Monday marks one month since the death of Cal Fire Captain Rebecca Marodi. NBC 7’s M.G. Perez shows us the tribute from her loved ones.
“She loved chrome. So, you can see there are so many customizations on this," said Ami Mahler Salinas Davis, who showed off a Harley Davidson Road Glide, Sunday morning. The motorcycle belonged to one of her best friends, Rebecca Marodi, a Cal Fire captain who was killed a month ago.
“This whole time, I’ve felt her. I’ve felt her at the house. I’ve felt her everywhere with her arm around me," she continued.
Marodi often went by the nickname, Becky, but to her motorcycle family, she was Beck.
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“You get those friendships that just click, that was Beck," said Fran George, who rode motorcycles with Marodi for almost 14 years.
In the shadow of the Hillcrest Pride flag on Sunday, friends lined up their motorcycles to start a memorial ride to Ramona.
San Diego County Sheriff's investigators say that was where Marodi was murdered in her home on Feb. 17. Monday marks one month since her death.
She served with Cal Fire for more than 30 years, starting as a volunteer firefighter in Riverside County. She also worked in San Bernardino and San Diego counties, where she eventually reached the rank of captain in 2022.
“I always used to make her lead. I don’t like it. So, I’d say ‘no’ you take the front," Mahler Salinas Davis said. "It was a thing [with us]. Now I have to [lead], and that hurts. But I’m going to do it.”
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All of the riders attached pictures of Marodi to their bikes before heading north for a celebration of life at her favorite bar.
“I’m sad that we’re having to do this ride. I’m angry that we’re having to do this ride. But, I feel good about doing this ride," said Fran George, another long-time friend of the fire captain.
“Honoring Beck in this way I think is really important for our community, the motorcycle community, and the LGBTQ+ community many of us are part of," said Aisha Mahler Salinas Davis, who is Ami's wife. "The way I remember her always is smiling, joyful, and always giving me a big hug."
I’m sad that we’re having to do this ride. I’m angry that we’re having to do this ride. But, I feel good about doing this ride.
Fran George, Marodi's long-time friend
As for the criminal case, the San Diego County District Attorney’s office issued an arrest warrant for Marodi’s wife, Yolanda Marodi. She has not been seen since the murder, and she is believed to have fled to Mexico.
