A California fire captain begged for her life before she died — a detail that was recounted in court as the slain woman’s wife appeared for a preliminary hearing.
Rebecca Marodi’s last words were discussed during a hearing on Tuesday, Feb. 10, in El Cajon Superior Court. Her wife, Yolanda Marodi, is accused of fatally stabbing her at their home in Ramona, Calif., on Feb. 17, 2025.
Yolanda, 54, fled the area after the alleged attack and was arrested more than four weeks later in Mexico.
According to NBC 7, Rebecca, a captain with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, was stabbed 23 times in the chest, neck, and abdomen.
She was found dead by her mother, who also lived on the property in an accessory dwelling unit, the San Diego Sheriff’s Office said at the time.
At the hearing, Detective Jessica Ricca testified that home security footage showed Yolanda holding a knife. Ricca said Rebecca could be heard telling her, “I don’t want to die,” according to FOX 5.
In an arrest warrant cited by multiple outlets, Yolanda allegedly responded: “You should have thought about that before.”
The sheriff’s office previously alleged that Yolanda was seen on surveillance earlier that same evening arguing with Rebecca and physically assaulting her.
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Ricca also testified that Rebecca could be heard asking Yolanda to call 911, according to FOX 5.
According to the detective, Rebecca also called out for her mother, to which Yolanda allegedly responded, “She’s not here,” NBC 7 reported.
Citing an arrest warrant, NBC 7 reported that Rebecca had been planning to leave the marriage before the fatal stabbing.
The day after the incident, Yolanda allegedly texted someone saying, “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,” according to NBC 7.
Rebecca’s mother, Lorena Marodi, testified that on the day of the killing, Yolanda told her she and Rebecca “had some things to work out,” but that “there wouldn’t be any fighting,” the outlet reported.
Lorena also testified that she found her daughter’s body and called police.
Investigators said Yolanda was later seen on camera loading pets and luggage into an SUV before leaving the home.
She was taken into custody about a month later near a hotel across the border in Mexicali, the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office confirmed.
A judge ruled after the hearing that there was enough evidence for the case to proceed to trial, according to FOX 5.
Yolanda, who pleaded not guilty, is expected back in court in April. A trial is tentatively scheduled for June.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Yolanda previously pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter after killing her then-husband in 2004 and served nearly a decade in prison before being released in 2013.
