Woman who killed her fire captain wife is sentenced to 36 years to life
EL CAJON, Calif. (CNS) -- A woman who fatally stabbed her wife, a veteran state firefighter, at their San Diego County home was sentenced Wednesday to 36 years to life in state prison.
Yolanda Marodi, 54, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for the slaying of her spouse of two years, 49-year-old Cal Fire Capt. Rebecca "Becky" Marodi, at the couple's Rancho Villa Road home on the night of Feb. 17, 2025.
Marodi also admitted to having a serious prior felony conviction for voluntary manslaughter, for which she was sentenced to prison for fatally stabbing her husband in San Bernardino County more than 20 years ago. Her plea also includes a waiver of her right to appeal the 36-years-to-life prison term.
According to an arrest-warrant declaration filed by a detective with the San Diego County District Attorney's Office, Rebecca Marodi sought to leave the marriage shortly before she was killed.
The day after the slaying, Yolanda Marodi sent someone a text message stating, "Becky came home and told me she was leaving me, she met someone else, all the messages were lies. We had a big fight and I hurt her ... I'm sorry," the declaration states.
Testimony from a preliminary hearing held earlier this year indicated the victim sustained 23 stab wounds to her neck, chest and abdomen.
Rebecca Marodi, who had worked for the state firefighting agency for more than 30 years, died at the scene.
Several of the victim's close family members and friends spoke at Yolanda Marodi's sentencing hearing of the weight of the loss of a beloved daughter, friend and firefighter.
The victim's mother, Lorena Marodi, said she knew her daughter's penchant for kindness, as well as a tenacious spirit, would guide her to a calling in which she would help people and make an impact.
"It was a privilege of a lifetime to be her mother," said Lorena, who called the killing "the vicious murder of my beautiful, strong daughter."
One of Rebecca's cousins, Wendy Williams, told the defendant that Rebecca "found good in everything and everyone, even you" and that Yolanda Marodi's "selfishness has caused a lot of pain and heartache to so many."
Williams said she forgave Yolanda Marodi, more to move past her own prior thoughts of anger than for the defendant's sake.
Katie Stewart, a friend of Rebecca's, delivered a much harsher rebuke, calling the defendant a "petty, pitiful, self-loathing shell of a human being."
Stewart said, "We all knew you were never good enough for Becky and when she did, you ended her life."
Yolanda Marodi did not make a statement during the sentencing hearing, but submitted an apology letter to the court that was not read aloud.
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In it, she apologized primarily to Lorena Marodi, writing, "There is no excuse for taking your daughter's life" and describing her actions as "thoughtless, careless, and selfish."
She wrote that she was "blessed" and "lucky to call (Rebecca) my wife," but said issues in their marriage left her feeling "angry and betrayed and enraged."
She later describes failing to seek help for trauma and mental health issues that she wrote were "the root causes of my actions. The fault is mine and I alone carry the responsibility for this tragedy."
Lorena Marodi, who lived at the home with her daughter and daughter-in- law, testified at the preliminary hearing that on the day of the killing, Yolanda Marodi told her, "She and Becky had some things to work out, but there wouldn't be any fighting" when Rebecca returned home.
Lorena went out with friends that evening. At the end of the night, as she was dropping her friends off, she drove past her home and noticed Yolanda's car was gone, she testified.
When she returned home, she found a trail of blood leading inside the house, found her daughter's motionless body, and called 911.
Sheriff's deputy Angela Peratis, who was one of the first deputies to respond to the home, said she and her partner found the victim face down in a hallway.
The deputies attempted life-saving measures until firefighters arrived and took over, at which point Peratis testified that she overheard one of the firefighters say, "Is that Becky?"
The warrant declaration states that footage from a Ring camera captured images of Rebecca Marodi fleeing their home as her wife chased her.
The video footage was not played in court, but sheriff's Homicide Det. Jessica Ricca testified that in her review of the video, the victim can be heard calling out for her mother, to which Yolanda Marodi responds, "She's not here."
The two go out of frame for some time, and when they appear again, Rebecca Marodi appeared to be "covered in blood," Ricca testified.
At one point, the bloodied victim was "yelling out, Yolanda! Please ... I don't want to die,"' the warrant declaration states. Yolanda Marodi, who appeared to be holding a knife and seemingly had blood on her arms, responded, "You should have thought about that before," according to the document.
The victim repeatedly asked her wife to call 911 before the pair re- entered the home, the declaration states.
About 10 minutes later, the camera recorded video of Yolanda Marodi loading items into a Chevrolet Equinox and then driving off, the declaration states.
Yolanda Marodi crossed the U.S.-Mexico border about an hour after the killing. Mexican authorities arrested her just over a month later near a hotel in the Ferrocarril neighborhood of Mexicali, according to the San Diego County District Attorney's Office.
In a statement released after the sentencing hearing, San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan said, "This was a vicious murder of a respected and dedicated fire captain who dedicated her entire career to serving her community. This case also shows that no one is immune to domestic violence, which is one of the most hidden and dangerous forms of violence we confront. We can honor Captain Rebecca Marodi's memory by joining together to safeguard victims of domestic violence and hold their abusers accountable."
