California woman admits killing firefighter wife

A California woman has admitted stabbing her wife to death at their San Diego County home, more than two decades after she was convicted in the stabbing death of her previous husband.

Yolanda Olejniczak Marodi, 54, pleaded guilty this week to second-degree murder in the killing of Rebecca “Becky” Marodi, 49, a California firefighter and fire captain who had spent more than 30 years in firefighting. NBC News reported the plea was entered Tuesday; The Guardian reported it was Wednesday.

Rebecca Marodi was found dead Feb. 17, 2025, at the couple’s home in Ramona, about 45 miles northeast of San Diego. The San Diego County Sheriff’s Office said she had injuries to her neck, chest and back “consistent with a stabbing.” Her mother, Lorena Marodi, found her with multiple stab wounds and called for help. Life-saving measures were performed at the scene, but Rebecca Marodi died there.

Investigators said surveillance video showed Yolanda Marodi arguing with Rebecca Marodi and physically assaulting her earlier that evening. An arrest affidavit described Ring security footage from outside the home showing Rebecca Marodi with blood on her back and heard saying, “Yolanda! Please … (I) don’t want to die.” Yolanda Marodi, seen holding a knife, responded, “You should have thought about that before,” according to the document.

The Guardian, citing investigators and a warrant seen by ABC News at the time, reported that Yolanda Marodi was seen with blood on her arms and later loaded “pets, random items and some luggage” into an SUV. NBC News, citing the affidavit, reported she later appeared in different clothes, packed her silver Chevrolet Equinox SUV and drove away.

About 75 minutes after the attack, homeland security records showed Yolanda Marodi crossed the nearby border into Mexico, The Guardian reported. She was arrested more than a month later by Mexican officials at a hotel in Mexicali, about 2.3 miles south of the U.S. border, according to the Baja California Citizen Security Secretariat. She was later returned to the United States and booked on suspicion of murder. The Guardian reported she initially pleaded not guilty.

Lorena Marodi told authorities that her daughter had informed Yolanda Marodi about a week before the killing that she was ending the marriage, according to the affidavit. Investigators also found that Yolanda Marodi messaged an unnamed associate the day after the killing: “Becky came home and told me she was leaving, she met someone else, all the messages were lies. We had a big fight and I hurt her…I’m sorry.” The Guardian quoted a similar message to a friend: “Rebecca came home and told me she was leaving me. We had a big fight, and I hurt her. I’m sorry.”

Yolanda Marodi had previously pleaded guilty in 2003 to voluntary manslaughter in the 2000 stabbing death of her husband, Jim Olejniczak, according to NBC San Diego. The Guardian reported she was in prison from 2004 to 2013. According to The Guardian, Olejniczak also had recently told her he was ending the marriage.

Rebecca Marodi began firefighting as a volunteer in Moreno Valley, according to a joint statement from Cal Fire and the Riverside County Fire Department. She was assigned to the French Valley Cal Fire station in Riverside County and had been on the frontlines of the Eaton Fire, which The Guardian reported killed 19 people. Cal Fire’s Temecula battalion said she fought the blaze, and Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department said after her death: “Becky was a beloved member of our community and Department, and we miss her greatly.”

Andrea Winter, a friend of Rebecca Marodi, told the Los Angeles Times that Yolanda Marodi was jealous of her wife’s popularity and had shown “controlling, isolating behavior” before the killing. “Yolanda was very insecure,” Winter told the outlet. “Becky has this magnetic personality and everybody liked her. I think Yolanda was very jealous of that and that Becky was this bright light.”

“Becky was a kind person and paid the absolute price for that by trusting the wrong person,” Winter added.

Yolanda Marodi is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 2 and faces 36 years to life in state prison, The Guardian reported.