Selena Quintanilla-Perez’s Killer Yolanda Saldivar Denied Parole 30 Years After Murder

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“Today, we are grateful that the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles has chosen to deny parole for Yolanda Saldívar,” read a statement shared via Instagram on Thursday, March 27, from Quintanilla’s family and husband Chris Pérez. “While nothing can bring Selena back, this decision reaffirms that justice continues to stand for the beautiful life that was taken from us and from millions of fans around the world far too soon.”

Noting that “Selena’s legacy is one of love, music, and inspiration,” the family wrote that they will “remain committed to preserving her memory and ensuring that her story is honored with the dignity and respect it deserves.”

They concluded the statement by thanking fans for their “unwavering support throughout the years, adding, “Your love has been a source of strength and healing. We will continue to celebrate Selena’s life — not the tragedy that took her from us — and we ask that all who cherish her do the same.”

The statement continued: “The record indicates that the instant offense has elements of brutality, violence, assaultive behavior or conscious selection of victim’s vulnerability indicating a conscious disregard for the lives, safety, or property of others, such that the offender poses a continuing threat to public safety.”

This marks the first time Saldívar, 64, has been up for parole since her life sentence began in 1995.

Selena rose to fame in the early 1990s with hits such as “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom” and “Como la Flor,” bringing Tejano music to the mainstream. Saldívar was the founder and president of the singer’s fan club and the manager of Selena’s clothing boutiques, but she was fired in 1995 after money went missing.

In March 1995, Selena and Saldívar were involved in a confrontation in Saldívar’s motel room in Corpus Christi, Texas. Selena was shot in the back, ran from the motel room and collapsed in the lobby. Although she was rushed to a nearby hospital, she was later pronounced dead at the age of 23. Saldívar, who claimed she had intended to kill herself rather than Selena, was arrested after a nine-hour standoff with police.

During Saldívar’s trial, prosecutors argued that she shot Selena after she was suspected of embezzling $30,000, while Saldívar’s defense attorneys alleged the gun accidentally went off. Saldívar was convicted of first-degree murder in October 1995 and sentenced to life in prison, with the possibility of parole after 30 years behind bars. She has been incarcerated at the Patrick L. O’Daniel Unit prison in Gatesville, Texas.

“I was convicted by public opinion even before my trial started,” she said in the 2024 documentary Selena and Yolanda: The Secrets Between Them.

Despite Saldívar’s efforts to be released, former Nueces County District Attorney Carlos Valdez, who prosecuted the case, warned against freeing her.

“Lord knows what will happen if she is released,” Valdez said, per KHOU. “Based on what I’ve seen so far, I think it would be a serious mistake to grant her parole. I believe, I really believe, that the safest [place] for Yolanda would probably be where she is.”