New details reveal the that the woman accused of murdering her fire captain wife in Southern California had killed a previous spouse two decades before.
Authorities are still searching for Yolanda Marodi, 54, who was named as a suspect in the alleged murder of Rebecca “Becky” Marodi, 49, a Cal Fire captain who was found stabbed to death inside her home on Feb. 17.
An arrest warrant, obtained by KABC, details that Rebecca told Yolanda she was leaving her and ending their marriage nearly a week before she was murdered.
The deadly confrontation was caught on home surveillance video, the outlet reported.
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The warrant details that detectives reviewed the footage and saw two people, who they believe to be Rebecca and Yolanda, running across the patio on the property. Detectives said that a voice could be heard yelling out, “Yolanda, please, I don’t want to die.”
Detectives reported that Rebecca then reappears in the patio angle with what appears to be apparent blood on her back.
The report read that Yolanda responded to Rebecca, saying “You should have thought about that before,” while standing in front of Rebecca with what appeared to be a knife in her hand.
The couple then disappeared for nearly 10 minutes before Yolanda was seen gathering belongings, dressed in a different outfit and loading up the Chevrolet Equinox and fleeing the scene.
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Detectives are still working to determine a motive for the murder, but KABC reported that the warrant states that Yolanda texted an associate three days after the incident, saying “Becky came home and told me she was leaving me. She met someone else, all the messages were lies. We had a big fight, and I hurt her… I’m sorry.”
Rebecca’s Marodi’s murder came nearly 25 years after Yolanda was convicted of stabbing her previous spouse, James Joseph Olejniczak, to death in San Bernardino County in 2000.
She served more than 13 years in prison for voluntary manslaughter before her release in 2013, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
According to social media posts, Rebecca and Yolanda Marodi appeared to have been together since 2022.
The San Diego Sheriff’s Office believes Yolanda Marodi is driving a silver 2013 Chevrolet Equinox with California license plate “8BQJ420.” Officials said she is also believed to be traveling with a small white dog.
Deputies said that Yolanda stands approximately 5’2″ tall, weighs 166 pounds and has brown eyes and brown hair. She is described as having tattoos on both her upper right and left arms.
She is also believed to have fled to Mexico as the Department of Homeland Security reported seeing the same car spotted hours later as it crossed the border.
“At this time, Olejniczak’s whereabouts are not known. Out of an abundance of caution, the Sheriff’s Office has alerted authorities on both sides of the border about this suspect,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
Rebecca Marodi served more than 30 years with Cal Fire, mainly in Riverside County, starting as a volunteer in Moreno Valley. Most recently, officials confirmed she helped battle the Eaton Fire.
CAL Fire Riverside acknowledged Rebecca Marodi’s death and said her passing is a “profound loss.”
“Her legacy of mentorship, service, and dedication will be felt for years to come. Her passing is a profound loss to her family, friends, and all who had the privilege of working alongside her,” the department wrote in a previous statement on their Facebook page.
