Woman who killed pop star Selena learns fate in prison 30 years after murder
The woman who shot and killed singer Selena Quintanilla-Perez has had her fate decided, just days before the 30th anniversary of her crime.
Yolanda Saldívar, 64, has been behind bars for three decades after being convicted of first-degree murder.
In 1995, Saldívar shot Quintanilla-Perez in the back at a Days Inn hotel in Corpus Christi, Texas, after she was allegedly confronted about embezzling money from the fan club dedicated to the singer.
Saldívar, who has claimed many things about the day she murdered the singer, is currently serving a life sentence at the Patrick L. O’Daniel Unit in Gatesville.
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However, she submitted a petition for parole in the hopes of being released, and a hearing detailing its outcome was held this week (27 March).
The American artist Selena achieved fame for her career in both Spanish and English before being murdered by Saldívar, the president of her fan club, on March 31.
Sadly, Quintanilla Pérez was just 23 when she was murdered, and had been dubbed the 'Queen of Tejano Music', as she rose to fame with her Mexican and US influences.
Saldívar joined her fan club in 1991 after she was appointed by Quintanilla Pérez’s father and manager, Abraham Quintanilla Jr, and she was then promoted to manager of the singer's boutiques in January 1994.
When complains rolled in about her management style, Quintanilla Jr. learnt that Saldívar had embezzled $60,000 from the club and when confronted at a Corpus Christi hotel, Saldívar shot and killed the singer in the back with a .38 special revolver.
She was declared dead at Corpus Christi Memorial Hospital less than two hours later.
Because of her crimes, Saldívar's Thursday (27 March) parole hearing was denied, as per Texas Department of Criminal Justice documents.
It stated that her offense had ‘elements of brutality, violence, assaultive behavior or conscious selection of victim’s vulnerability indicating a conscious disregard for the lives, safety, or property of others, such that the offender poses a continuing threat to public safety’.
However, Saldívar’s case is eligible for reconsideration in 2030, where she may be able to apply for parole again.
A former Nueces County District Attorney called Carlos Valdez led the prosecution against Saldívar, and he believes that she is still a risk to the safety of the public.
“Lord knows what will happen if she is released,” Valdez told KHOU11. “Based on what I’ve seen so far, I think it would be a serious mistake to grant her parole. I believe, I really believe, that the safest for Yolanda would probably be where she is.”
As for her own safety in prison, Saldívar has faced many threats for killing the singer, and has a bounty on her head, which is why she is held in protective custody and is allegedly mostly alone in her cell.
In a 2018 interview with Univision's Primer Impacto, the singer’s father said (translated from Spanish): "To this day, we still receive letters from women who are in the same prison where they say they are waiting for her.
"That they are going to kill her. There are bad women in there. Women who have murdered other people in the past. That is why they are in there. They have nothing to lose."
Topics: Crime, True crime, US News, Texas
Britt Jones