Yolanda Saldívar, Selena Quintanilla-Perez’s murderer, denied parole

Posted On March 28, 2025March 28, 2025

Yolanda Saldívar, who murdered Mexican-American singer-songwriter Selena Quintanilla-Perez back in 1995, has been denied an early release from prison by a parole board in Texas.

Saldívar had once been the president of Selena’s fan club and the manager of some of her fashion boutiques. However, she was found to have been embezzling money from these operations and removed from her positions shortly before the murder took place on March 31st, 1995. 

Following the murder, Saldívar was convicted by a jury and sentenced to life imprisonment, with the possibility of parole after 30 years served. On March 27th, a three-person parole board in Texas denied her request for early release. 

The parole board denied her request because they deem the woman still poses a threat to public safety. They further added that the murder of Quintanilla-Perez showed “a conscious disregard for the lives, safety, or property of others”.

During the early 1990s, Selena Quintanilla-Perez was dubbed the ‘Queen of Tejano Music’, amassing legions of dedicated fans for her pioneering sounds. She was an essential figure in breaking Tejano music into the American mainstream and remains one of the most essential Latin musicians of all time.

In March 1995, after being confronted about her embezzlement of funds from the musician’s fan club and fashion boutiques, Yolanda Saldívar shot the 23-year-old performer in the back in a motel room in Corpus Christi, Texas. Before succumbing to her injuries, the singer identified Saldívar as having shot her, and the shooter surrendered after a nine-and-a-half-hour standoff with authorities.

After being denied parole, Yolanda Saldívar will continue to serve her life sentence for the murder of Selena Quintanilla-Perez at the Patrick O’Daniel Unit in Gatesville, Texas. She will not be eligible for another parole hearing until March 30th, 2030. 

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