Is a social media post that speculates that right-wing rhetoric about the California wildfires caused the murder of California Fire Captain Rebecca Marodi accurate? No, that's not true: The police have named Rebecca Marodi's wife as the only suspect in her February 2025 murder. They announced that the suspect was a person known to Rebecca Marodi and believed it was a domestic violence incident.
The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on X on February 20, 2025. It said:
Trump riled up his MAGA cult against California fire captain calling her 'DEI hire' -- now she's been viciously murdered in her own home.
Fire Captain Rebecca Marodi was found with multiple stab wounds that police say indicates a desperate fight for survival.
She served 30 years with California Fire -- including leading the fight against recent Los Angeles fires that MAGA Republicans scapegoat women firefighters for.
Fire Captain Rebecca Marodi was planning to retire later this year.
#DemVoice1 #wtpBLUE #DemsUnited
This is what the post looked like on X at the time of writing:
(Source: X screenshot taken on Fri Feb 21 15:33:59 2025 UTC)
Rebecca Marodi, a captain in California's Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire), was found murdered in her home on February 17, 2025, according to the San Diego County Sheriff's Office press release (archived here) from February 18, 2025. While a suspect was not named, it stated they believed the killer was not a stranger:
Investigators suspect that the victim knew the perpetrator and are treating this case as a potential domestic violence incident.
NBC 7 San Diego reported (archived here) on February 19, 2025, that investigators were treating Rebecca Marodi's murder "as a potential domestic violence incident."
On February 20, 2025, the sheriff's office released a statement (archived here) that identified the suspect, Yolanda Marodi, the wife of the slain fire captain:
In a significant development, Sheriff's Homicide detectives have identified a suspect in this case. The suspect is Yolanda Marodi, also known as Yolanda Olejniczak. Olejniczak is described as 5'2" tall, weighing 166 lbs, with brown hair, and is 53 years old. Olejniczak's current location is unknown. The motivation and circumstances surrounding this homicide remain under investigation as detectives work diligently to gather more information and establish a comprehensive understanding of the case.
NBC 7 San Diego also reported (archived here) on February 20, 2025, that Yolanda Marodi, or Olejniczak, had previously served 13 years in prison for the murder of her husband.
The CAL FIRE/Riverside County Fire Department posted a tribute to Rebecca Marodi on February 20, 2025, and posted a video of her fighting in the Eaton Fire in Los Angeles County on January 10, 2025, as this screenshot shows:
(Source: Instagram screenshot taken on Fri Feb 21 15:55:12 2025 UTC)
