Yolanda Olejniczak Marodi, 54, has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the killing of her wife, Rebecca Marodi, a Cal Fire captain, in San Diego County Superior Court on Tuesday. The incident occurred on February 17, 2025, at their home in Ramona, California. Olejniczak Marodi admitted to using a knife in the attack and faces a prison sentence ranging from 36 years to life. Sentencing is scheduled for September 2.
This marks the second time Olejniczak Marodi has been convicted of killing a spouse with a knife. In 2004, she was sentenced to 11 years in prison after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter in the fatal stabbing of her husband, James Joseph Olejniczak. She served time from 2004 until 2013.
Rebecca Marodi, 49, was a decorated captain with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and had played a significant role in combating the Eaton fire. She and Olejniczak Marodi had been married for just over two years before her death.
On the day of the stabbing, Rebecca Marodi’s mother, Lorena, called 911 to report that her daughter had been attacked in their home on Rancho Villa Road. Emergency responders found Rebecca suffering from multiple stab wounds to her neck, chest, and abdomen. Despite efforts to save her, she was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to an arrest warrant, Lorena told investigators that Rebecca had informed Olejniczak Marodi about her intention to end their marriage one week prior to the killing. Security camera footage reviewed by detectives showed Rebecca Marodi fleeing from a woman identified as Olejniczak Marodi. The recording captured Rebecca pleading, “Yolanda! Please ... I don’t want to die!” moments before the fatal stabbing. Olejniczak Marodi is seen in the video standing over Rebecca with a knife, reportedly responding, “You should have thought of that before.”
Following the attack, Olejniczak Marodi was recorded gathering pets and luggage before leaving the residence in a Chevrolet Equinox SUV. The vehicle was later tracked crossing into Mexico. She was apprehended more than a month later at a hotel in the Ferrocarril neighborhood of Mexicali by Mexican state security agents and subsequently transferred to U.S. authorities at the border. She was booked on suspicion of murder.
Friends of Rebecca Marodi described Olejniczak Marodi as exhibiting controlling and isolating behavior in the period leading up to the murder. They noted that Rebecca had not disclosed Olejniczak Marodi’s prior conviction or history of violence. Andrea Winter, a close friend of Rebecca's for nearly a decade, said Olejniczak Marodi appeared insecure and jealous of Rebecca’s outgoing personality and social connections.
Winter also observed changes in Rebecca’s behavior during the year before her death, including withdrawing from social engagements and reducing communication about her marital difficulties. “Becky was a kind person and paid the absolute price for that by trusting the wrong person,” Winter said.