A California woman has admitted to killing her wife, a fire captain, in a stabbing last year — more than two decades after she was convicted in the fatal stabbing of her former husband.
Yolanda Olejniczak Marodi, 54, entered a guilty plea Tuesday to second-degree murder in the death of 49-year-old Rebecca “Becky” Marodi, a longtime California firefighter who was found stabbed to death at the couple’s home in Ramona in February 2025.
Asked by the judge how she pleaded to the first count, second-degree murder, Marodi replied, “Guilty.”
Under the terms of the plea, Marodi also acknowledged a prior serious felony conviction tied to the 2000 stabbing death of her then-husband, James Joseph Olejniczak.
In that earlier case, she pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in 2003 and was later released in 2013, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Rebecca Marodi, a veteran captain with Cal Fire, sustained multiple stab wounds in the Feb. 17, 2025, attack.
Prosecutors said surveillance video showed Rebecca running from the home while Yolanda Marodi chased after her. Authorities said Rebecca was found with several wounds to her neck, chest and back that were consistent with being stabbed.
Investigators later alleged that Yolanda Marodi fled to Mexico after the killing and stayed there for more than a month before she was arrested in Mexicali and brought back to the United States.
Marodi had initially pleaded not guilty to Rebecca’s murder before changing her plea to guilty to second-degree murder.
She is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 2.
Rebecca Marodi served more than 30 years with Cal Fire, mainly in Riverside County, starting as a volunteer in Moreno Valley.
Most recently, officials confirmed she helped battle the Eaton Fire.
CAL Fire Riverside acknowledged Rebecca Marodi’s death and said it is a “profound loss.”
“Her legacy of mentorship, service, and dedication will be felt for years to come. Her passing is a profound loss to her family, friends, and all who had the privilege of working alongside her,” the department wrote in a previous statement on their Facebook page.
