Zarbab Ali, a Hawthorne resident, has been found guilty of the brutal first-degree murder of his estranged wife, Rachel Castillo, the Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko announced recently. Castillo, who was finalizing a divorce from Ali, was found dead in a desolate desert area near Littlerock on November 13, 2022. The grisly details add to a chilling tale of domestic violence culminating in a final act of murder.
The jury delivered the verdict after Ali had already pled guilty to a chilling charge: the felony of sexual contact with the victim's remains after her death. This conviction carries a mandatory life sentence without the prospect of parole. The jury also found it to be true that the murder was committed by means of lying in wait and with the use of a knife, further compounding the heinous nature of this crime. The Ventura County Superior Court is set to sentence Ali on January 12, 2026, as per the district attorney’s office report.
Senior Deputy District Attorney David Russell, who prosecuted the case, expressed deep sympathy for the victim's family, devastated by the loss. "Our thoughts are with Rachel’s family, who have endured unimaginable pain since the day she was taken from them," Russell stated. He went on to thank law enforcement for their diligent work that significantly contributed to the eventual verdict.
According to a report from the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office, Ali’s arrest on the day following the grim discovery of Castillo’s body was swiftly executed by detectives from the Simi Valley Police Department and FBI agents. The officials were to work together efficiently in locating both the victim and the suspect, culminating in the high-profile arrest of Ali after he left his parents’ home in Victorville.
Communications Manager Joey Buttitta of the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office confirmed the sentencing date. The community, deeply shaken by the atrocity of the crime, is now to have some semblance of closure, knowing that Ali will remain behind bars for life. The full district attorney’s press release with additional details about the case can be found on their official website.
