Camilla Jessen
Rachael Castillo was killed by her estranged husband, Zarbab Ali, before their divorce was finalized.
The killing unfolded during the final stages of a divorce and ended with one of Ventura County’s most disturbing murder cases in recent years.
A California court has now delivered its final judgment.
On Monday, Jan. 12, Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko announced that Zarbab Ali was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder of his estranged wife, Rachael Castillo.
According to the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office, Ali had been convicted of murder and previously pleaded guilty to unlawful mutilation, disinterment, or sexual contact with human remains.
Castillo and Ali shared two children. Their divorce had been nearly finalized at the time of her death.
Attack during separation
Authorities said Castillo was staying at her sister’s apartment in Simi Valley with her sons. On Nov. 10, 2022, Ali picked up the children and dropped them at his parents’ home in Victorville before returning alone to the apartment.
“Knowing Ms. Castillo would be alone, he found the front door unlocked, went inside, turned off the lights, and waited for her to exit a bedroom,” the district attorney said. He then stabbed her 11 times in the neck and chest.
Ali was convicted on Nov. 21, 2025.
Efforts to conceal crime
Prosecutors said Ali wrapped Castillo’s body in a blanket, attempted to clean the apartment and placed her body in the trunk of his car, which he had left open in advance.
He drove to a remote area near Littlerock, California, where investigators say he used a newly purchased shovel to dig a shallow grave. He then returned to his parents’ home, where the children were staying.
When Castillo’s sister returned to the apartment and noticed signs of a struggle, police were called.
The district attorney said that in the early hours of the following day, Ali returned alone to the burial site. Prosecutors said he dug up Castillo’s body and engaged in sexual conduct with her remains, an act he later confessed to during police questioning.
On Nov. 13, 2022, Simi Valley police and FBI agents found Castillo’s remains buried in the desert near Littlerock. Ali was arrested later that day.
“Rachel was more than a victim,” her family said in victim impact statements, remembering her as “a devoted mother, loving sister, a daughter, and a friend.”
Senior Deputy District Attorney David Russell said, “Where any human being should feel shame, disgust, and loathing for what he has done, the defendant has shown no remorse.”
