Ambushed by Her Estranged Husband: The Murder of Rachel Castillo

As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Rachel Lynn Castillo with me today. In November 2022, 25-year-old Simi Valley social worker and graduate student Rachel Castillo vanished from her sister’s apartment after a routine custody exchange with her two young sons. Her sister found a large amount of blood inside, but Rachel and her car were gone, sparking an urgent missing-person investigation. Within days, her remains were discovered in a shallow grave in the remote Antelope Valley, with suspicion falling on her estranged husband, 28-year-old math teacher Zarbab Ali. He admitted picking up their kids, dropping them at his parents’, returning to lie in wait, and fatally stabbing her amid their ongoing separation.Ali faced first-degree murder charges with special allegations for knife use and lying in wait, leading to life without parole. He pleaded guilty following powerful victim-impact statements from Rachel’s family, who described her as a devoted mother and advocate for domestic violence victims, training to be a therapist.