Man charged in cold case murder, sexual assaults could have more victims, police say

A 61-year-old Fresno man whose DNA was linked to a cold-case murder and two rape cases from the early 2000s could be responsible for other crimes, authorities said.

Robert Castillo was arrested April 10 at his home in northwest Fresno on suspicion of sexually assaulting and killing 43-year-old Barbara Lee, also known as Barbara Parker, according to the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office. Lee was found dead in a dirt field between the intersections of California and Polk Avenues on Oct. 31, 2004.

The Fresno Bee reported at the time that Lee was last seen on Oct. 30 and her body was found by a resident the following day. She had been killed in the same field where her body was discovered, authorities said in 2004.

Homicide detectives interviewed several people who knew Lee in 2004, but couldn’t determine who killed her and the case grew cold. Last year, a cold case unit review board composed of homicide detectives, crime analysts, prosecutors and district attorney investigators reopened the case.

Detectives linked Castillo to Lee’s death and two separate rape cases from 2003 and 2004 using DNA samples. A third rape case is being processed for a potential connection to Castillo, the sheriff’s office said in a statement. Authorities did not provide additional information about that case.

Castillo’s DNA was found in a database known as Combined DNA Index System, or CODIS, that helps law enforcement link crime scenes to individuals previously convicted of certain offenses. Castillo served time in prison in the mid-1980s, late 1990s and mid-2000s for property crimes, but his DNA wasn’t entered into the database until 2007, authorities said.

Castillo is charged with one count of murder for Lee’s death, and two counts of sexual penetration by force. He also faces a count of rape and two counts of forceful oral copulation for a September 2004 assault and a count of rape for an assault that occurred in October 2003, according to court records.

If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. Prosecutors have not determined whether they will seek the death penalty in the case. Castillo remains in custody in lieu of $2.1-million bail. His attorney could not immediately be reached for comment.

Lee’s murder is one of nine cold cases that have been solved over the past year, the sheriff’s office said.

“It’s not easy in the world we live in, with the tight schedules that we all have … to actually never forget these victims,” Fresno County Dist. Attny. Lisa Smittcamp said in a statement. “I would like to offer my condolences to the Lee family … for all of this to be unearthed again after 20 years is very difficult.”

Anyone with information about Castillo is asked to contact Special Investigator Sergio Toscano at (559) 600-8027. Tips can also be directed to Valley Crime Stoppers by visiting www.valleycrimestoppers.org using reference case #04-25747.