Woman accused of fatally stabbing California fire captain wife charged with murder

A woman accused of killing her wife, a California fire captain, then fleeing to Mexico has been formally charged with murder following her capture more than a month after the deadly stabbing.

Yolanda Olejniczak Marodi, 53, was arraigned Wednesday, pleading not guilty to murder, according to the San Diego County District Attorney's Office. There is also an allegation that she used a deadly weapon during the commission of the crime, prosecutors said.

Judge Peter Lynch ordered she be held without bail, citing the suspect's "violent criminal history" and the violent nature of the crime. The victim -- 49-year-old Rebecca Marodi -- suffered "34 stabbing or slashing wounds," he said.

"The court has considered a substantial likelihood that the defendant's release would result in great bodily injury to others," he said.

Her public defender, Amanda Waddle, had asked the court to set a "reasonable bail," while the prosecutor requested no bail.

Yolanda Olejniczak Marodi is next scheduled to appear in court on April 28 for a status conference and bail review hearing. If convicted, she faces 25 years to life in prison.

Rebecca Marodi, her wife of two years, was fatally stabbed at their home near Ramona, California, some 40 miles northeast of San Diego, on Feb. 17.

A warrant was issued for the arrest of Yolanda Olejniczak Marodi, whose vehicle entered Mexico about an hour after leaving the house the night of the murder, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

Following a nearly five-week search, Mexican authorities said they arrested her on Saturday near a hotel in the Mexican state of Baja California. She was handed over to U.S. Marshals to face charges in San Diego County, prosecutors said.

"I want to thank the Sheriff's Office for their thorough investigation and law enforcement on both sides of the border for locating and arresting this dangerous defendant so she could be returned to San Diego and face justice for this deadly crime," San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan said in a statement on Wednesday. "When the U.S. Marshals' San Diego Fugitive Task force is looking for violent criminals, they can run but they can't hide as we saw in this case. This intimate partner homicide is a reminder that there are resources out there for individuals who are in fear for their safety."

Court papers filed in San Diego County Superior Court allege Yolanda Olejniczak Marodi stabbed her wife after learning she planned to leave her, and that the attack was captured on a Ring home security camera.

In the footage, Rebecca Marodi is seen being chased across the patio by Yolanda Olejniczak Marodi, screaming "Yolanda! Please..I don't want to die," an arrest warrant stated.

Yolanda Olejniczak Marodi responded, "You should have thought about that before," and appeared to stand in front of Marodi with a knife in her right hand, according to the warrant.

Rebecca Marodi repeatedly asks for Yolanda Olejniczak Marodi to call 911, and then the two are seen entering the residence, according to the warrant.

Several minutes later, the front-door camera captures Yolanda Olejniczak Marodi wearing different clothes, loading "pets, random items and some luggage" into a silver Chevrolet Equinox, according to the warrant.

Rebecca Marodi's mother later told investigators that about a week before her death, her daughter had told Yolanda Olejniczak Marodi that she was leaving and ending their marriage, according to the warrant.

This is not the first time Yolanda Olejniczak Marodi has been accused of killing her partner. In 2003, she pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter for stabbing her then-husband to death and was sentenced to 11 years in prison, according to officials. She served the time and was released, after which she met Rebecca Marodi.

Rebecca Marodi was employed at Cal Fire for more than 30 years. Stephan remembered her as a "beloved Fire Captain who devoted her life to protecting others, including recently battling the Eaton fire near Los Angeles."

Wednesday's arraignment comes a day after hundreds gathered to honor her at a celebration of life in Temecula, ABC San Diego station KGTV reported.

"She was stolen from us at a time when we need more Fire Captain Marodis in our world," Riverside County Fire Chief Bill Weiser said during the event.

ABC News' Jack Moore and Megan Forrester contributed to this report.