
Suspect identified in fatal stabbing of Cal Fire captain
Suspect identified in fatal stabbing of Cal Fire captain
The San Diego Sheriff's Office says it has identified a suspect in the fatal stabbing of a Cal Fire captain who was found Monday in her San Diego-area home.
Rebecca Marodi was found Monday night by deputies responding to a report of an assault with a deadly weapon. The 49-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene.
On Thursday, the sheriff's office identified the suspect as Yolanda Marodi, also known as Yolanda Olejniczak, 53. Her whereabouts are unknown, the sheriff's office said, and the investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information about her whereabouts is asked to contact the authorities.
In a statement Tuesday, the Sheriff's Office said they believed that Marodi knew her assailant and are treating the case as a potential domestic violence incident.
Rebecca Marodi was a 32-year fire service veteran, starting as a volunteer in 1993 and working in San Bernardino and Riverside. In 2007 she became a fire apparatus engineer and was promoted by Cal Fire to captain in 2022.
"Her passing is a profound loss to her family, friends, and all who had the privilege of working alongside her," Cal Fire said. "We extend our deepest condolences to Captain Marodi's loved ones and stand together in remembrance of her extraordinary life and service."

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USA Today
12 hours ago
- USA Today
Vikings release statement following shootings of Minnesota lawmakers
Vikings release statement following shootings of Minnesota lawmakers Show Caption Hide Caption Ex-NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown wanted for attempted murder Former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown is wanted by police in Miami-Dade County for the charge of attempted murder. unbranded - Sport Minnesota's world was turned upside down early Saturday morning with the news that state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were killed in their home, and State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were shot multiple times in what Gov. Tim Walz called a "politically motivated assassination." A manhunt for the suspect, identified as 57-year-old Vance Luther Boelter, has ensued in the aftermath. Residents of the Brooklyn Park, Minnesota area were sheltering in place while the search continued. That order has since been lifted after police said there was reason to believe the suspect was no longer in the area. MORE: Suspect identified in Minnesota lawmakers shooting: Updates Many have come out to denounce the act, including the Minnesota-area sports teams. The Minnesota Vikings released a statement, condemning the actions that took place: "As Minnesotans and a team that cares deeply about our state, we are shocked and saddened by the targeted overnight attacks that took the lives of State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and seriously injured State Senator Jon Hoffman and his wife, Yvette. "Our organization has worked closely with both legislators and appreciated their duties as civil servants. Speaker Emerita Hortman was a friend of the Vikings for more than 15 years and a tremendous state leader who worked tirelessly to make Minnesota a better place for all residents. She was a mother, a wife and a friend who genuinely cared about people and relationships. Our prayers are with the Hortman family as they grieve this tragedy and with all government officials who are mourning the loss of a colleague and friend. We hope for fast and full recoveries for Senator Hoffman and Yvette and safety for all members of law enforcement who continue to search for those responsible. "These senseless acts should have no place in our communities, our state or our society. We must all unequivocally condemn political violence, reject hateful division, and deliberately work toward mutual respect, compassion and unity." Police are still looking for the suspected shooter. All the NFL news on and off the field. Sign up for USA TODAY's 4th and Monday newsletter.


San Francisco Chronicle
15 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Minnesota's slain Democratic leader saw liberal victories, then brokered a budget deal out of power
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While Minnesota hasn't voted for a GOP presidential candidate since 1972, and all of its statewide elected officials are Democrats, the Legislature is nearly evenly divided, with the House split 67-67 until Hortman's death and Democrats holding a 34-33 majority in the Senate. Hortman led fellow Democrats in boycotting House sessions for almost a month starting Jan. 14 to prevent the GOP from using a temporary vacancy in a Democratic seat to cement power over the chamber instead of working out a power-sharing arrangement. Yet when the partisan split in the House threatened to prevent the Legislature from passing a budget to keep state government running for the next two years, she not only helped broker the final deal but secured its passage by being the only Democrat to vote yes on a key part of the deal. 'She wasn't only a leader — she was a damn good legislator, and Minnesotans everywhere will suffer because of this loss,' said Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin, a former Minnesota state party chair and a friend of Hortman's. The wounded senator chairs a key committee Hoffman, 60, is chair of the Senate Human Services Committee, which oversees one of the biggest parts of the state budget. He lives in Champlin, in the northwest part of the Minneapolis area, and owns a consulting firm, and he and his wife, Yvette, had one daughter. He previously was marketing and public relations director for a nonprofit provider of employment services for people with mental illnesses and intellectual and developmental disabilities and supervised a juvenile detention center in Iowa. He was first elected to the Senate in 2012. In 2023, Hoffman supported budget legislation that extended the state MinnesotaCare health program to immigrants living in the U.S. illegally, starting this year. 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The measures included expanded abortion and trans rights, paid family and medical leave, universal free school lunches, child care credits and other aid for families. She previously proposed state emission standards for automobiles like ones imposed in California and a ban on the sale of products containing mercury. She also proposed studying the feasibility of ending state investments in fossil fuel companies. 'She knew how to stand firm on her values but understood the importance of teamwork and compromise and never backed down from hard choices," Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said in a statement. "She was tough, she was kind, and she was the best of us.' Hanna reported from Topeka, Kansas.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Experts weigh in on key moments that could decide Karen Read's fate in murder trial
Karen Read's retrial in the death of Boston cop John O'Keefe is near an end after more than a month's worth of pivotal testimony. Experts say key moments decided the case in their minds. Now her fate is in the hands of jurors. For David Gelman, a Philadelphia-area defense attorney and former prosecutor, that moment was when special prosecutor Hank Brennan played police dashcam video of the crime scene, showing Read's frantic reaction to finding her boyfriend unresponsive in the snow. Fate Of Karen Read Now In Jury's Hands As Murder Trial Reaches Critical Phase "Showing the video of O'Keefe's body, the jury saw how Read reacted, and it really puts them at the alleged scene," he told Fox News Digital. "Seeing her reaction in the courtroom is a big moment. The jury I guarantee wanted to see her reaction." Jack Lu, a retired Massachusetts judge and Boston College law professor, said the key moments were peppered throughout the trial whenever Brennan played clips from Read's many televised interviews, putting her words in front of the jury without her taking the stand in her own defense. Read On The Fox News App "She boxed herself in," he said. Brennan reused some of those clips in his closing argument Friday to dramatic effect, he added. Karen Read Trial Nears Its Finale: What Each Side Is Banking On WATCH: Prosecution plays Karen Read interview clip before resting case in trial "I cannot identify a better trial lawyer I have personally observed in 40 plus years at the Massachusetts bar," he said of the special prosecutor. But the defense also put on a strong case in an effort to contradict the prosecution's entire theory about how O'Keefe died, according to Grace Edwards, a Massachusetts trial attorney who is closely following the case. "The pivotal point for me was learning that ARCCA, having been hired by the defense, did their own testing – and that testing proved there was no collision," she told Fox News Digital. "Add on the testimony of Dr. Laposata to say the injuries were not consistent with being struck by a vehicle and I was sold." Karen Read Announces She Will Not Testify In Her Defense As Massachusetts Trial Nears Conclusion ARCCA, a crash reconstruction firm, sent two scientists to testify in the trial. Both agreed that the damage to Read's car and injuries to O'Keefe were out of alignment. GET REAL-TIME UPDATES DIRECTLY ON THE True Crime Hub Jurors began deliberating around 2:40 p.m. Friday after both sides had an hour and 15 minutes to give closing arguments and Judge Beverly Cannone spent about an hour reading jury instructions. Cannone selected Juror No. 5 to be the foreperson. The court clerk randomly pulled Nos. 13, 7, 6, 17, 2, and 8 as alternates, and they will not take part in deliberations unless someone is excused. At 4:30 p.m., the judge sent jurors home for the weekend. Deliberations resume Monday morning. Read, 45, is accused of slamming her 2021 Lexus SUV into O'Keefe and leaving him to die on the ground in a blizzard on Jan. 29, 2022. Jurors heard more than 30 days of testimony in a trial that began on April 22. Before that was three weeks of jury selection. Follow The Fox True Crime Team On X Read's first trial ended with a deadlocked jury last year after the panel could not reach a unanimous agreement on all of the charges against her. She is accused of second-degree murder, drunken driving manslaughter and leaving the scene of a deadly accident. Brennan and defense attorney Alan Jackson gave impassioned closing arguments – with diametrically opposed conclusions about the case. Sign Up To Get The True Crime Newsletter The defense asserted that a sloppy investigation and a disgraced lead detective left too many questions unanswered and prematurely accused Read of a crash that never happened. "There was no collision," Jackson told jurors three times to kick off his final argument. Furthermore, police didn't investigate other potential sources of O'Keefe's injuries, interview key witnesses or even follow protocols at the crime scene. But Brennan countered that the defense theories are far-fetched and contradicted by clear evidence – the data from O'Keefe's phone and Read's car, as well as the taillight fragments embedded in his clothes. "She was drunk. She hit him. And she left him to die," Brennan said. "It's that simple." O'Keefe, described by friends as a selfless 46-year-old who took in his orphaned niece and nephew, may even have survived if someone had called for help after he fell, Brennan suggested. Gelman, who has won and lost in trials as both a prosecutor and a criminal defense attorney, said both sides put on powerful cases from start to finish. "Both closed strong," he said. "But if it's even, that's reasonable doubt."Original article source: Experts weigh in on key moments that could decide Karen Read's fate in murder trial