California Woman Sentenced to 36 Years to Life for Murder of Firefighting Captain Wife

POLICY WIRE — Ramona, USA — A California woman who previously spent ten years behind bars for killing a former partner has been sentenced to 36 years to life in prison for the murder of her wife.

Yolanda Marodi, 54, entered a guilty plea last month for second-degree murder. The charges stem from the February 17, 2025, killing of 49-year-old Rebecca Marodi.

The victim served as a captain for California’s state wildland firefighting agency. The attack occurred at the couple’s residence in Ramona, located northeast of San Diego, according to the county district attorney.

Prosecutors stated that the couple’s two-year marriage was failing at the time Yolanda Marodi stabbed her spouse approximately two dozen times.

An arrest warrant affidavit reveals that security footage from the couple’s patio captured some of the horrific events. In the video, a bloodied Rebecca Marodi expressed that she did not want to die.

Yolanda Marodi is heard responding in the footage, “You should have thought about that before.”

The affidavit further notes that Rebecca Marodi had informed her wife of her intention to divorce roughly one week prior to the attack.

In a text message referenced in the legal documents, Yolanda Marodi admitted to hurting Rebecca after discovering the marriage was over and that her wife had found another partner.

Following the crime, Yolanda Marodi fled the country. She was eventually apprehended on March 22, 2025, in Mexicali, Mexico.

During the sentencing proceedings on Wednesday, Lorena Marodi, the victim’s mother and the person who discovered the body and alerted 911, addressed the court.

Lorena Marodi described being Rebecca’s parent as the privilege of a lifetime.

“In the face of the greatest darkness, I have stood strong to receive justice for my amazing, beautiful, strong daughter,” she stated.

She added that she is haunted every morning by the image of her daughter lying lifeless on the floor with stab wounds to her back.

Despite the brutality of the crime, Lorena Marodi told the court, “I refuse to allow Yolanda’s darkness to consume me.”

This is not the first time Yolanda Marodi has been imprisoned for violence; she previously served about a decade after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter in 2003 for the death of an estranged partner.

Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)