As the 30th anniversary of Tejano music icon Selena Quintanilla-Pérez's untimely death approaches, so too does the possibility of parole for the woman convicted of her murder. Yolanda Saldívar, now 64, will on Sunday be up for parole for the first time since her conviction for fatally shooting Selena on March 31, 1995. Saldívar, who has served 30 years of her life sentence in Texas, has a petition for parole under review, per the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. A rep says there is no specified date on which the decision will be announced, per the AP.
The Dallas Morning News reports the seriousness of their crime, letters for or against parole, and participation in educational or vocational prison programs are among the factors that could be considered by the three-person parole board panel. If she is denied parole, the panel will determine the date at which she is next eligible, which would be in one to five years' time, reports USA Today.
Selena was shot after heading to Saldívar's room at a Days Inn in Corpus Christi, Texas, to get business records she needed for tax purposes; a confrontation reportedly ensued. Saldívar, the former president of Selena's fan club and manager of her boutiques, claimed the shooting was accidental. She was suspected of embezzling $30,000 from Selena's business. Motel employees testified Selena named "Yolanda" before collapsing. During a lengthy standoff with police, Saldívar said: "I didn't mean to do it. I didn't mean to kill anybody." In October 1995, Saldívar was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. She was not given the death penalty due to lack of aggravating circumstances. Her legal appeals in 1999, 2000, and 2009 were unsuccessful. (This content was created with the help of AI. Read our AI policy.)
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