LAGIM: A Filipino True Crime · LAGIM Podcast

The Case of Ana Abulaban

·1 hr 4 min·4 clips

CCTV and his own phone recorded Ali entering the apartment moments before the gunfire.

1. LAGIM: A Filipino True Crime covers the case of Ana Abulaban, moving from Angeles City and Okinawa to Virginia and San Diego. 2. The host presents Ana Marie Quito Macedonio as a Filipina from Angeles City and Ali Nasser Abulaban as a Palestinian-American from Virginia. 3. The episode asks how a relationship that looked "drama-free" online turned into a domestic-violence case. 4. Ana grew up in Angeles City and later traveled to Okinawa, Japan with her family because of her father's work. 5. Ali lived in Virginia, served in the U.S. military, and spent time in Okinawa where he performed in a band. 6. Ana and Ali met in 2014, and the relationship moved quickly into a romance and then a pregnancy. 7. Ana returned to the Philippines, gave birth to Amira, and later joined Ali in Bristow, Virginia after her visa was granted in 2017. 8. The couple married at a courthouse, bought a house, and later moved to San Diego in 2021. 9. Ali's content moved from Instagram and YouTube to TikTok under atjinkid, where he posted impressions and Skyrim-character videos. 10. Ana also appeared online through fashion and lifestyle posts, including videos where her hands helped with his sketches and character work. 11. Friends said Ali became controlling, quick to pick fights, and jealous of Ana's friendships. 12. The episode describes cocaine use, including a livestream where Ali snorted cocaine with Ana visible in the background. 13. Recorded arguments show Ali accusing Ana of cheating, insulting her, and saying she owed her life in the United States to him. 14. Ana told him she felt unsafe, wanted him out of the apartment, and worried about Amira seeing the fighting and drug use. 15. The narration says there were nine police calls for domestic violence between July and October 2021. 16. Ana later planned to stay away from the family home, and friends feared that leaving would remove Ali's control. 17. The episode's tone is case-by-case and detail-heavy, with social-media posts, recordings, and police timelines used as evidence. 18. The format mixes commentary, quoted material, and chronological reconstruction of the relationship and investigation. 19. Listeners interested in Filipino true crime and domestic-abuse cases. 20. Listeners who want light, non-violent relationship stories.

As heard by us

A careful true-crime account of coercion, family strain, and a relationship sliding toward tragedy.

The episode follows Ana Abulaban in a steady, chronological way, showing how intimacy hardens into control from the couple's beginnings in 2014 Okinawa through the damage that surfaces in 2021. Its main strength is restraint.

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Why you'd press play

Press play for a measured case study of love curdling into control.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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