Getty; Oxygen
Who Is Selena Quintanilla’s Killer? Details on Yolanda Saldivar Amid Her Possible Release
Selena Quintanilla was skyrocketing to fame when her life was tragically cut short by someone she thought was close to her, her former fan club president, Yolanda Saldivar. The Texas native has been sitting in prison for almost 30 years for the singer’s murder and fans are curious about who Selena’s killer is.
Who Is Yolanda Saldivar?
Yolanda was hired by the Quintanilla family after she repeatedly tried to contact Selena’s dad, Abraham Quintanilla, about starting a fan club dedicated to the Tejano singer. After agreeing to let her start one, she became the fan club’s president before later becoming the manager of her Corpus Christi-based clothing boutique, Selena Etc. Yolanda handled the business expenses from both the boutique and the fan club and was later accused of embezzling money.
How Did Yolanda Saldivar Kill Selena Quintanilla?
Yolanda was fired by Selena in March 1995 after the Quintanilla family realized the then 34-year-old was embezzling money, Selena’s father told The New York Times in 1995.
The “No Me Queda Mas” singer remained in contact with her former business partner to recover some of the boutique’s financial documents and the pair agreed to meet at a Days Inn motel in Corpus Christi, Texas, on March 31, 1995. It was there, Yolanda pulled out a gun and shot the singer in the back as she ran away. Selena made it to the motel’s lobby before identifying her killer and collapsing on the floor. The Texas native died from her injuries after being taken to the hospital.
Yolanda attempted to flee the scene but was cornered by police. She threatened to kill herself and held authorities at bay for nine hours before eventually giving herself up, according to AP News.
“[Selena] said ‘Yolanda Saldivar in Room 158,’” Ruben Deleon, sales director at the Inn told the publication in the days after the shooting.
Why Did Yolanda Saldivar Kill Selena Quintanilla?
The motivation behind Selena’s murder remains unclear. Yolanda has maintained that she has a “clear conscience” about Selena’s slaying because she says it was an “accident.”
“It was no accident,” Selena’s father slammed Yolanda’s claims on Univsion’s Primer Impacto in September 2018. “It was a moment of rage because she was being fired.”
What Was Yolanda’s Sentence for Murdering Selena?
Saldivar was convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. She began serving her sentence at the Patrick O’Daniel Unit in Gatesville, Texas, in November 1995.
Yolanda will be eligible for parole after serving 30 years in prison, on March 30, 2025. If approved, she could walk free after a parole hearing.
What Has Yolanda Said About Selena’s Murder?
Yolanda is set to tell her side of the story in the upcoming Oxygen docuseries, Selena & Yolanda: The Secrets Between Them.
“In a series of wide-ranging interviews from prison, Saldivar details her working relationship and friendship with Selena, and she’s not alone,” according to the press release. “For the first time, members of Yolanda’s family discuss the two women and share never-before-revealed documents and recordings in an effort to show there was more to the tragedy than the public knows.”
Selena & Yolanda: The Secrets Between Them premieres back to back episodes on Oxygen Saturday, February 17, and Sunday, February 18, at 7 p.m. ET.
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