Woman Suspected of Murdering Cal Fire Captain Captured in Mexico After Month-Long Manhunt
The wife of beloved Cal Fire Captain Rebecca "Becky" Marodi was captured in Mexico roughly 100 miles away from the home the couple shared in Ramona more than a month after she allegedly stabbed the veteran firefighter to death in an attack that was captured on the couple's security cameras. Marodi pleaded with her wife, Yolanda Marodi, 53, who is also known as Yolanda Olejniczak, "I don't want to die," in the minutes before her death, according to an arrest warrant. "You should have thought of that before," the knife-wielding attacker growled back, authorities say.The surveillance footage shows Olejniczak holding a knife, her arms covered in what appeared to be blood, ordering Marodi back inside the home, the warrant says. Marodi is heard repeatedly asking Olejniczak to call 911 before the two move out of frame. Marodi sustained multiple stab wounds to her neck, chest, and abdomen, authorities said.She was captured in the Baja, California community near a hotel by Mexican authorities and taken into custody in her pajamas. In the days after the grisly slaying Yolanda Marodi allegedly confessed to the crime in a text message to an associate, officials say, writing: "Becky came home and told me she was leaving me. She met someone else… We had a big fight, and I hurt her... I'm sorry."
Officials said that once they confirmed her identity, she was taken into custody and transferred to the border, "allowing U.S. authorities to proceed with legal action." She was turned over to U.S. Marshals Sunday, San Diego law enforcement officials confirm. On the night Rebecca died, Marodi's mother called 911 around 9 p.m., according to the warrant, but by then, Yolanda was gone. The footage showed her loading an SUV with pets and luggage, driving away from the murder scene at 8:22 p.m., and crossing into Mexico less than an hour later, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Deputies arrived within minutes of a 911 call from Marodi's mother, but the fire captain was pronounced dead at the scene despite the valiant efforts of her firefighting colleagues. Yolanda Marodi had already served time in prison for the killing of a former spouse James Olejniczak. In 2004, she pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter after the fatal stabbing of her then-husband, serving time in prison until 2013, according to court records.
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