In August, Yolanda Olejniczak Marodi, 54, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the 2025 death of her fire captain wife, Rebecca “Becky” Marodi, 49
Credit: Beck Marodi Facebook; Secretaría de Seguridad Ciudadana de Baja California/Facebook
NEED TO KNOW
- A California woman was sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to fatally stabbing her wife in February 2025
- In August, Yolanda Marodi, 54, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the death of her wife, Rebecca “Becky” Marodi, 49
- Yolanda previously spent nearly a decade in prison for the 2000 death of her then-husband, who she also fatally stabbed
A California woman who spent 11 years in prison for fatally stabbing her husband in 2000 will be returning to prison — this time for fatally stabbing her new wife.
On Wednesday, Sept. 2, Yolanda Marodi, 54, of Ramona, was sentenced to 36 years to life in prison for killing her wife, Cal Fire Captain Rebecca “Becky” Marodi, 49, at their home in 2025, San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan announced in a news release.
The sentencing comes nearly a month after Yolanda Marodi pleaded guilty on Aug. 4, 2026, to second-degree murder in the death of the beloved firefighter, NBC 7 San Diego, FOX 5 San Diego and CBS 8 reported.
Yolanda had initially pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder. In her plea deal with prosecutors, she agreed to plead guilty to second-degree murder, according to FOX 5.
As PEOPLE previously reported, the heartbreaking crime came to light on Feb. 17, 2025, when Rebecca’s mother went to her daughter’s house in Ramona and found her suffering from multiple stab wounds to the neck, chest and abdomen, the San Diego Sheriff’s Office (SDSO) previously confirmed in a news release.
EMTs attempted life-saving measures, but she ultimately succumbed to her injuries, the release stated.
That same day, Yolanda fled to Mexico, where Mexican authorities located her four weeks later on March 22. Arrested in Mexicali, she was later released to U.S. Marshals.
At about 8 p.m. on the night of the murder, home security footage showed Yolanda chasing Rebecca across the patio at their house with a knife in her hand, according to an arrest warrant previously reviewed by PEOPLE.
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In the footage, Rebecca could be heard saying, “Yolanda! Please … I don’t want to die,” police said. Yolanda, who had blood on her arms, replied coldly, “You should have thought about that before.”
According to the press release, Yolanda proceeded to stab her wife nearly two dozen times.
She was next seen in the footage loading luggage and pets into an SUV and leaving the residence and heading to Mexico, PEOPLE previously reported.
Later, authorities said they found texts allegedly sent by Yolanda to an acquaintance the day after Rebecca’s fatal stabbing, per the arrest warrant.
“Becky came home and told me she was leaving me,” she wrote. “She met someone else, all the messages were lies. We had a big fight, and I hurt her … I’m sorry.”
According to Yolanda’s Facebook page, the pair were married on June 17, 2022. Their two-year marriage, according to Stephan, began deteriorating in February 2025.
This isn’t the first time Yolanda is heading to prison.
In 2003, Yolanda pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in the stabbing death of her then-husband Jim Olejniczak in Riverside County in 2000, WJBF and NBC San Diego reported. She served nine years in prison from 2004 to 2013.
“This was a vicious murder of a respected and dedicated Fire Captain who dedicated her entire career to serving her community,” Stephan said in the release.
“This case also shows that no one is immune to domestic violence, which is one of the most hidden and dangerous forms of violence we confront. We can honor Captain Rebecca Marodi’s memory by joining together to safeguard victims of domestic violence and hold their abusers accountable.”
Yolanda’s attorney did not respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
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