Man sentenced for brutal murder of ex-wife

A brutal murder of estranged wife has resulted in a California man being sentenced to life imprisonment in prison without the option of parole as announced by Ventura County authorities, on Monday.

According to Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko, the 29-year-old Zarbab Ali of Hawthorne killed Rachael Castillo during divorce proceedings. Ali was already guilty of unlawful mutilation and was found guilty of murder, in November 2025.

Castillo, who has two kids, was almost about to get a divorce when Ali raped her in an apartment at Simi Valley on November 10, 2022, at the apartment of her sister.

According to the prosecutors, Ali enticed Castillo to a dark hallways where he stabbed her 11 times, then tried to hide the homicide by wrapping up her body and moving it to a shallow grave in Littlerock. Evidence was later found by investigators of Ali disturbing the remains of Castillo, which he allegedly did when he was being interrogated.

Ali had previously brought their children to the house of his parents and come back to the scene. The family of Castillo talked about her as a caring and faithful mother and sister whose suing character made the impact on the people around her.

This sentence is not going to reverse the tragedy, but it will provide justice to Rachel and her family, as Ali has committed serious crimes, as Nasarenko emphasizes.