A California man has been convicted of a depraved and brutal crime against his estranged wife, a mother of two who was on the verge of starting a new life.
Zarbab Ali, 28, was found guilty of the first-degree murder of 25-year-old Rachel Castillo after Ali confessed to a series of horrific acts in 2022.
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| Rachel Castillo |
In November 2022, Rachel Castillo, who was in the process of finalizing her divorce from Ali, was in her Simi Valley apartment when she was ambushed.
According to Ali’s own confession to police, he hid inside her darkened home in her absence, and waited for her to come back.
Once she was there, he then jumped out and repeatedly stabbed Castillo in the chest, as reported by New York Post.
After the violent attack, he wrapped her body in a blanket and tried to clean up the crime scene. He then transported her body to a remote desert area, where he buried her in a shallow grave.
However, after authorities found the shallow grave and the remains, Ali came clean about his missing partner.
In a police interview, Ali openly admitted to the crime and referred to himself as a “monster.”
He also revealed that in the middle of the night, he returned to the shallow grave, dug up Castillo’s body, and sexually assaulted the corpse.
“Just to confirm that I am a monster, I raped her,” Ali confessed, as per New York Post. He added, “If I didn’t commit to being a monster, then she would have died for no reason.”
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| Zarbab Ali |
During his trial, Ali attempted to justify the psychotic crime by blaming his wife, claiming she was cheating on him and that he could not move on.
“This is the only way I could escape,” Ali said of the slaying. “I wanted her dead. I was angry that she just wouldn’t let me move on.”
However, prosecutors emphasized that Castillo was the one seeking to move on, having nearly finalized the divorce that would have severed ties with her killer for good.
The jury deliberated and found Ali guilty of first-degree murder, ensuring he will be spending a very long behind bars.
Following the conviction, the prosecutor in the case acknowledged the profound loss and the efforts that led to justice.
“Our thoughts are with Rachel’s family, who have endured unimaginable pain since the day she was taken from them,” prosecutor David Russell said. “I am thankful for the outstanding efforts of law enforcement, whose investigation made this verdict possible. While nothing can restore what her loved ones have lost, this conviction ensures the defendant will spend the rest of his life in prison and that the community will be protected from him forever.”
Zarbab Ali is scheduled to be formally sentenced on January 12, 2026. For updates on this case and other high-profile true crime stories sign up for our free newsletter here.
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