A judge sentenced a California man to life in prison without the possibility of parole after he was convicted of murdering his estranged wife, whose body was found buried in a shallow grave in the desert in November 2022, according to authorities.
Zarbab Ali, of Hawthorne, was sentenced for first-degree murder in the death of Rachel Castillo, the mother of their two children, on Monday, January 12, the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release shared that day.
He is accused of killing Castillo at a Simi Valley apartment on November 10, 2022, while he and Castillo were in the process of getting a divorce. Their divorce was almost finalized when she died at age 25, according to authorities.
On November 21, 2025, Ali, 29, was convicted of murder “with the special circumstance that the murder was committed by means of lying in wait,” the district attorney’s office said.
Ahead of trial, he pleaded guilty in connection with how authorities said he had sexual contact with Castillo’s remains, after he was accused of burying her body.
During his sentencing, Castillo’s loved ones said in victim impact statements that “Rachel was more than a victim.”
They described Castillo as “a devoted mother, loving sister, a daughter, and a friend,” who had “a silly, soft-spoken voice that would make anyone smile.”
Ali’s public defender, Erik Aucoin, did not immediately provide a comment when contacted by Us Weekly on Tuesday, January 13.
Before Castillo’s death, she was living with her two sons and her sister at an apartment in Simi Valley, which is about a 40-mile drive northwest of Los Angeles, according to the district attorney’s office.
The day she was killed, Ali brought their children to his parents’ home, then later visited the Simi Valley apartment when Castillo was alone, the district attorney’s office said.
When he arrived, he entered through the front door, which was unlocked, and turned off all the lights inside the apartment, according to authorities.
The district attorney’s office said he then “waited for (Castillo) to exit a bedroom.”
Ali stabbed Castillo 11 times in a hallway, according to authorities. She was stabbed in her neck and chest.
Afterward, authorities said Ali “wrapped her body in a blanket,” then put her body in the trunk of his car.
Before he left the apartment with her remains, he tried to clean the residence, according to the district attorney’s office.
Castillo’s sister later arrived home to find “signs of a violent attack and called 911,” the office said.
Ali ultimately drove to Littlerock, about a 65-mile drive northeast from Simi Valley, where authorities said he buried Castillo nearby in a shallow grave.
Then he drove to his parent’s home in Victorville, according to the district attorney’s office. After his family fell asleep, he is accused of revisiting Castillo’s burial site.
There, the district attorney’s office said “he unearthed Ms. Castillo’s body, engaged in sexual conduct with her remains, and buried her again.”
After Castillo’s sister called 911, Simi Valley police officers discovered bloody items in a dumpster by her and Castillo’s apartment, according to authorities. They also found that Castillo’s phone, keys and car had been left behind.
A witness, according to authorities, told police that they had seen Ali at the property.
On November 13, 2022, the FBI joined Simi Valley detectives in searching the desert area near Littlerock for Castillo’s remains, the district attorney’s office said.
FBI agents and detectives eventually came across some dirt piles and a metal shovel, leading them to find Castillo’s body below a “disturbed” area of the ground, according to the office.
Ali was arrested that same day, the district attorney’s office said.
At Ali’s sentencing, Castillo’s mother, Robyn Castillo, said that her daughter “was a devoted mother” and that “her sons meant everything to her,” according to the Ventura County Star.
Rachel and Ali had adopted their two sons, who were ages 5 and 2 when she died, the newspaper reported.
“They never got to say goodbye, and she never got to give them one last hug…” Castillo’s oldest sister, Claira Castillo, said in court, according to the newspaper. “Every milestone will be a reminder of what was taken from them.”
According to the district attorney’s office, her family also said in the courtroom that Castillo started a master’s program at Pepperdine University before she died and “had dreams for her and her boys’ future.”
“She deserved to watch them grow,” her family added.
Ventura County Senior Deputy District Attorney David Russell, who led Ali’s prosecution, said in a statement that Ali “has shown no remorse.”
“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,” Russell added.
