JUSTICE

Music Icon Selena’s Killer Yolanda Saldívar Denied Parole

The beloved singer was only 23 when she was murdered in 1995.

Yolanda Saldívar, the woman convicted of murdering Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla-Perez in 1995, was denied parole Thursday. In a statement to People magazine, the Texas Board of Pardons and Parole said the “nature of the offense” which had “elements of brutality, violence, assaultive behavior or conscious selection of victim’s vulnerability” led to the parole panel denying Saldivar an early release from prison because she “poses a continuing threat to public safety.” Her next parole review has been scheduled for March 2030. Saldívar, 64, was the president of Selena’s fan club and used to manage her clothing boutiques. She was fired by the singer’s family after allegedly embezzling more than $30,000 from the club and stores. According to court testimonies, Selena met up with Saldívar on March 31, 1995 at the Days Inn motel in Corpus Christi, Texas, to pick up important business records. Saldívar then shot and killed the singer, who was only 23 years old. She was convicted of the murder shortly after and was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 30 years.