Slain California fire captain's fugitive wife was 'scared' ex mother-in-law'

Fox News

03-03-2025

The former mother-in-law of a California woman, who is on the run for allegedly murdering her Cal Fire captain wife, said she was "scared" of her.
The mother of James Joseph Olejniczak Jr., who was fatally stabbed by Yolanda Marodi, shared her interaction with her former daughter-in-law before she killed her son in 2000.
"My son was a good man. He was, everybody wants to say that about their children, but my oldest boy was my good boy," his mother, Nancy Hayworth, told KGTV.
Hayworth described Marodi as "scary," noting Rebecca "Becky" Marodi, 49, a Cal Fire captain who was found stabbed to death inside her home on Feb. 17, and her son's murder were eerily similar.
"Scary, very scary, she scares me," Hayworth said. "She always has."
Hayworth said that she only met Marodi once, but noted that she "was a little immature at times, and also, she would just be not happy, I think, unless all the attention was on her."
She served more than 13 years in prison for voluntary manslaughter before her release in 2013, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Hayworth said that her 13 years in prison was not enough time for killing her son.
"I thought, how could someone take someone's life and only be in a few years and then be let out and get to live your life, and my son will never have that," Hayworth said.
Yolanda Marodi's murder of Olejniczak came nearly 25 years after Rebecca Marodi was stabbed to death in her home on Feb. 17.
An arrest warrant, obtained by KABC, details that Rebecca told Yolanda she was leaving her and ending their marriage nearly a week before she was murdered.
The deadly confrontation was caught on home surveillance video, the outlet reported.
Detectives said that a voice could be heard yelling out, "Yolanda, please, I don't want to die."
Detectives reported that Rebecca then reappears in the patio angle with what appears to be blood on her back.
The report read that Yolanda responded to Rebecca, saying "You should have thought about that before," while standing in front of Rebecca with what appeared to be a knife in her hand.
The couple then disappeared for nearly 10 minutes before Yolanda was seen gathering belongings, dressed in a different outfit and loading up the Chevrolet Equinox and fleeing the scene.
The San Diego Sheriff's Office believes Yolanda Marodi is driving a silver 2013 Chevrolet Equinox with California license plate "8BQJ420." Officials said she is also believed to be traveling with a small white dog.
Deputies said that Yolanda is approximately 5'2" tall, weighs 166 pounds and has brown eyes and brown hair. She is described as having tattoos on both her upper right and left arms.
Authorities believe that she fled to Mexico. The Department of Homeland Security reported spotting her car as it crossed the border.
"At this time, Olejniczak's whereabouts are not known. Out of an abundance of caution, the Sheriff's Office has alerted authorities on both sides of the border about this suspect," the sheriff's office said in a statement.