Murder charged in death of Simi’s Rachel Castillo




Rachel Castillo Courtesy of Robyn Castillo

Rachel Castillo Courtesy of Robyn Castillo

A Hawthorne man faces charges that could be grounds for capital punishment in the apparent stabbing death of his 25-year-old estranged wife, Rachel Castillo of Simi Valley.

The mother of two went missing Nov. 10, and her body was discovered three days later in a remote part of the Antelope Valley, according to authorities.

At the Hall of Justice in Ventura on Nov. 15, Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko announced that his office filed one count of murder against Zarbab Ali, 25, who was arrested at his parents’ Victorville home the day Castillo’s body was found.

Castillo and Ali had been separated for several months and were in the midst of a divorce.

“With respect to the murder count, we charged it in the first degree, that the defendant acted in a premeditated, willful and malicious manner,” Nasarenko said.

Prosecutors also say Ali used a knife in the commission of the crime and that he was lying in wait.

The special allegations make a defendant eligible for death, but the investigation is ongoing and no such decision has been made. Additional charges are possible, Nasarenko said.

Castillo’s sister called 911 Nov. 10 after returning to the apartment they shared.

Simi Valley police responded and reportedly found signs of a violent attack with serious injury. Castillo was nowhere to be found, but her cellphone, car keys and car were all at the residence.

Her body was found Nov. 13. At press time, the Los Angeles County medical examiner had not determined a cause of death.

Those who knew her said Castillo had a bright future. She grew up in Simi Valley, graduated from La Reina High School in Thousand Oaks, earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from UC Santa Cruz and was working at Interface Children and Family Services as a Medi-Cal navigator.

Interface is a social services agency that provides resources for children and families facing crisis situations involving domestic violence, child abuse or mental health.

Castillo recently enrolled at Pepperdine University to earn her master’s in clinical psychology in the area of marriage and family therapy.

Nasarenko wanting to make sure the public doesn’t lose sight of the victim in the case, displayed two large photos of Castillo and highlighted a bit of her life story.

“We want to lift up Rachel, her memory and celebrate her life,” he said. “This was a 25-year-old woman who had a bright and inspiring future which, unfortunately, was taken from her.”

Nasarenko declined to speculate on a motive for the crime.

“We’re still learning information. We’re still gathering evidence, and it would be premature to speculate,” he said.

The district attorney did say Castillo’s children are now safely with relatives.

Court appearance

Appearing via Zoom from Ventura County Jail Nov. 16, his face barely discernible as he peered through the security slot in his white cell door, Ali did not enter a plea.

Instead, Deputy Public Defender Matthew Benitez asked for and was granted a four-week continuance by Ventura County Superior Court Judge Nancy Ayers. This means Ali is set to enter a plea on Dec. 16.

Meanwhile, Castillo’s family is fighting with Ali’s for custody of the children, who are temporarily in the Castillo family’s care.

That matter is playing out in family court, away from public view.

Nasarenko declined to say what, if anything, Ali may have said in the way of a confession, adding those details would come out in court.

He did say this appears to be Ali’s first run-in with the law in the state of California.