Cal Fire captain begged for mercy during slaying captured on video, officials say

A Cal Fire captain found stabbed to death in her home had told her wife she was ending their marriage shortly before she was killed in a brutal slaying caught on video, according to officials.

Yolanda Marodi, also known as Yolanda Olejniczak, is a suspect in the slaying of her wife, Rebecca Marodi, according to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department. Rebecca Marodi, 49, who helped battle the Eaton fire last month, was found stabbed to death last week at her residence in Ramona.

Yolanda Marodi, 53, is currently at large and authorities are asking for the public’s help in locating her. She is described as 5 feet 2, about 166 pounds with brown hair, according to a Sheriff’s Department news release.

On Feb. 17, Rebecca Marodi’s mother, Lorena, called 911, saying that her daughter had been stabbed at their home on Rancho Villa Road, according to an arrest warrant obtained by KABC-TV News. Detectives arrived to find Marodi with stab wounds to her neck, chest and abdomen; they attempted life-saving measures but she was pronounced dead at the scene.

Yolanda Marodi, also known as Yolanda Olenjniczak, is a suspect in the death of a Cal Fire captain.

(San Diego Sheriff’s Office)

Lorena told detectives that Rebecca had told Yolanda a week ago that she was ending their marriage, the warrant states. In home security video provided by Yolanda that detectives reviewed on Feb. 18, Rebecca was seen running from a woman believed to be Yolanda, the warrant states.

“Yolanda! Please…! I don’t want to die!” Rebecca screamed, before appearing on video with blood on her back, according to the warrant. Yolanda also had blood on her arms.

“You should have thought of that before,” Yolanda responded while standing over Rebecca holding a knife, according to the warrant. Yolanda told Rebecca to go inside the house while Rebecca told her repeatedly to call 911.

Around 10 minutes later, Yolanda was captured on the security camera gathering pets and luggage and loading them into a Chevrolet Equinox SUV, according to the warrant. Yolanda drove away and her vehicle was logged by the Department of Homeland Security entering Mexico.

According to the warrant, an associate of Yolanda’s contacted detectives on Feb. 20, showing them a message from Yolanda on the day of Rebecca’s killing, stating: “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.”

Rebecca and Yolanda Marodi were married for just over two years and, according to public records, they also shared the same address.

Yolanda Marodi had a past criminal record.

Yolanda Marodi was sentenced in 2004 to 11 years in prison after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter in the fatal stabbing of her then-husband, James Joseph Olejniczak, according to court records. She served time in prison from 2004 until 2013.