Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of murder. Reader discretion is advised.
Yolanda Saldívar, the woman responsible for the murder of beloved Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla, has been serving a life sentence since 1995. Earlier that year, on March 31, Saldívar reportedly shot Selena after luring her to a Texas motel. The incident occurred after Selena’s family accused Saldívar, who used to manage the singer’s fan club and boutiques, of embezzling money.
Oxygen True Crime reported that in October 1995, Saldívar was convicted of first-degree murder in Selena’s shooting death. Afterward, she received a life sentence with parole. As per the Texas Department of Corrections, Saldívar is now serving the sentence in the Patrick L. O’Daniel facility.
An upcoming docuseries on Oxygen titled Selena & Yolanda: The Secrets Between Them will chronicle the tragic incident. The two-part series premieres on February 17, 2024, at 8 p.m. ET.
Will Selena Quintanilla’s shooter, Yolanda Saldívar, get out of prison & when?
As previously mentioned, Saldívar, the one-time fan of Selena Quintanilla, is currently serving life with parole for the singer’s 1995 murder. Prison records state that Saldívar will become eligible for parole on March 30, 2025, thirty years after her sentence began. KSAT-TV reported that she could be released on good behavior.
The outlet, as well as Oxygen, reported that Saldívar began the Selena Fan Club and made herself known as the singer’s biggest fan. She officially connected with the singer in 1994, as per The Washington Post, first as the singer’s fan club organizer and then as her closest aide. Saldívar eventually began managing Selena’s two boutiques.
However, in early March 1995, Selena and her family learned that Yolanda Saldívar had been embezzling around $30,000 from the fan club and boutiques. This led to a confrontation between the Quintanillas and Saldívar, but she maintained her innocence. However, Selena eventually decided to fire her.
Prosecutors believed that Saldívar “lured” Selena Quintanilla to the Days Inn in Texas by promising the singer financial records. On the morning of March 31, 1995, Saldívar then shot Selena in the motel’s room 158. The singer bled to death from a single gunshot wound to the back that had severed a major artery in her chest, per The Washington Post.
On October 23 of that same year, a jury convicted Saldívar of first-degree murder, following which she received a life sentence with parole.
Oxygen’s Selena & Yolanda: The Secrets Between Them will further look into Selena Quintanilla’s murder by Saldívar. The docuseries will premiere on February 17, 2024.
