Yolanda Olejniczak Marodi, 54, has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the fatal stabbing of her wife, Rebecca “Becky” Marodi, 49, a veteran Cal Fire captain, just over a year after Rebecca was found dead in their Ramona home. The guilty plea, entered Tuesday, includes an admission of a prior serious felony conviction for the 2000 stabbing death of her then-husband, James Joseph Olejniczak, for which she served time after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter in 2003. Prosecutors allege that surveillance footage captured Yolanda pursuing Rebecca as she fled their residence on February 17, 2025, with Rebecca succumbing to multiple stab wounds to her neck, chest, and back. Following the attack, Yolanda allegedly fled to Mexico, where she remained for over a month before her arrest and extradition to the United States. Rebecca Marodi, who dedicated over 30 years to Cal Fire, was remembered as a mentor whose service was a profound loss to her colleagues and community. Yolanda Marodi is scheduled for sentencing on September 2.
Adapted from: U.S. News Today on Fox News
