Wife accused of killing CalFire Captain arrested in Mexicali

MEXICALI, Baja California (KESQ) - Yolanda Marodi, the wife of CalFire Captain Rebecca Marodi and suspect in her murder, was arrested in Mexico over the weekend.

The State Citizen Security Force in Baja California announced Marodi's arrest Saturday. Officials say the arrest comes as a result of "information exchanges" between Mexico and U.S. law enforcement.

"CAL FIRE/Riverside County Fire Department is aware that Yolanda Marodi was apprehended. We thank our law enforcement partners in San Diego and Mexico for their hard work. Becky was a beloved member of our community and Department, and we miss her greatly,'' the department said in a statement Sunday.

Mexican authorities say Marodi was arrested near a hotel in the Ferrocarril neighborhood of Mexicali.

She was admitted for medical treatment prior to being booked into jail, the sheriff's office said in a statement Monday.

"Las Colinas Detention and Reentry Facility is currently completing the booking process for Yolanda,'' Lt. Patrick Fox told City News Service. "Once booked, the San Diego County District Attorney's office will work on scheduling an arraignment date for Yolanda."

The arrest comes over a month after Rebecca "Becky" Marodi was stabbed to death in her San Diego County home.

Deputies responding to a report of an assault on the evening of Feb. 17 found the 49-year-old victim suffering from stab wounds to her neck, chest and abdomen at the couple's residence in the 20200 block of Rancho Villa Road, north of state Route 78. The victim, who had worked for the state firefighting agency for more than 30 years, died at the scene.   

Rebecca Marodi had sought to leave the marriage shortly before she was killed, according to an arrest-warrant declaration filed by a detective with the District Attorney's Office.

On the day after the slaying, the court document states, the suspect sent someone the following text message: "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."

The warrant declaration states that surveillance-camera footage captured images of Rebecca Marodi trying to flee for her life outside the home with her wife chasing her.

The victim, who appeared to be bloodied in the video, was "heard yelling out, `Yolanda! Please ... I don't want to die,''' the document states. Yolanda Marodi, who appeared to be holding a knife and seemingly had blood on her arms, responded, "You should have thought about that before,'' according to the document.

The mortally wounded victim repeatedly asked her wife to call 911 before the pair re-enter the home, the declaration states.   

About 10 minutes later, the camera recorded video of Yolanda Marodi, who also goes by the last name Olejniczak, loading items into a Chevrolet Equinox and driving off, the declaration states.

Via court records, News Channel 3 discovered Yolanda pled guilty to murdering her estranged husband over 20 years ago.

Mardoni served more than 30 years with Cal Fire, mainly in Riverside County with assignments in Indian Wells and Rancho Mirage. Her service began in 1993 as a volunteer firefighter in Moreno Valley in Riverside County. She went on to serve as a seasonal firefighter in Riverside and San Bernardino counties before being promoted to fire apparatus engineer in 2007 and achieving the rank of captain in 2022 at the Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department.   

Stay with News Channel 3 for continuing coverage on this breaking story.