Latest news with #Marodi
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Yahoo
Suspect in Cal Fire captain's death makes first in-person court appearance
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — The woman accused of killing her wife, Cal Fire Captain Rebecca Marodi, before fleeing to Mexico made her first in-person appearance before a San Diego County court on Monday. Yolanda Olejniczak, also identified by law enforcement as Yolanda Marodi, had been hospitalized for an unspecified ailment since her arrest in Baja California and extradition to U.S. soil following a weeks-long search. For her arraignment at the end of March, when she pleaded not guilty to a first-degree murder charge in connection to Marodi's death, the 53-year-old appeared in court by video conference while still in a hospital bed. 'Becky was not alone': Friend reacts as suspect arrested in death of Cal Fire Captain The court during the hearing Monday set dates for the next steps in the case, including a readiness conference on June 11 and preliminary hearing at the end of September. Olejniczak has been ordered to be held in custody without bail or conditional release as the case continues by the judge at her arraignment, citing the violent nature of Marodi's death at the Ramona home they shared in mid-February. The judge mentioned Marodi had been found with over 30 stabbing or slashing wounds, and that law enforcement had described Ring camera footage of the attack where the 49-year-old could be heard pleading for her life. According to a person familiar with their relationship and a sheriff's official, Marodi had told Olejniczak she planned to leave her, ending their two-year marriage, the week prior to the stabbing. The judge further noted his decision to deny release on bond took into account Olejniczak's prior conviction on voluntary manslaughter for the fatal stabbing of her estranged husband in the early 2000s. If convicted in the case, Olejniczak could face a sentence of 25 years to life behind bars. 'This is a very tragic state of intimate partner violence,' Mara Duffy, deputy district attorney, said of the case after Olejniczak's arraignment. 'The victim was a beloved member of the Cal Fire community and I know this loss is being felt in that community.' If you or anyone you know needs help, call 800-799-7233 or text BEGIN to 88788 reach the 24-hour National Domestic Violence hotline. There is also an online chat available at Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Yahoo
Suspect in Cal Fire captain's fatal stabbing to appear in court for first time
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — The suspect in the deadly stabbing of Cal Fire Captain Rebecca Marodi is set to appear in court for the first time Wednesday after she was found in Mexico over the weekend, ending a weeks-long manhunt. Yolanda Olejniczak, who has also been identified by law enforcement as Yolanda Marodi, is expected to be arraigned in an El Cajon courtroom on a first degree murder charge in connection to the stabbing of Marodi, her wife, at their Ramona home on Feb. 17. The 53-year-old had been considered at large in the month since. In a warrant for her arrest, law enforcement said she was believed to be in Mexico, as her vehicle had been logged by border officials at the San Ysidro Port of Entry hours after the stabbing. 'She always had a smile': Colleague remembers Cal Fire captain killed inside Ramona home Baja California officials announced on Saturday Olejniczak had been detained near a hotel in Mexicali, a Mexican border town adjacent to the California city of Calexico. Once authorities confirmed her identity, she was handed off to U.S. Marshals for extradition. Upon her return to the U.S., Olejniczak was briefly admitted for medical treatment before being booked into jail at the Las Colinas Detention Facility, the San Diego County Sheriff's Office said. The arraignment on Wednesday will cap weeks of tumult for Marodi's loved ones following her death. Several have pledged to follow every step of the case as it proceeds to trial. 'Becky meant so much to so many, and I can't just leave it,' Fran George, a friend of Marodi's from her motorcycle riding group, said to FOX 5/KUSI after Olejniczak's arrest. 'I just want to know that she's being held accountable. I want her to know Becky was not alone.' The events leading up to the stabbing were caught on Ring camera footage from the patio of the Ramona home Olejniczak shared with Marodi, her wife of two years, according to the warrant for her arrest. The warrant describes a grisly details of an altercation between the two captured by the camera in the hour before San Diego County Sheriff's deputies were called to the scene by Marodi's mother. 18-year-old arraigned on gun charges after National City house party shooting Per local law enforcement and a friend of the Cal Fire captain, Marodi had told Olejniczak she planned to leave her and end their marriage one week prior to the stabbing. It is not the first time Olejniczak has been accused of committing a domestic violence-related stabbing. Records show she previously pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in the early 2000s after fatally stabbing her estranged husband, James Olejniczak, in San Bernardino County. It is unknown at this time how Olejniczak plans to plead in this case. Should she enter a not guilty plea, the 53-year-old will not be eligible for release from custody on bail as she awaits trial, according to jail records. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CNN
24-03-2025
- CNN
Wife of slain California fire captain is arrested in Mexico on suspicion of murder
San Diego (AP) — A month after an official with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection was found slain at her home, the woman's wife has been arrested in Mexico on suspicion of murder, authorities said. Investigators had named Yolanda Olejniczak Marodi as the prime suspect in the Feb. 17 stabbing death of Cal Fire Capt. Rebecca Marodi, 49, in Ramona, near San Diego. Olejniczak Marodi was arrested Saturday at a hotel in the city of Mexicali, just south of the US border, according to officials in Mexico. Mexican state security agents transferred her to US marshals and she was returned to the United States, according to a statement from the San Diego County Sheriff's Office. It wasn't known Sunday if Olejniczak Marodi, 53, has an attorney. She will be booked into custody in San Diego, and the investigation into Marodi's killing remains ongoing, the statement said. Marodi, a decorated captain with the state agency, was part of the battle against the Eaton fire in January near Los Angeles. She and Olejniczak Marodi had been married for just over two years. Olejniczak Marodi was previously convicted in the fatal stabbing of her then-husband, James Joseph Olejniczak, the Los Angeles Times reported. She pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter after the stabbing in 2000 and served nearly a decade in prison. Olejniczak Marodi had been at large since Marodi's death and had driven into Mexico the night of her death, according to the statement from the sheriff's office. She was seen on surveillance video earlier in the evening 'arguing with Rebecca and physically assaulting her' before leaving the house, the statement said. Home security footage from a surveillance camera at the couple's home depicted a brutal scene on the evening of Feb. 17, according to an arrest warrant obtained by the Times. A woman believed to be Marodi can be heard in the video screaming 'Yolanda! Please … ! I don't want to die!' before appearing on video with blood on her back, according to the warrant. The footage shows Olejniczak Marodi packing items into a silver SUV, which is seen about an hour later crossing the border into Mexico, according to the warrant.
CNN
23-03-2025
- CNN
Wife of slain California fire captain is arrested in Mexico on suspicion of murder
San Diego (AP) — A month after an official with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection was found slain at her home, the woman's wife has been arrested in Mexico on suspicion of murder, authorities said. Investigators had named Yolanda Olejniczak Marodi as the prime suspect in the Feb. 17 stabbing death of Cal Fire Capt. Rebecca Marodi, 49, in Ramona, near San Diego. Olejniczak Marodi was arrested Saturday at a hotel in the city of Mexicali, just south of the US border, according to officials in Mexico. Mexican state security agents transferred her to US marshals and she was returned to the United States, according to a statement from the San Diego County Sheriff's Office. It wasn't known Sunday if Olejniczak Marodi, 53, has an attorney. She will be booked into custody in San Diego, and the investigation into Marodi's killing remains ongoing, the statement said. Marodi, a decorated captain with the state agency, was part of the battle against the Eaton fire in January near Los Angeles. She and Olejniczak Marodi had been married for just over two years. Olejniczak Marodi was previously convicted in the fatal stabbing of her then-husband, James Joseph Olejniczak, the Los Angeles Times reported. She pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter after the stabbing in 2000 and served nearly a decade in prison. Olejniczak Marodi had been at large since Marodi's death and had driven into Mexico the night of her death, according to the statement from the sheriff's office. She was seen on surveillance video earlier in the evening 'arguing with Rebecca and physically assaulting her' before leaving the house, the statement said. Home security footage from a surveillance camera at the couple's home depicted a brutal scene on the evening of Feb. 17, according to an arrest warrant obtained by the Times. A woman believed to be Marodi can be heard in the video screaming 'Yolanda! Please … ! I don't want to die!' before appearing on video with blood on her back, according to the warrant. The footage shows Olejniczak Marodi packing items into a silver SUV, which is seen about an hour later crossing the border into Mexico, according to the warrant.
Yahoo
23-03-2025
- Yahoo
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 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 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. Stay in the Know! Get the top news from Los Angeles Magazine sent to your inbox every day. Sign up for The Daily Brief below or by clicking here.
