Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of murder. Reader discretion is advised.
Selena Quintanilla was a rising Latino singer and was just 23 years old when she was murdered in 1995. She was shot at the Days Inn motel in Corpus Christi, Texas. Yolanda Saldivar, a former president of Selena’s fan club, was convicted of her murder and is currently serving time for the crime. She reportedly shot Selena in the back, who bled to death due to single gunshot wound. The Mexican-American singer was later pronounced dead at the hospital.
Also known as the Queen of Tejano music, Selena Quintanilla started her music career at the age of eight. She joined her family as they played music at weddings and their family restaurant, Pappagallo. Her father taught her to sing in Spanish. In 1982, when the family moved to Corpus Christi, they began performing at nightclubs and dance halls.
Selena soon became a star in Tejano music and was awarded the Tejano Music Award for Female Entertainer of the Year in 1987. Despite her popularity among pioneers of music, Selena didn’t break into the mainstream until 1993.
Yolanda Saldivar was a registered nurse who founded Selena Quintanilla’s fan club. She served as the club president and later went on to manage two of the superstar’s clothing boutiques. NBC News reported that in early 1995, the Quintanilla family had accused Yolanda of stealing money from the fan club as well as the boutiques she was managing. They reportedly fired her from the post.
When did Selena Quintanilla meet Yolanda Saldivar?
Selena Quintanilla met Yolanda Saldivar in 1991. The latter claimed to be a fan of the Grammy-winning singer and pushed the idea of creating a fan club for her. At the time, Yolanda was reportedly an in-home nurse who initially contacted Abraham Quintanilla, Selena’s father and manager. According to Oxygen, she pitched the idea of starting a club to Abraham. Over the coming months and years, she became an integral part of their lives and a close family friend.
Yolanda Saldivar was then employed as the president of Selena Quintanilla’s fan club. She was also asked to manage two of the rising superstar’s clothing boutiques. The boutiques were located in San Antonio and Corpus Christi. The Washington Post reported that Yolanda Saldivar was even given a copy of the key to Selena and her husband’s home. Moreover, she had allegedly held significant control over Selena’s business accounts.
However, she was fired due to financial discrepancies that came to Selena and her husband’s notice in March 1995. Abraham Quintanilla reportedly claimed that Yolana Saldivar embezzled around $30,000 from Selena’s businesses. After she was let go, Yolanda asked Selena to meet her at the Days Inn motel in Corpus Christi, following which their confrontation led Yolanda to shoot Selena.
The court found Yolanda Saldivar guilty of the first-degree murder of Selena Quintanilla on October 23, 1995. She was then sentenced to life in prison with an eligibility for parole after 30 years, which would be March 30, 2025. She is currently 63 years old.
The two-part docuseries Selena and Yolanda: The Secrets Between Them will premiere on Oxygen on February 17, 2024, at 8 p.m. ET. It will also be streaming on Peacock on the day after they air.
