After 30 Years: The Return of Selena’s Killer? What You Need to Know About Yolanda Saldívar’s Parole

Three decades ago, the legendary musician Selena Quintanilla-Pérez was murdered by the president of her fan club, Yolanda Saldívar. Over the past thirty years, Saldívar has been serving her life sentence in Texas.

At 64 years old, Saldívar currently has a pending parole application being reviewed by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice as per their online records. She will be eligible for parole consideration for the first time this coming Sunday.

A representative from the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles stated that her case will likely come up for a vote at some point near that time, though an official decision isn’t scheduled to be announced on any specific date.

Below is all the information you require regarding Selena, Saldívar, and the parole procedure in Texas:

Who was Selena Quintanilla-Pérez?

Quintanilla-Pérez, born in 1971, showcased remarkable singing talent from a young age as she led Selena y Los Dinos alongside her brothers A.B. and Suzette Quintanilla.

Her super stardom emerged in the early 1990s as she combined Tejano, pop, cumbia, and various other genres into a distinctive sound. big favorites such as "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom," Como La Flor," "Amor Prohibido," "No Me Queda Más," and "Solo Tú.

Famous worldwide as the Queen of Tejano, or simply known as Selena, she shattered boundaries for women in Latin music. Her success paved the way for countless emerging artists of Latino heritage who later gained significant appeal among general American audiences. Performing predominantly in Spanish but communicating primarily in English, she embodied a bicultural persona that deeply connected with her audience.

In 1994, she secured her first Grammy Award for Best Mexican/Mexican-American Album with "Live," making her the inaugural female Tejano musician to claim this honor. At only 23 years old, tragedy struck as she passed away shortly after. However, her impact continues to resonate strongly among Mexican Americans, Mexicans, Texans, Latinos, and many others worldwide.

Following her passing, Selena's English-language posthumous album "Dreaming of You," which was released several months later, reached number one on the Billboard 200 chart. The album included popular tracks such as "I Could Fall in Love" and "Dreaming of You." In 1997, this achievement stood out significantly. a biopic about her story, “Selena," would quickly become a classic, further launching the career of lead Jennifer Lopez .

In 2017, she received a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. At the time, according to According to a spokesperson from the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, the audience at this year’s Walk of Fame ceremony was the biggest ever recorded, surpassing the previous high-water mark established back in 1998 during the event where Mexican singer Vicente Fernández received his star.

In 2021, she was honored with a posthumous lifetime achievement award by the Grammys. No tribute was held for her.

Who is Yolanda Saldívar?

Yolanda Saldívar, who previously worked as a nurse, established and led Selena's fan club. Additionally, she served as the manager for Selena’s retail stores, known as Selena Etc. However, she was dismissed from this position in early 1995 following the discovery of missing funds.

How did Selena die?

On March 31, 1995, Selena visited Saldívar’s room at the Days Inn motel in Corpus Christi, Texas, to collect some business documents required for a tax submission, as stated during legal proceedings. This led to an argument.

Selena was hit from behind by a .38-caliber revolver inside the motel room, then she fled outdoors and fell in the lobby area. She was quickly taken to a close-by hospital where she was declared deceased roughly one hour after arriving.

Hotel staff members stated that Selena identified someone called "Yolanda" in "room 158" as her assailant.

"I didn't intend to cause this. I didn't mean to take anyone's life," cried Saldivar, who was involved in a nine-hour confrontation with law enforcement. During this tense situation, she even pointed a firearm at her own head. She informed the officers that she purchased the .38-caliber pistol with the intention of ending her own life.

What occurred during Yolanda Saldívar's court proceedings?

The trial was relocated to Houston due to extensive media coverage.

The prosecutors claimed that Saldívar shot the 23-year-old following suspicions of embezzlement involving $30,000 within the singer’s family. However, the defense maintained that the shooting was accidental.

On October 23, 1995, the jury found Saldívar guilty of first-degree murder. She received a sentence of life imprisonment, with eligibility for parole starting in 2025 after serving at least three decades behind bars.

Saldívar was not subjected to the death penalty because the offense lacked the necessary aggravating factors specified in Texas law, which include crimes like multiple murders or killings carried out during a robbery.

In 1999, the Court of Criminal Appeals in Austin rejected Saldívar’s initial request for a retrial. In the year 2000, her legal representative, Bill Berchelmann, petitioned the authorities to reconsider the case. He contended that during the original proceedings, the prosecution improperly excluded prospective jurors based on their racial background, failed to reveal pertinent information about a key witness with a criminal past, and delivered inappropriate remarks within the courtroom setting. Additionally, he claimed that law enforcement infringed upon Saldívar's constitutional rights when they continued questioning her post-attorney consultation.

In 2009, Saldívar's appeal was denied since it was submitted to the incorrect county. She requested that the court proceed with an appeal which she previously attempted to file nine years prior in Nueces County; however, the state’s top criminal appellate court ruled that it needed to be resubmitted in Harris County, where her trial and conviction took place.

She's held captive at the Patrick L. O'Daniel prison facility near Gatesville, Texas, roughly 90 minutes north of Austin.

What is the process for parole in Texas like?

In Texas, the parole division within the state’s Department of Criminal Justice flags prisoners six months prior to their first eligible date for release on parole and retrieves their case files for examination. A notification regarding an inmate's parole eligibility is dispatched to those who were part of the original legal proceedings, as well as any victims and families of victims involved.

A parole officer from the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles meets with an incarcerated individual and compiles a report for the board. Victims or their family members have the option to submit a written statement and may also choose to address the board members personally.

The prisoner's file is subsequently forwarded to the parole board where it is reviewed and decided upon by a committee consisting of three members. This group evaluates each case shortly before the inmate becomes eligible for parole, with at least two out of the three votes required for making the final determination.

In Texas, the board doesn't hold public parole hearings. Each panel member makes their own decision regarding parole releases independently.

Representatives for members of the Quintanilla-Pérez family did not promptly reply to The Associated Press' request for comment this week.

What occurs if Saldívar’s parole request is rejected? And what if it is accepted?

A rejection from the panel will specify when the prisoner can next appear before them for parole consideration.

Saldívar was found guilty of first-degree murder, a crime for which state law stipulates that the subsequent review following a rejection could occur anytime between one to five years from the date of said rejection.

Approval by the committee might come with specific rules that the prisoner must adhere to during their parole period. The duration for processing such approvals varies depending on individual cases. After receiving a release certification along with an accepted living arrangement plan, this documentation gets reviewed by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice’s Classification and Records Division, leading to the determination of a release date. These procedures often require between two to six weeks to finalize.

The governor has no authority to veto a parole decision made by the pardon board. However, the governor can grant clemency—such as pardons, commutations, and reprieves—based on the recommendation from a majority of the members of the pardon board.

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The Associated Press reporter Juan A. Lozano provided additional reporting from Houston.