Overview
- Yolanda Marodi entered a guilty plea to second-degree murder on Aug. 4, 2026, and is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 2, 2026 with an expected term of 36 years to life.
- Prosecutors built their case on Ring camera footage and witness statements that show Rebecca “Becky” Marodi fleeing the Ramona home while her wife chased her and, according to a warrant declaration, crying out, “Yolanda! Please … I don’t want to die.”
- Testimony at a February preliminary hearing detailed that Rebecca Marodi suffered about 23 stab wounds to her neck, chest and abdomen and that her mother found her motionless and called 911.
- Authorities say Yolanda Marodi crossed into Mexico roughly an hour after the killing and Mexican officials arrested her in Mexicali about 33 days later before she was returned to U.S. custody.
- Marodi admitted a serious prior felony tied to a voluntary manslaughter conviction more than two decades ago, a fact that increases her sentencing exposure and deepens the impact on Rebecca’s family and the Cal Fire community that had relied on the captain’s 30-plus years of service.