logo
Woman accused of killing her California fire captain wife captured in Mexico

Woman accused of killing her California fire captain wife captured in Mexico

NBC News23-03-2025

SAN DIEGO — A woman suspected of fatally stabbing her fire captain wife at their home in Southern California has been captured in Mexico after more than a month on the run, Mexican officials said Saturday.
Yolanda Marodi was taken into custody after being found at a hotel roughly 2.3 miles south of the U.S. border in the city of Mexicali, the Baja California Citizen Security Secretariat (SSCBC) said in a statement.
The SSCBC said Marodi was transferred to the border with the help of Mexico's National Institute of Migration. It wasn't clear if she was handed to U.S. authorities or otherwise extradited.
She was wanted by U.S. authorities in the Feb. 17 killing of 49-year-old Rebecca 'Becky' Marodi, a respected California fire captain, at the couple's home in San Diego County.
The secretariat said cooperation and an exchange of information with U.S. authorities helped lead to the arrest.
An affidavit in support of an arrest warrant for Yolanda Marodi cites home security video depict ing a horrific scene outside the couple's home in Ramona as she confronted a bloodied Rebecca Marodi with a knife on Feb. 17.
As the pair ran across a patio that night, Rebecca Marodi was heard on the recording saying, "Yolanda! Please … ! don't want to die," according to the declaration.
At one point, Yolanda Marodi responded, "You should have thought about that before," according to the affidavit.
Rebecca Marodi's mother, who lived with the couple, called authorities to say her daughter had been stabbed, according to the document.
Shortly after, the home's security camera captured Yolanda Marodi, wearing different clothes, placing belongings, luggage and pets in her silver Chevrolet Equinox SUV and driving away, according to the document.
The same night, the SUV crossed into Mexico, about 45 miles south of Ramona, the affidavit stated, citing Department of Homeland Security records.
Yolanda Marodi was charged with murder on Feb. 21.
The search for her included the San Diego County Sheriff's Department and the U.S. Marshal's Service San Diego Fugitive Task Force, authorities said. Carlos Zúñiga, spokesperson for Baja California's state security agency, said authorities there had been searching for her in coordination with U.S. counterparts, NBC San Diego reported last month.
In 2003, Yolanda Marodi pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in the stabbing death of husband Jim Olejniczak in 2000, the station reported. She was released from custody a decade later.
The affidavit states that an unnamed witness received a text from Yolanda Marodi a day after Rebecca Marodi's killing, stating that Rebecca Marodi had told Yolanda Marodi "she met someone else" and was leaving her.
'Becky came home and told me she was leaving, she met someone else, all the messages were lies. We had a big fight and I hurt her…I'm sorry," the text stated, according to the affidavit.
First responders at the home reported Rebecca Marodi had multiple stab wounds, including lacerations to her neck, chest and abdomen, the document said. She was declared dead at the scene.
According to a joint statement from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, known as Cal Fire, and the Riverside County Fire Department, Rebecca Marodi worked in firefighting for more than 30 years, starting as a volunteer in Moreno Valley, a city about 85 miles north of Ramona, in Riverside County.
She was a seasonal firefighter, then a full-time one, before she moved up to engineer in 2007 and captain in 2022, working mostly in Riverside and San Bernardino counties, according to the statement.
Rebecca Marodi dedicated much of her career to peer support, "always prioritizing the well-being of her colleagues," according to the statement.
An Instagram post from Cal Fire's battalion in Temecula, California, a community just north of Riverside County's border with San Diego County, showed Rebecca Marodi on the front lines of the Eaton Fire in Altadena, the deadliest of the state's windstorm-driven blazes in January.
A Cal Fire San Diego Benevolent Fund online drive to raise moneyfor Rebecca Marodi's family described her as a woman who "dedicated more than three decades to serving and protecting our communities with unwavering bravery, leadership, and commitment."

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Tear gas, flags and legal battles as ICE protests continue nationwide
Tear gas, flags and legal battles as ICE protests continue nationwide

NBC News

time3 hours ago

  • NBC News

Tear gas, flags and legal battles as ICE protests continue nationwide

Tear gas was fired into a crowd of protesters in Las Vegas. At least eight people in Seattle were arrested as a protest was declared illegal. Police detained 10 people in another day of protest in New York. These are just some of the coast-to-coast rallies on Wednesday in the growing movement to oppose the U.S. government's immigration policies as ICE agents continue to carry out raids on suspected undocumented migrants across the country. Protests also broke out in Los Angeles, the epicenter of the country's attention, after unrest and curfews followed ICE raids in the city on Friday. More than 200 people have been arrested in Los Angeles this week, police said. Major rallies are also expected nationwide on Saturday to coincide with President Donald Trump's military parade. Las Vegas Many of the hundreds who attended the Las Vegas rally carried Mexican flags, some waved the Stars and Stripes, and others featured flags from Central and South America. In what appeared to be a tense standoff, police told protesters to move back while one video showed a long line of police firing what appeared to be tear gas. Las Vegas Police said it declared the protest an "unlawful assembly." One video showed protesters surrounding the Lloyd D. George courthouse and chanting, "If we don't get it, shut it down." Washington State A state of emergency was declared, and a curfew was imposed on Wednesday in Spokane, Washington, from 9.30 p.m. to 5 a.m. local time by Mayor Lisa Brown, as footage posted to X showed police officers detaining people and tying their hands with zip-ties. At least 30 people were arrested, according to local broadcaster KREM, and video showed tear gas being fired there too as people protested outside an ICE field office. In Seattle, at least eight people were arrested. Police said officers were peppered with fireworks, rocks and pieces of cement, while firefighters extinguished a dumpster fire. California Videos and photographs of high-profile ICE raids on Wednesday showed people clashing with, running from, and being arrested by immigration agents in California. In Los Angeles' historic Mexican neighborhood of Boyle Heights, two vehicles pinned a passenger car at an intersection in what the Department of Homeland Security called "a targeted arrest of a violent rioter" who had allegedly punched an immigration officer. In Downey, another predominantly Latino city southeast of Los Angeles, officials from Downey Memorial Christian Church and others confronted a group of five armed men in plainclothes and tactical gear who 'swarmed' a man sitting under a tree in the church's parking lot, according to church pastor Al Lopez. "When we said, 'We don't want this on our property,' this gentleman just shouted again: 'The whole country is our property," Lopez, a pastor at Downey Memorial, told reporters. His wife and senior pastor Tanya Lopez recalled telling the men — whom she said identified themselves only as "police" — they weren't welcome on church property, and getting closer, at which point 'They did point their rifle at me, and they said, 'You need to get back.'' Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons told Fox News Wednesday night defended federal actions to deport suspected "criminals" and described the protests in L.A. as "pure anarchy." "What the brave men and women of ICE, the brave men and women of the Department of Justice, all our federal partners, and the brave men and women of the Los Angeles Police Department, I have to think that all we're trying to do is our law enforcement mission, and we have to deal with this," he said. Legal fight over use of troops In California, Trump has deployed thousands of troops, including 700 active-duty Marines, to Los Angeles to quell protests. The move has raised fears that Marines have not been properly trained for interacting with civilians. On Wednesday, the Department of Justice formally responded to California's lawsuit seeking to block the military from involving itself in immigration enforcement, calling it a "crass political stunt" that is "endangering American lives." A court hearing is set for Thursday in San Francisco. Attorney General Rob Bonta argued in a Tuesday court motion that the Trump administration's deployment violates the Posse Comitatus Act, an 1878 law that bars federal troops from participating in civilian law enforcement efforts. "The federalized National Guard and active-duty Marines deployed in Los Angeles will engage in quintessential law enforcement activity in violation of the PCA," the motion said. A military official with knowledge of the operation told NBC News that the Marines would not conduct arrests and would only transport and guard ICE agents. In San Antonio, Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott called up National Guard members to help keep demonstrations peaceful. "Texas is a law-and-order state, and we will use every tool that we can to ensure order across our state," he said Wednesday. The city's outgoing mayor, Democrat Ron Nirenberg, said the governor wasn't asked to send in the guard and didn't give city leaders advanced notice. Nirenberg urged peaceful protest and expressed confidence that the city 'knows how to do this right.' Demonstrations in San Antonio remained peaceful Wednesday night. Some National Guard members sent to keep the peace were seen playing the popular card game 'Uno' at a table.

The meaning of the protests in Los Angeles
The meaning of the protests in Los Angeles

Economist

time5 hours ago

  • Economist

The meaning of the protests in Los Angeles

THE MOOD changed by the moment. On June 8th a woman hugged her two young daughters on a bridge overlooking the 101 freeway in downtown Los Angeles. Vendors sold Mexican flags and protesters adjusted the rhythms of their chants. 'Move ICE get out the way' morphed into 'Donald Trump, let's be clear, immigrants are welcome here'. It felt like a neighbourhood block party—if block parties encouraged graffiti. But chants turned to screams as police exploded flash-bang grenades to clear the road. The two young girls grimaced and hustled away. California Highway Patrol officers paced in riot gear, their less-lethal weapons aimed at the crowd. Some protesters lobbed bottles at police, who dodged the projectiles. Nearby, several Waymo driverless cars were set aflame.

US pushes Mexico to prosecute, extradite politicians with cartel ties
US pushes Mexico to prosecute, extradite politicians with cartel ties

Reuters

timea day ago

  • Reuters

US pushes Mexico to prosecute, extradite politicians with cartel ties

MEXICO CITY, June 11 (Reuters) - The Trump administration is pressuring Mexico to investigate and prosecute politicians with suspected links to organized crime, and to extradite them to the United States if there are criminal charges to answer there, according to sources familiar with the matter. The requests - raised at least three times by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his team in bilateral meetings and conversations with Mexican officials - seek to push President Claudia Sheinbaum's government to investigate current elected officials and launch an unprecedented crackdown on narco corruption, four people familiar with the matter said. In their discussions, the U.S. officials have called for action against several politicians from Sheinbaum's own Morena party and threatened to levy further tariffs if Mexico did not take action, two of the sources said. The conversations have not been previously reported. President Donald Trump's administration has justified its declarations of tariffs on Mexico, opens new tab on the growing influence of the cartels over the government. A crackdown - potentially targeting high-ranking elected officials while they are in office - would mark a dramatic escalation of Mexico's efforts against drug corruption. But it carries political risks for Sheinbaum, as some of the allegations involve members of her own party, a member of her security cabinet told Reuters. The U.S. first raised the request at a meeting in Washington on February 27 led by Rubio and Mexican Foreign Minister Juan Ramon de la Fuente, the four people familiar with the matter said. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and other officials from the Departments of Homeland Security and Justice as well as Treasury attended the meeting, the four people said. Mexico's Attorney General Alejandro Gertz and Secretary of Security Omar Garcia Harfuch were also at the meeting. The Mexican Presidency, foreign ministry, Attorney General's Office and Security Ministry did not respond to requests for comment on the talks. The White House, State Department, Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security also did not reply to Reuters questions. Mexico sent 29 cartel figures to the U.S. in late February - the largest such handover in years - following Trump's threats to impose across-the-board tariffs on Mexican goods. The possibility of expediting the capture and/or deportation of priority DEA and FBI targets was also discussed, two of the sources said. As part of the discussions, two of the people familiar with the matter said, U.S. officials floated the idea of appointing a U.S. fentanyl czar to liaise directly with Sheinbaum on progress to combat the deadly synthetic opioid. Washington also pressed Mexico for more thorough inspections of U.S.-bound cargo and travelers at the U.S.-Mexico border. Although Mexico's federal prosecutor's office is independent of Sheinbaum's administration under the country's constitution, Washington has long accused Mexico of protecting politicians alleged to have links to the cartels. Serving state governors and federal lawmakers are immune from prosecution for most crimes and can only be prosecuted for serious federal crimes like drug trafficking or racketeering if authorized by Mexico's Congress. Reuters could not determine if the U.S. provided Mexico with a list of politicians suspected of links to organized crime, or evidence against them. But two of the sources said five current Morena officials and one former senator were mentioned - including Baja California Governor Marina del Pilar Avila. Avila announced on her social media accounts on May 11 that the U.S. had revoked her and her husband's tourist visas. She did not provide a reason and said canceling the visa was "an injustice." The State Department and U.S. embassy in Mexico City haven't commented on the case. Going after serving politicians has long been considered a red line in Mexico, five diplomatic officials said. While Mexican politicians have occasionally been arrested and prosecuted for corruption in the United States, this has only happened after they left office. In 2020, when former Mexican Defense Secretary Salvador Cienfuegos was arrested at Los Angeles Airport at the request of the DEA it sparked a diplomatic crisis and halted co-operation between the two nations on drug trafficking crimes. The U.S. dropped the charges and Cienfuegos returned to Mexico where he has not faced prosecution.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store