Yolanda Saldívar, the woman sentenced to life in prison for killing Selena Quintanilla, hopes to be released soon.
Saldívar, 64, was a close friend and business associate of the “I Could Fall In Love” singer before fatally shooting her at a Days Inn in Corpus Christi, Texas, in 1995, two weeks before her 24th birthday.
Saldívar’s family member believes she should be released from prison when she is eligible for parole in March 2025, citing her claim that the shooting was accidental.
“Enough is enough,” one of Saldívar’s relatives, who remained anonymous, told the outlet. “She feels like a political prisoner right now. She is ready to be released from jail because she believes she is already served her sentence.
Saldívar allegedly killed Quintanilla after the Grammy Award-winner discovered he was embezzling money from her clothing boutiques. Witnesses testified during Saldívar’s trial that she applied for a gun permit in San Antonio just two days after being confronted by Quintanilla.
According to The New York Times, Saldívar threatened to commit suicide while holding police at bay in her pickup in the motel parking lot following the murder. She eventually surrendered and was charged with first-degree murder.
During the trial, Saldívar pleaded not guilty to murder. Her defence attorneys argued that the fatal shooting was a tragic accident and that she was attempting to kill herself rather than Quintanilla, according to CNN.
Saldívar has maintained that the shooting was “an accident,” telling ABC’s “20/20” in 1995, “They made me out to be a monster, and I just want to say, I did not kill Selena.” It was an accident, and my conscience is clear.
She also stated in a prison interview for the Oxygen docuseries Selena & Yolanda: The Secrets Between Them that she “was convicted by public opinion even before my trial started,” according to the Post.
According to ABC 13, Saldívar, who was sentenced to life in prison for murder in October 1995, has claimed there is a “bounty on her head” while in jail.
Saldívar has applied for parole and will be eligible on March 30, according to online records from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
Quintanilla was killed before finishing her highly anticipated English album Dreaming of You. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart on August 4, 1995, and stayed there for 49 weeks.
Her song of the same name peaked at No. 22 on the Hot 100 on November 24, 1995, and remained on the chart for 20 weeks.
Jennifer Lopez later starred in a 1997 film about the music star, for which she received a Golden Globe nomination.
