Potential additional victims may be linked to the man currently accused of a cold case murder and sexual assaults, according to law enforcement officials.
Rewritten Article
** meets his day of reckoning** A 61-year-old Fresno man, Robert Castillo, is in the hot seat for allegedly committing heinous crimes dating back to the early 2000s. Authorities suspect him of being involved in more than just the cold-case murder and two rape cases he's been charged with.
On April 10, 2025, Castillo was nabbed at his northwest Fresno residence for the brutal assault and killing of 43-year-old Barbara Lee, also known as Barbara Parker. Her lifeless body was discovered in a grisly scene between California and Polk Avenues on October 31, 2004.
According to the Fresno County Sheriff's Office, Lee was last seen on October 30, and her body was found by a resident the following day. The horrifying incident took place in the very same field where her body was discovered[1]. Over a decade ago, detectives interviewed those who knew Lee, but couldn't find a lead in her murder[1]. The case lay dormant until last year when a cold case unit review board revived it.
Detectives have now linked Castillo's DNA to Lee's death and two separate rape cases from 2003 and 2004. A third rape case is under investigation and may also be connected to Castillo[1]. No further details about that case were provided.
Castillo served time in prison for property crimes, but his DNA wasn't added to the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) database until 2007[1]. In the present day, he faces charges including one count of murder for Lee's death, two counts of sexual penetration by force, and additional charges for the rapes and forced oral copulation in 2003 and 2004[1][2]. If found guilty, he's looking at a sentence of life in prison without parole. The prosecutors are yet to decide whether they will seek the death penalty. Castillo is currently being held on a $2.1-million bail[2].
Lee's murder is one of nine cold cases that have been solved over the past year[2]. In a statement, Fresno County District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp expressed her condolences to the Lee family. Calling the reopening of the case a challenging process, she urged everyone not to forget the victims[2].
Anyone with information about Castillo is asked to contact Special Investigator Sergio Toscano at (559) 600-8027 or submit tips anonymously through Valley Crime Stoppers at www.valleycrimestoppers.org using case number 04-25747[2].
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[1] Fresno County Sheriff's Office statement, April 10, 2025. [2] The Fresno Bee, April 11, 2025.
- Robert Castillo, a 61-year-old resident of Fresno, California, is currently facing accusations of heinous crimes that allegedly date back to the early 2000s, including a homicide and multiple rape cases.
- In 2025, Castillo was arrested at his northwest Fresno residence in connection with the brutal assault and homicide of Barbara Lee, also known as Barbara Parker.
- According to the Fresno County Sheriff's Office, Lee's body was discovered in a grisly scene between California and Polk Avenues on October 31, 2004, and detectives have now linked Castillo's DNA to her death and two separate rape cases from 2003 and 2004.
- Lee's murder is one of nine cold cases that have been solved over the past year, and Special Investigator Sergio Toscano from the Fresno County Sheriff's Office is asking anyone with information about Castillo to come forward.
- In addition to facing charges for Lee's murder, Castillo is also facing charges for two counts of sexual penetration by force, as well as charges for the rapes and forced oral copulation in 2003 and 2004.
- Lisa Smittcamp, the Fresno County District Attorney, has expressed her condolences to the Lee family and urged everyone not to forget the victims of cold cases like this one.
- In other crime and justice news, a Santa Ana man has been apprehended for shooting a toddler in a moving car, and a subject from "To Catch A Predator" has reappeared in court, while a barber from Orange County has been accused of drugging and assaulting his clients.
