

"Yes, you should post this
on Facebook.

Yes,
you should call the police."

But at that point,
I think,

there is that struggle.

When you're in that
relationship,

it's hard to just leave,
especially a marriage.

You can feel trapped.

"How am I going to
do this on my own?"

You feel like
no one understands.

And that's exactly what
I think Ana was going through.

She was in...

a place
where she was stuck...

and didn't know
how to get out.

[pensive music playing]

And then Ali
started cheating on Ana.

One of the girls
that he fooled around with

was a girl
living at the Spire.

He met her
in the elevator

and this girl
somehow found Ana

and reached out to her.

She had to tell her
that they slept together.

Ana was like, "I'm so thankful
that you told me this.

You know, I'm not even mad.

I just want to know
this information."

This girl told Ana

that he invited her
into their home...

and he grabbed
a big bag of cocaine

and laid it
on their coffee table

and just started...

doing a bunch of blow
and talking about Ana,

calling her
all these horrible things.

And, of course, this girl
is clearly freaking out,

'cause she's like,
"Okay, this guy is crazy."

But she was smart

and knew
that she needed to warn Ana.

Ana wanted to separate
at that point.

That was her final straw.

***

At that point, she just wanted
people to know the truth.

[music fades]

So then Ana posted
a video on TikTok.

* When she's sleeping
in the bed we made *

* Don't you dare forget
about the way *

* You betrayed me *

* 'Cause I know that *

* You'll never feel sorry *

That was definitely
hitting him where it hurt.

Like, he cared so much
about his online presence,

his reputation,
his followers.

She posts this,
knowing full well

what this is going to do
to Ali,

because he loves

his online persona
and his following,

and he's kind of
just spiraling downwards.

[dramatic music playing]

ALI: I didn't cheat on you.
You fucking betrayed me.

And I fucked a girl
in Miami too.

And I fucked a girl in LA.

I've been
fucking bitches all day,

'cause you deprive me
of sex,

you paint me a bad guy,
you fucking disrespect me.

I'm fucking everybody.

I am fucking
the best man you ever met

and you're the dumbest bitch

I ever fucking devoted my
life to.

[chilling music plays]

I think, at that point,
she was so fed up.

He did all of this to her

and on top of that,
cheated on her.

She didn't care
about their image

as a happy couple anymore.

KAYLA: It shows
that she's strong.

And I can see in my friend

that she's on a healing process.

She's over it.

[brooding music playing]

[cell phone vibrates]

As soon as
Ana posted that video,

Ali was furious.

He was desperately
blowing up her phone...

threatening her
to take the TikTok down.

ALI: You block me,
you delete my pictures,

you fucking post
a video on TikTok,

saying seven years
of abusive--

Shut the fuck up,
you bitch.

So she did, but a lot of
people saw it before that.

***

She packed her bags

and she moved
into my friend's house.

She was trying to move on
from her relationship with Ali.

So Ana says...

And he goes...

And she says...

He didn't even deserve that.

After everything
that he did to her

and for her
to still love him how she did,

he didn't deserve that at all.

[brooding music playing]

JONI: As Ali starts realizing

that he has
permanently lost Ana

and realizing that
he is not going to get her back,

he begins to change.

ALI: I gave you this life,
all right?

And the second
you started telling me

that I don't do
anything for you,

that you don't need me.

I'm going to show you
how much you needed me.

[chuckles]
I'm going to show you.

Life's going to show you.

Life's going to show you
how much you needed me.

JULIA: So, at this point,

Ana is living
with my friend,

and Ali continues
to live at their apartment.

She was trying
to figure out

how she was going to start
her life in San Diego

without Ali.

I did fear
for Ana's life.

I brought up that,
"Ali has a gun, you know.

Do you know
how far he would take this?"

And she would
always reassure me.

She said, "Babe,
he would never do that."

[brooding music playing]

But Ana...

didn't think the worst
like we did.

There's sometimes
this lack of realization

that maybe the person would
never have hurt you before,

you haven't left them before.

And so we can't count on
past behavior

being the same
as it is now.

Ali, out of nowhere,
reaches out to her and says,

"I'm going to go
stay at a hotel,

and why don't you just move
back into the apartment?"

And Ana was like,
"Oh, this is so exciting.

This would solve
all of my problems.

I can move
back into the apartment.

I don't have to
worry about looking

for another place to live."

And I think that him
offering her the apartment

was all just a plan
to get her in a room,

so he can do
what he did.

[chilling music plays]

CAMERON: On October 21st,

the day starts out
with Ana heading out

to take
her daughter to school.

Ali has,
unbeknownst to her,

made a copy
of the electronic key

to get into her apartment.

Ali uses the secret key

and he enters
the apartment...

and he vandalizes it.

***

And then he puts an app
on his daughter's iPad,

so that he can listen in

on conversations
in the apartment.

He is so fixated
on what Ana's doing

and wanting to catch her
cheating on him

or some damning piece
of evidence.

[tense music plays]

Around 11 o'clock,
Ana returned to the apartment.

She just calls me
and she said,

"Babe, I came home
and the apartment is a mess.

There's stuff
all over the floor.

Everything's broken."

I was like, "Oh, my goodness,
you need to get out of there."

And she said,
"I'll call the front desk.

I'll ask them
to change the locks.

I'm going to go today to get
a restraining order against him.

Don't worry.
I got this."

She's like,
"I just need a favor.

Can you pick Amira up
from school for me,

so that I can clean
this apartment?

I don't want her
to come home to this mess

and ask me
what happened."

Ana felt very scared

after he vandalized
the apartment...

and asked Ray to come over
and help clean up.

Ana and Rayburn
were friends.

Ana said that
they were just hanging out.

CAMERON: A few hours later,
Rayburn arrives to the apartment

and they're talking.

Ali is back
at his hotel room,

listening in,
and he can hear

Ana's there
with a male voice.

Ali gets in his car

and he drives over
to the apartment

in downtown San Diego.

[brooding music playing]

Ali parks the car,
and then he enters on foot

into the parking garage
around 2:50.

He then starts
recording with his phone.

[rustling]

Ali enters the elevator
and he encounters another person

and he engages
in some small talk.

At 2:58,
Ali arrives on the 35th floor.

- [elevator beeps]
- AUTOMATED VOICE: Thirty-five.

Ali gets off the elevator,
he walks down the hallway...

and using the electronic
key card that he made...

[door clicks]

...you can hear him
opening up the door.

He racks a round
into the gun.

[gun clicks]

You can hear
Rayburn call out.

RAY: Whoa!

And then
we hear the gunshots.

[gunshots pop]

And you can hear Ana's voice
as well as she's calling out.

- [Ana yelling]
- [gunshots pop]

He racks a couple more rounds in
after the first four shots...

and then shoots
two more times.

[gunshot pops]

- [gun cocks]
- [gunshot pops]

[dramatic music playing]

[tense music playing]

At this point,
Ali exits the apartment.

He goes back and forth
a few times,

then he opens the door
of the apartment again...

and screams out
Ana's name.

ALI: Ana! Ana!

***

Yes.

I was going to pick her up
before I headed into work.

And right
in front of me,

I see Ali pull up

and grab Amira
and put her in the car.

At this point,
I'm not sure what to do.

I was supposed to
pick her up.

So I'm trying to call Ana
and she doesn't pick up.

And I'm texting her,
I'm like,

"Hey, Ali's here
trying to pick Amira up.

What do I do?
What do I do?"

She didn't text me back.

And so I follow him

while I'm calling
and calling her,

trying to get an answer
of what I should do.

Car gets in between us
and he goes far

and he turns right
and then I lose him.

***

[tense music playing]

There was a neighbor witness
who actually heard the shots.

She calls 911.

Ali's Jeep is spotted
on the I-15 freeway

where he is arrested.

They search the car
and they find a gun

and they find
about 100 rounds

of nine millimeter ammunition.

The daughter is fine

and they take custody
of the daughter

and she's later given
to family members.

***

JULIA: At that point,
I just-- I was lost.

I-- I didn't know what to do.
I was panicking.

I called my friend Claire.

I said,
"Claire, Ana hasn't picked up.

That's really strange.
Can you go to her apartment?"

And then she calls me
15 minutes later

and she's like,
"I can't get to her apartment."

I was like,
"What are you talking about?"

She says,
"They have it blocked off.

There's a lot of cops here."

And my heart just sank.

And I was just--
I just knew already.

I just knew.

But I was in disbelief.
I was in shock.

[dramatic music playing]

REPORTER: New information
this afternoon

about a double homicide inside
an East Village high rise.

Two people have been
confirmed dead

after a shooting
that happened at Island in 15.

RACHEL: The friend called me
and she was crying.

She said that,
"I think he finally did it."

***

CAMERON: Cops made entry.

They find that Rayburn

is on the couch, deceased.

He has
a gunshot wound to his face

and his head is back.

Ana is sitting
next to him.

She has
a gunshot wound to her head

and her body is slumped over,
kind of in his lap.

[somber music playing]

JULIA: It was already
two in the morning.

And we're all sitting
in the lobby

and we're just waiting.

Police come and he says,
"I'm so sorry,

but that was
Ana Marie and Rayburn

that was shot upstairs."

[voice breaks] And...

I've just never felt
anything like that.

My-- my heart just dropped.

I've just never felt
so much pain before.

I called-- Ana's mom
was the first person I called...

and I told her.

And she's like, "What
are you talking about, Julia?

What are you talking about?"

And-- and I couldn't tell her.

And we just both
started crying on the phone.

It was so shocking.
It was unreal.

I didn't believe it
at first

until the news came out.

And then I saw
the condo taped off

and the police outside and...

it was real.

Ali confesses to police

five hours
after the murders,

Ali is charged with two counts
of first degree murder,

a gun use allegation,

and a special circumstance
allegation

of committing
multiple murders,

which means that he could face
the death penalty.

[sinister music plays]

I attended
the preliminary hearing.

I mean, it was explosive.

I did work at
the district attorney's office,

and I've done
criminal post-conviction law,

and I've never been
to a hearing like that.

One of the detectives testified

that when he reviewed
the Instagram account of Ana,

he started describing
what he thought

was a relationship
between Ana and Rayburn

that now had turned
more romantic.

It's very unusual
to have the defendant

say anything
in a court proceeding.

And then he just
completely started losing it

from that point.

What would you do
if you found out

that your favorite TikTok star

was actually
a cold-blooded killer?

Whoa.
I know you've seen these videos.

MAN: The terrifying story
of Ali Abulaban.

KELSEY: It was big news.

A beautiful couple
is now torn apart

because of a double homicide.

This TikTok influencer
was just arrested for murder.

Ali pled not guilty
to first degree murder charges.

This is why
you shouldn't believe everything

you see on social media.

People were hearing
about this

almost across the world.

[speaking in other languages]

And then when I saw
the outbursts in court...

I wanted this?

...that's when I wrote him.

Who the [bleep] are you?

"I'm a reporter
covering the story,

and I'd love to hear your side."

Now to a story you'll see
first on Fox 5.

A jailhouse interview
with a rising TikTok star

accused of double murder.

So when you heard
Rayburn's voice, you went to--

But what were you thinking?

KAYLA: The crying,
the screaming, the slamming.

When I saw that,
I just saw pure evil.

KELSEY: What happens
when you get to the apartment?

And he says,

"Ray is on my couch,
my house."

"My, my, my."

Your family says that

your social media fame
changed you.

They say
that you were doing cocaine,

didn't really care
about the consequences.

Do you think
that made you snap?

Do you think it changed you?

KELSEY: Mm-hmm.

When he's talking
about losing his baby,

he's talking about losing
his business, his followers.

You can see what makes him
the most emotional

is that he feels
he lost his chance at fame.

And you can tell
that outweighs,

in his point of view,
losing his family.

That, to me,
is the most disgusting,

volatile part of...

everything that
has to do with him.

He only wanted to
bring up

he was this close
to getting famous.

Which is a stretch
from reality.

I don't think his content
was very funny at all.

KELSEY: Did you kill her?

Could anyone else have Ana?

[brooding music playing]

***

RAIN: From jail, Ali actually
posted a video on YouTube.

Someone posted it
on his behalf.

ALI: Hey, what's up, guys?

It's Ali, AKA JinnKid.

I haven't called myself that
for a while.

But, uh,
I just wanted to check in,

say that I'm doing okay
for the most part.

I'm trying my best
to stay positive.

He seems to be more focused
on the fame still.

He's like,
"Oh, I'll be back soon, guys.

I'm going to get you guys
the content you guys want.

I'm sorry, guys, I'm sorry
that I'm stuck behind bars."

ALI: I just wanted to say
I'm sorry

that I can't make
the videos that you love.

I'm sorry that, you know,

my life has come
down to this.

But not sorry to his wife,
or the man that he killed.

ALI: I love
that you still support me

and you still watch my videos
and I love you guys.

Thank you
for all the great times.

[tense music playing]

Social media can be
really dangerous

in the hands
of the wrong person.

I don't know to what extent

Ali's obsession

with his social media presence

led to what he did.

But he clearly had
a very unhealthy relationship

with social media,

that muddied
his understanding of reality,

that seemed
to shape his impression

of what he believed was
an acceptable way to behave.

And I think that's something
worth paying attention to.

[dramatic music playing]

Ali's decisions have had
dire consequences

for not only himself,
but for my entire family.

It's going to affect us
for the rest of our lives.

Ali's actions
have taken away a mother

and a father
from their daughter.

And now the daughter,
you know,

is going to grow up

with somebody else
other than her actual parents.

But at least
she gets to be with her family.

[somber music playing]

Authorities finally allowed...

family and friends to come into
the apartment

and grab whatever
Ana had left.

The apartment
was still exactly the same...

except the bodies
not being there.

***

When we walked
into the crime scene,

it was just...

it was very hard.

You see the breakfast
from that morning

still on the coffee table.

They took a part of the couch
out where it happened.

But you see the bullet holes.

You see the mess
that Ali created that morning

that she was
FaceTiming me about.

It was--
it was very hard.

But, you know,
we were there

to help Ana's family
retrieve her things.

And so that's what we did.

***

RACHEL: All I could
think about was,

I would've tried harder...

to get her out
and keep her safe.

Because you need a tribe

to get out
of a narcissistic relationship.

It's hard for me
to accept her death,

because I want to say
she's in a better place,

but a better place,
it should be with her daughter.

This case is so much
about Ana and Ali,

sometimes we forget
there's another victim here

who lost his life.

That's Ray.

And maybe he was at the wrong
place in the wrong time.

He was a good friend.

Ray chose
to be there for Ana,

because he saw her light

that was surrounded
by a lot of darkness.

REPORTER: The trial
of a popular TikTok star

started today.

Both sides actually agree
that Ali Abulaban

killed his estranged wife
and her friend.

But as for why it happened,

there are two
very different stories.

BAILIFF: Everyone rise, please.

The Superior Court
is now in session.

At the end of this trial,
I will ask

that you find
the defendant guilty

of two counts
of first-degree murder.

One for Ana, one for Ray.

It's not up for debate
if Ali killed Ana and Ray.

The question is,
was this premeditated?

Willfully spied on Ana,
caught her that day.

KELSEY: When we're talking
about proving premeditation,

that's a pretty tall order.

Even if you have one jury member

who doesn't agree with that,

you can have a hung jury,
and that's a mistrial.

There's a lot of evidence
in this trial.

The audio from Ali's phone

KELSEY: They also have
video of Ali

riding at the elevator,
35 floors.

SYNTHETIC VOICE:
Going up. Level 20.

Level 35.

KELSEY: A Nest Camera
that's attached

to one of the neighbor's
doors.

And you see Ali walk out
of the room into the hallway,

and he calls his mother,

and he confesses
to killing Ana.

JODI GREEN: Ana knew Ali well.

She knew his underlying
vulnerabilities.

Public defender
Jodi Green argues

that this it is voluntary
manslaughter

because she says
this was a crime of passion

and that Ali was provoked.

She knew his insecurities
about his mental illness,

his drug addiction,
and his own chaotic upbringing.

She used these,

and she weaponized them
against him.

She's saying that Ana
pushed Ali to the brink,

and that's why he broke.

That Ana was a cause
of why he killed her.

That Ana disrespected him.

We also see
a picture of Ana and Ray

kind of cuddled up together
on what looks to be a bed.

She's saying
Ana cheated on him,

causing him
to lose his mind,

go to the brink,
and shoot Ana and Ray.

JODY: And at this time,
the defense would call

Mr. Ali Abulaban.

KELSEY: And then on May 21st,
the defense calls Ali.

On the stand,
Ali is basically saying,

"Hey, I'm not a liar,
here."

He's admitting
to killing Ana and Ray

and to being abusive,

and it's making him
seem believable.

I was trying to believe her,
I was trying to believe

that she wasn't cheating on me,

that she would let me fix this,
because I was sick.

I was struggling
from drugs and mental illness.

And when I saw
that it was him...

I couldn't take it.

I couldn't take
the fucking betrayal.

Thank you.
Nothing further at this time.

KELSEY: Taren Brast
begins her cross-examination.

And you know from the beginning,
she's trying to break him down.

TAREN: You were mad
at Ana because she told you

over and over again
that she did not want to be

married to you, correct?

You were mad at Ana.

October 17th, you were violent
and angry with her, correct?

I became violent
at the last second, yes.

She's bringing up
searches on his phone,

such as a trash can,

exploitation of minors,
sex workers,

and chopped bodies.

You're out of your mind.

You're not going to paint me
as something I'm not.

After a four-week
excruciating trial,

the jury retires
to deliberate,

and everyone
is just on pins and needles

to see what's going to happen.

BAILIFF: Come to order.
The court is now is session.

[indistinct]

We, the jury,
in the above-entitled cause,

find the defendant,
Ali Nasser Abulaban, guilty

of the crime of murder
in the first degree.

[crowd cheering]

KELSEY: The jury
finds Ali guilty

of two counts
of first-degree murder.

We didn't have any doubt
that we were going to get

anything other than guilty,
but it's just the relief.

We've been waiting almost
three years for this.

She didn't think
he would do it

because every
domestic violence victim

is not there
for themselves.

And that's what we need
to change in this world.

We need to look
at this situation,

and this is the end result.

This is the end result.
[sobbing]

JONI: I think for anyone
who's in a situation

where they're
experiencing abuse,

the number one thing, I think,
is to reach out to somebody.

I think the enemy
of making healthy decisions

is isolation
and keeping things to yourself.

And so the first step,
there are just

so many resources available.

There are hotlines,
there are community resources.

Making sure that you end
that isolation

in some way.

[somber music]

I sit here today,
sharing Ana's story,

because I want people
to not be silent,

to not care about what
you look like on social media

or care what people
are going to think of you

because you're in
a bad situation.

Your truth is who you are,

and you need to embrace it
and own it.

And we need to be the change
that we want for the world.

JULIA: I wish we could have seen

all our daughters
grow up together

and have this mom life,

take them to the beach and...

I just-- I miss her so much.

I really,
really miss her so much.

And I really, really wish
she was still here with us.

RACHEL: But we're here now.

JULIA: Now we're gonna
continue to make her proud.

RACHEL:
Silence is what got Ana here.

Her story needs to be heard

to save other women,

and to prevent children growing
up without their parents.

***

[tense music]