In December 2024, Yolanda Saldívar, the woman who fatally shot 23-year-old singer Selena Quintanilla-Pérez on March 31, 1995, filed parole paperwork to be released from prison. Saldívar, 64, is serving a life sentence for the brutal murder of the Tejano icon.
According to a Texas Department of Criminal Justice official, Saldívar has a clean record. She is currently housed at the Patrick O’Daniel Unit in Gatesville, Texas. The unit also houses women on the state’s death row. Saldívar has stated that she did not intend to kill her former boss. She continues to claim that her death was accidental.
Saldívar fatally shot the ‘Queen of Tejano’ in the back of a Days Inn hotel room in Corpus Christi, Texas, during a confrontation. The “Como La Flor” singer accused Saldívar of embezzling over $60,000 from her fan club and clothing boutiques. Saldívar, a registered nurse, became Selena’s close friend, president of her fan club, and manager of two clothing boutiques.
During the meeting, Saldíar fatally shot the singer, who had planned to terminate her. The tragic incident happened just two weeks before Quintanilla-Pérez’s 24th birthday. Saldívar surrendered to police after holding herself hostage in her pickup truck and threatening suicide. She was charged with first-degree murder and pleaded not guilty.
Her defense attorneys claimed in court that she was attempting to kill herself, not the singer. Saldívar was convicted and sentenced to life in prison with a 30-year parole period. If granted parole, Saldívar intends to live with relatives and seek employment.
Family Of Selena Quintanilla’s Killer Yolanda Saldívar Says She Should Be Freed Ahead Of March 2025 Parole Eligibility
In March 2024, Saldívar’s relative told the New York Post that she believes she should be released from prison when she becomes eligible for parole in March 2025. The unnamed relative informed the outlet:
“Enough is enough. She feels like she’s a political prisoner at this point. She’s ready to get out of jail because she believes she has more than served her time.”
Yolanda Saldívar, the killer of Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, is set to face a parole hearing this month after being labeled a “political prisoner.” According to online records from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Saldívar will become eligible on March 30, one day before the 30th anniversary of his death. Saldívar claimed during her third parole bid that she has “a bounty on her head” from inmates seeking vengeance for the murder of the Latina star.
Selena Quintanilla’s Family And Husband Chris Pérez Urge Parole Board To Never Release Yolanda Saldívar
Selena Quintanilla’s husband, Chris Pérez, is urging the parole board not to release Yolanda Saldívar. He begs the board to deny her request and warns that she should never be given the opportunity to walk free. He told the Daily Mail:
“I don’t want that [her release] to happen, because of what she has done and how many people she’s hurt. Selena is no longer here with us. But I’ve also gotten to see the pain that it’s caused her family and to, of course, myself. Just seeing the hurt and the ups and downs we have to still go through. It’s something that to this day really upsets me – and that’s understating it. I don’t think I’ll ever not feel this way.”
Chris Pérez and the singer’s sister, Suzette Quintanilla, have discussed Saldívar’s release. He claims that the entire family agrees that this simply cannot happen. He adds:
“I live with [knowing] all the things that me and Selena could have done together and that she could have done as an artist, as a businesswoman, and as a woman coming into her power – what she could have become. I mean, it’s just all those things combined. That’s why I don’t feel like it should ever happen.”
