Zarbab Ali sentenced to life in prison for the 2022 murder of his estranged wife Rachael Castillo
VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. (KEYT) – Zarbab Ali of Hawthorne was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the first-degree murder of his estranged wife Rachael Castillo.
On Nov. 21, 2025, Ali was convicted of the murder of his wife just before they finalized their divorce in November of 2022 and he admitted to a felony charge of sexual contact with her remains before his trial noted the Ventura County District Attorney's Office in a press release Monday.
On Nov. 10, 2022, Ali dropped off the two sons he and Rachael Castillo had together at his parents' home in Victorville and arrived later that night at the Simi Valley Apartment they all shared with Rachael's sister knowing his estranged wife would be alone noted the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.
Ali then went inside of the apartment, turned off the lights, and waited for Castillo to leave a bedroom stated the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.
He then confronted Castillo in a dark hallway before stabbing her 11 times in the neck and chest detailed the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.
According to the Ventura County District Attorney's Office, Ali then wrapped Castillo's body in a blanket and attempted to clean the scene before putting her wrapped body into the trunk of his car.
He then drove to Littlerock, California where he buried Castillo in a shallow grave with a shovel he had recently purchased before returning to his parents' Victorville home where he children were waiting shared the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.
When Castillo's sister returned to her apartment, she discovered signs of a violent attack and called 911 and although her sister was officially reported as missing, her personal belongings including her keys, phone, and car were all still at the home detailed the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.
Responding officers located bloody items in a nearby dumpster and witnesses reported seeing Ali at the apartment complex noted the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.
After his children and parents went to sleep, Ali returned to Castillo's grave site after 2 a.m. and, "engaged in sexual conduct with her remains" before reburying her shared the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.
"Rachael was more than a victim," shared Castillo's family in a victim impact statement during the trial. She was, "a devoted mother, loving sister, a daughter, and a friend," who had a, "soft-spoken voice that would make anyone smile."
Family members shared that Rachael had recently started a Master's degree program at Pepperdine University and, "had dreams for her and her boys' future" before she was murdered.
"You are here because you are a coward," noted one speaker while directly addressing Ali. "[Y]ou turned to violence" and harmed his own sons, "two innocent children whose lives were forever changed."
On Nov. 13, 2022, detectives searched a remote area in the desert outside of Littlerock, California that was only accessible by a dirt road that had notable vehicle tracks for about 70 yards which ended at a patch of multiple disturbed spots of soil detailed the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.
About 20 yards southeast of one disturbed patch, investigators discovered a used metal shovel and beneath one of the patches of recently moved soil, they discovered Castillo's body explained the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.
Later the same day, Ali was arrested for Castillo's murder as he was leaving his parents' home in Victorville noted the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.
"Where any human being should feel shame, disgust, and loathing for what he has done, the defendant has shown no remorse," stated Senior Deputy District Attorney David Russell who prosecuted the case. "His actions place him among the very worst offenders this court will ever see. He deserved no leniency, and today’s sentence ensures he will never again be free to endanger another person or inflict further harm on society."
