On March 31, 1995, beloved singer Selena Quintanilla, at simply 23 years outdated, was tragically murdered by Yolanda Saldivar, the president of her fan membership. Yolanda fatally shot the singer at a Days Inn in Corpus Christi, Texas, marking the top of the lifetime of some of the influential Latin artists of all time.
30 years later, we take a more in-depth take a look at Saldivar, the motives behind the homicide, and her present whereabouts.
Who Is Yolanda Saldívar?
Yolanda, a former nurse, was the president and founding father of Selena’s fan membership and managed Selena’s boutique, Selena Etc., the place she dealt with funds.
Why Did Yolanda Saldívar Kill Selena?
In 1995, Yolanda had simply been fired by Selena’s household after allegedly forging checks to embezzle over $30,000 from the fan membership and boutiques she was managing.
Then, in March of the identical yr, Selena got here to Yolanda’s motel room to choose up enterprise data wanted to file taxes, court docket testimony mentioned, per the Associated Press. There, Yolanda shot Selena within the again as she tried to run away. Selena was rushed to a neighborhood hospital, the place she died from blood loss and cardiac arrest.
Afterwards, Yolanda sat in her truck for 9 hours and threatened to die by suicide earlier than she turned herself in to the police.
Yolanda claimed that she by no means meant to kill Selena and that she had bought the .38-caliber revolver with the intention of taking her personal life. During her trial, her protection argued that the gun discharged by chance, hanging Selena.
How Many Years in Prison Did Yolanda Saldívar Get?
A jury discovered Yolanda responsible of first-degree homicide in October 1995, and she or he was sentenced to life with the potential for parole. Now 64 years outdated, she remains to be incarcerated at a jail in Gatesville, Texas, about 100 miles north of Austin.
Will Yolanda Saldívar Be Released From Jail?
Yolanda was denied parole on March 27, 2025, throughout her first try. She had filed a petition in January.
The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles acknowledged {that a} file, which included court docket paperwork and different related supplies, was despatched to a three-person parole panel. A easy majority vote is required for parole, although the board didn’t disclose the vote depend.
The panel’s motive for the denial was based mostly on the character of the offense. According to the board, the crime displayed components of brutality, violence, and assaultive conduct, indicating a acutely aware disregard for the sufferer’s life, security, or property. This prompt that Yolanda continues to pose a menace to public security.
In a joint assertion shared on their social media platforms, Selena’s household and her husband, Chris Pérez, expressed their gratitude.“Today, we’re grateful that the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles has chosen to disclaim parole for Yolanda Saldívar. While nothing can deliver Selena again, this choice reaffirms that justice continues to face for the gorgeous life that was taken from us—and from tens of millions of followers all over the world—far too quickly,” they mentioned.
The subsequent parole evaluate for Yolanda has been scheduled for March 2030.