Man Pleads Not Guilty in Death of Girlfriend

A tile setter pleaded not guilty Thursday to a charge of murder for allegedly chopping up his live-in girlfriend and dumping her remains into the ocean near Point Mugu.

Alfonso Castillo, 37, nodded his head but said nothing as his attorney, Deputy Public Defender Doug Daily, spoke to him.

Superior Court Judge Vincent O’Neil set a preliminary hearing in the case for Feb. 26.

The Panorama City resident is accused of killing Maria Guadalupe Pinaloza Ambrio, 34. He is being held at Ventura County Jail in lieu of $1-million bail.

Castillo was arrested early Dec. 6 on Pacific Coast Highway near Mugu Rock. A sheriff’s deputy noticed Castillo’s vehicle parked illegally near an ocean cliff.

A deputy who confronted Castillo as he climbed the rocky slope said the suspect was covered with blood. Castillo tried to escape when deputies saw blood in his vehicle, officials said.

As Castillo sat handcuffed on some rocks, deputies shone flashlights on the surf and saw body parts bobbing in the waves.