Who is Yolanda Saldívar?
Yolanda Saldívar was 11 years older than Selena and was likewise born in Texas. She became a registered nurse in 1991—but that same year, she saw Selena perform and her life was forever changed. Saldívar reportedly badgered Selena’s father and manager, Abraham Quintanilla Jr., into letting her start a Selena fan club, which became such a success that Saldívar quit her nursing position to run it full-time. The Quintanilla family also put her in charge of the singer’s Selena Etc. boutiques in south Texas, while Saldívar and Selena grew closer as friends. Saldívar even once told 20/20 that Selena “was like a daughter” to her and “would call me Mom.”
Why did Yolanda Saldívar kill Selena?
In March 1995, the Quintanillas learned that Saldívar had been diverting funds from both of the Selena enterprises she managed. In a meeting on March 9, Selena’s father told Saldívar “that I was going to go to the police and make an investigation for embezzlement,” according to testimony he later gave at Saldívar’s murder trial. Over the next few weeks, the family made more discoveries about Saldívar’s financial wrongdoings, while it’s believed that Saldívar purchased at least one firearm. On March 31, Selena went to a motel room in Corpus Christi, Texas, to retrieve financial documents from Saldívar. The two reportedly argued before Saldívar shot Selena in the back. The singer managed to run to the hotel lobby; her last words, spoken to hotel staffers, were, “Yolanda… [Room] 158.” Selena was declared dead at a nearby hospital less than two hours later, while Saldívar was ultimately arrested after holding a gun to her head and threatening to kill herself during a 10-hour standoff with police.
Where is Yolanda Saldívar now?
In October 1995, Saldívar was found guilty of first-degree murder in a Texas courtroom after a jury deliberated for only two hours. Throughout the trial, Saldívar insisted she had pulled the trigger by accident and that she had intended to commit suicide rather than shoot Selena. She was sentenced to a maximum of life in prison, with no opportunity for parole until March 2025 at the earliest. Since her sentencing, the now-60-year-old has been incarcerated in Gatesville, Texas, at Mountain View Unit, a maximum security women’s prison. Next, our Latinx culture guide has 20 TV shows, documentaries, movies, TED Talks and books to add to your list.
