Yolanda Marodi sentenced to 36 years to life for murdering wife

Yolanda Marodi, 54, has been sentenced to 36 years to life in prison for the February 2025 murder of her wife, Rebecca Marodi. The victim, 49, was a fire captain for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Prosecutors stated that the couple’s two-year marriage was deteriorating, and Rebecca had recently expressed intentions to end the relationship. During the attack at their home in Ramona, California, Yolanda Marodi stabbed Rebecca multiple times in the chest, neck, and stomach. Following the incident, Yolanda fled to Mexico, where she was apprehended in Mexicali before being extradited to San Diego.

This is not Marodi’s first violent offense; she previously served approximately a decade in prison after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter in the death of an estranged partner in 2003. During the sentencing, Rebecca’s mother, Lorena Marodi, delivered a victim impact statement, describing the pursuit of justice for her daughter.