The state’s parole board announced Thursday that the woman was denied parole for the killing of Tejano music legend Selena Quintanilla-Pérez and will be sentenced to life in prison for shooting the rising young singer in a Texas motel in 1995.
Yolanda Saldívar, 64, has been on parole for the first time since the singer’s murder, which fans call Selly Selena.
Selena was one of the first Mexican-American artists to enter the mainstream music industry, breaking the barriers to women in Latin music. She is 23 years old and surpasses the popular English superstar when she was killed.
The singer’s family and her husband, Chris Pérez, thanked Texas for the pardon and parole board.
“While nothing can rejuvenate Selena, this decision reaffirms that justice continues to represent the wonderful life we bring from us and the wonderful life for millions of fans around the world,” they said in a statement on social media.
Explaining the decision to deny parole, the board said the panel found that Saldívar continued to pose a threat to public safety. It also says that the nature of the crime indicates “conscious disregard for the lives, safety or property of others.”
Saldívar, who serves her sentence at Gatesville prison, will be eligible to review parole again in 2030.
Saldívar founded Selena’s fan club and was the manager of the singer’s clothing boutique, Selena, etc. until she was fired in early March 1995 after the money was found missing.
Selena, a native of Corpus Christi, was shot dead in a hotel in a Corpus Christi on March 31, 1995, and she was able to run to the motel lobby where she collapsed and an hour later she was pronounced dead in a hospital.
Selena named “Yolanda” her attacker in “room 158.” The motel employee’s work permit said.
“I’m not going to do this. I’m not going to kill anyone,” Saldívar said during a nine-hour standoff with police. She told the officer that she bought a .38-caliber revolver to commit suicide.
On April 3, 1995, 13 days before his 24th birthday, more than 50,000 people lined up to watch Selena’s body.
Saldiva’s trial was moved to Houston due to the publicity of the case. Saldívar testified that she intended to kill herself in a confrontation with Selena, but had a gun mistake.
On October 23, 1995, a jury found Saldívar guilty of first-degree murder. Thirty years later, she was sentenced to life imprisonment and could be released on parole.
While in prison, former nurse Saldívar received her paralegal and associate degree in criminal justice. She has filed several civil rights complaints, accusing the state of abuse in the prison system and helping other inmates file a petition, according to court records.
Saldívar said in 2016 court documents that she was detained in custody, which meant she was quarantined from other prisoners – because prison officials were concerned about her safety because of the “high-profile” nature of her case. She filed some conviction appeals, but everyone was denied.
Selena is known as the “Queen of Tejano”. Her popular songs include bidi bidi bom bom,,,,, Comora Flor,,,,, Amor profido, without me and tu solo.
She opened the floodgates for a new generation of Latino contemporary artists who will continue to enjoy widespread popularity with mainstream American audiences. She often sings in Spanish and speaks in English, reflecting the intercultural identity that resonates with the audience.
Dreaming of youher English crossover album was released a few months after her death, ranked No. 1 in the Billboard 200 and featured The Hits I can fall in love and Dreaming of you.
Jennifer Lopez plays the singer in the 1997 biopic Selena.
The Grammy Award was awarded to Selena for Lifetime Achievement Award in 2021.
