Man Charged With Killing Wife

A man accused of butchering his common-law wife and dumping her remains in the ocean off the Ventura County coast was charged Monday with murder.

Alfonso Castillo, a 37-year-old tile setter from Panorama City, appeared in Ventura County Superior Court to answer the charges but did not enter a plea. He was ordered back on Jan. 10.

Castillo is accused of killing 34-year-old Maria Guadalupe Pinaloza Ambrio.

A Ventura County sheriff’s deputy spotted a truck illegally parked near Mugu Rock about 1:45 a.m. Thursday and saw Castillo, splattered with blood, hiking up a rocky area from the surf, authorities said.

Authorities discovered limbs and other body parts floating in the water below the spot where the truck was parked.

No weapon was found at the scene.

On Monday, Senior Deputy Dist. Atty. Patricia Murphy filed a criminal complaint charging Castillo with one count of murder. Murphy said Ambrio was Castillo’s common-law wife.

According to Ventura County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Eric Nishimoto, Castillo had returned to the U.S. after being deported. Nishimoto said he was unsure when the deportation occurred.

Castillo remains jailed in lieu of $1-million bail.