Selena Quintanilla’s Killer Yolanda Saldívar Is Up for Parole

Three decades after the shocking murder that devastated the music world, Yolanda Saldívar, the woman convicted of killing beloved Mexican American singer Selena Quintanilla Pérez, has made her bid for freedom.

According to NBC News, Saldívar, now 63, has filed for parole in Texas and is currently undergoing review while incarcerated at the Patrick L. O’Daniel Unit prison in Gatesville. Her parole hearing is scheduled for March 30, marking her first opportunity for release since receiving a life sentence in October 1995.

Saldívar, who served as both president of Selena’s fan club and manager of her clothing boutiques, fatally shot the 23-year-old “Como La Flor” singer at a Days Inn motel in Corpus Christi, Texas, on March 31, 1995. The shooting occurred shortly after Quintanilla Pérez’s family terminated Saldívar’s employment, accusing her of financial misconduct.

Court documents from the Texas Court of Appeals reveal that Chris Pérez, the singer’s widower, testified they “didn’t trust her” and removed her access to their financial accounts. Despite her conviction, Saldívar has consistently maintained her innocence, recently reiterating her claims in the Oxygen docuseries Selena & Yolanda: The Secrets Between Them, where she dismissed embezzlement allegations and made unsubstantiated claims about the singer’s personal life.

The tragedy occurred just as Quintanilla Pérez was achieving crossover success, blending Tejano music with mainstream American pop. The case drew national attention, leading to a change of venue for the trial due to extensive media coverage.

Former inmates have shed light on Saldívar’s life behind bars, describing a precarious existence. “Everyone knows who Yolanda Saldívar is,” Marisol Lopez, who shared prison time with her from 2017 to 2022, told The New York Post. “There’s a bounty on her head, like everyone wants a piece of her. The guards keep her away from everyone else, because she’s hated so much.”

Another former inmate told The New York Post, “Everyone was always like, ‘Let me have five minutes with that b****.’ Everyone wanted to get justice for Selena. There’s a target on her back.”

According to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice’s website, the parole process begins approximately six months before the eligibility date. The review will encompass various factors, including letters of support and protest before a board voting panel makes its decision.

In last year’s controversial Oxygen documentary, Saldívar offered a different account of the fatal encounter, claiming the shooting was unintentional. “Selena, when she came into the [hotel] room, she kept trying to put guilt in me for not continuing with her, and how everything was going to crumble,” Saldívar stated. “My emotions were running so high, and I was hurting.”

The documentary faced significant backlash from Selena’s devoted fanbase, who opposed giving Saldívar a platform to share her version of events. During her arrest, police found Saldívar in a parking lot threatening suicide, claiming the weapon was intended for herself rather than Selena.

“I was convicted by public opinion even before my trial started,” Saldívar asserted in the documentary, though her claims have done little to sway public sentiment about one of music’s most tragic losses. As the parole hearing approaches, it will determine whether Saldívar, who has served her minimum 30-year sentence, will remain behind bars or potentially regain her freedom.