Yolanda Marodi appears in court for her arraignment

SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. (KYMA, KECY/NBC) - Yolanda Marodi appeared in court Wednesday to be arraigned in the murder of her estranged wife.

53-year-old Yolanda Marodi pleaded not guilty to murder in her first court appearance since being arrested in Mexico.

Marodi is accused of stabbing her wife, Cal Fire Captain Rebecca Marodi, 49, to death in their home last month, prompting authorities to name her as the prime suspect.

Following Wednesday's arraignment, the case's next key date will be the preliminary hearing where evidence in the case will be laid out.

Mexicali law enforcement joined in the search for Marodi after police in the United States say she maybe in Mexico.

Last weekend, Mexicali police arrested Marodi after finding her in a hotel, and was subsequently turned over to U.S. Marshals upon her return back to the United States.

According to an NBC affiliate in San Diego, Marodi was being held without bail prior to her arraignment.

Marodi spent 13 years in prison for stabbing her estranged husband in the fall of 2000, the NBC affiliate in San Diego said.