TikTok star Ali Abulaban's sentencing delayed as he considers appeal

Ali Abulaban, the TikTok star convicted of murdering his wife and her friend, will now be sentenced on September 6. His lawyer has asked that the sentencing, originally scheduled for Friday, be postponed.

In court Friday, Abulaban's lawyer announced his intention to appeal the conviction.

Taren Brast, the Barron family's attorney, said Abulaban posted messages on social media from prison or through a friend, which the family finds inappropriate. Brast asked Judge Jeffrey Fraser to stop it, but Fraser told the courtroom it was not up to him but the sheriff's office to stop Abulaban from posting on social media.

Abulaban, formerly known as “Jinnkid” on TikTok, was convicted of fatally shooting his wife, Ana, and her friend, Rayburn Cardenas Barron, in their East Village apartment on October 21, 2021.

He testified that he intended to catch Ana cheating and admitted to the shooting, leaving jurors to decide whether the killings were premeditated or in the heat of the moment.

Members of Barron's family, present during the initial sentencing, expressed frustration with the delay. Barron's sister said they had prepared for this eventuality, adding that the last two and a half years had been miserable. The family plans to deliver further witness statements at sentencing on September 6.

“We pray to God that everything will be over today, so we can end this cycle and start hearing from the witnesses,” Barron's sister said. “These two and a half years have been difficult. We waited all this time to have a trial, and it lasted a month. Now we may have to start all over again. It's really very hard. »

Barron here is referring to the news of Abulaban's plans to appeal.

Fraser said Abulaban had 60 days to appeal. Barron's family members also plan to make further witness statements on September 6.