Wife of slain Cal Fire captain pleads not guilty to murder in her killing

A woman accused of fatally stabbing her wife, a Cal Fire captain in Riverside County, pleaded not guilty to murder in her first court appearance since being arrested in Mexico.

Yolanda Olejniczak Marodi, 53, was arrested after being found near a hotel in Mexicali, Baja California — about five miles from the U.S.-Mexico border — following a month-long search, according to the Baja California Citizen Security Secretariat. She is suspected of fatally stabbing her wife, 49-year-old Rebecca Marodi, at their San Diego County home in the town of Ramona on Feb. 17. 

Law enforcement officials in Mexico turned her over to U.S. Marshals at the border, authorities announced Saturday. She is being held without bail and faces a sentence of 25 years to life if convicted.

For her arraignment at San Diego's East County Superior Courthouse, she appeared via video from a San Diego County hospital where she is receiving medical treatment.

While ruling that she be held without bail, the judge cited the nature of the crime, including that the victim suffered 34 stabbing and slash wounds — with some of the killing allegedly captured on video. 

In a warrant for Yolanda Marodi's arrest, issued Feb. 21, authorities said home surveillance footage captured parts of the killing, with a knife allegedly seen in Yolanda Marodi's right hand and blood appearing on her arms.

Authorities have said the couple was married for about two years.

More than two decades earlier, the suspect was arrested on suspicion of killing James Joseph Olejniczak in San Bernardino County on Oct. 24, 2000, court records show. In 2013, she was released from prison after serving 13 years and eight months for voluntary manslaughter and other charges, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

Rebecca Marodi was a firefighting veteran of more than 30 years, working in cities around Riverside County before being promoted to the rank of captain in 2022. She had recently battled the devastating Eaton Fire in Los Angeles County and was stationed in French Valley at the time of her death. 

She allegedly told the suspect she planned to end their marriage about a week before the killing, according to the arrest warrant. 

In the days after the killing, the victim's ex-wife, Lilia Phleger, told CBS News Los Angeles that the couple had what she described as a "toxic" relationship.

"It was a typical toxic relationship," said Lilia Phleger, who was once married to Rebecca. 

"Yolanda was very jealous," Phleger said. "My understanding is she was very jealous and did not want to have Becky maintain the friendships she had for years with other women."

The San Diego County Sheriff's Office has not disclosed a suspected motive in statements about the investigation.

Rebecca Marodi was suffering from multiple lacerations and stab wounds to her neck area, chest and abdomen when paramedics responded to the couple's home on the evening of Feb. 17. The Sheriff's Office received a 911 call at about 8:58 p.m. that night from her mother, who lived in an ADU on the same property as the couple's home, authorities said. 

After paramedics responded, she was pronounced dead at the scene at 9:14 p.m., according to the arrest warrant.

The warrant states that Rebecca's mother handed over Ring camera security footage which shows what appeared to be Rebecca running and being chased by Yolanda. On the video, taken from the patio camera, a voice believed to be Rebecca's yells out "Yolanda! Please! .... I don't want to die" and she appears to have blood on her back.

The footage later shows a woman believed to be Yolanda gathering pets and other items from the home and placing them inside a Chevrolet Equinox SUV, the same vehicle authorities said the suspect was driving as she allegedly drove into Mexico.

She crossed the border through the San Ysidro port of entry on Feb. 17 and remained at large for several weeks before authorities announced her arrest Saturday.

Homicide detectives are still investigating to determine a possible motive, according to the Sheriff's Office. 

Meanwhile, the San Diego County District Attorney's Office announced her plea of not guilty in a statement Wednesday which listed resources for survivors of domestic violence including the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233 and the San Diego County-based nonprofit,  One Safe Place: The North County Family Justice Center.

"Rebecca Marodi was a beloved Fire Captain who devoted her life to protecting others, including recently battling the Eaton fire near Los Angeles and the capture of her killer will begin the court process with today's arraignment," District Attorney Summer Stephan said in the statement. "This intimate partner homicide is a reminder that there are resources out there for individuals who are in fear for their safety."