Yolanda Saldivar, who murdered the pioneering Mexican-American vocalist Selena Quintanilla, will stay in prison after being denied parole. An attorney suggested that the family’s inflammatory remarks given to the media might have influenced the parole panel’s decision.
Three decades after fatally shooting the 23-year-old Tejano sensation in a hotel in Corpus Christi on March 31, 1995, the now 64-year-old founder of Selena’s fan club, Yolanda Saldivar, was denied parole by the Texas parole board.
In the weeks leading up to the parole board’s decision, Saldivar’s family advocated for her release in several news interviews.
Armando Saldivar, the killer’s brother, disputed the claim that his sister killed Selena on Telemundo. He asserted that he is aware of the true cause that led to the altercation between the two women, ultimately resulting in the singer’s tragic demise.
“Yolanda and Selena were arguing, about what they were arguing I know but I can’t tell you,” Armando said in Spanish.
When asked if his sister killed Selena, Armando responded, “She did not do it, not because she’s my sister, but she did not kill Selena.
“She has already done what she had to do, leave her alone. Enough is enough. Enough, let her go.”
Another family member of Saldivar told the New York Post that Selena was responsible for her own killing.
“[Yolanda] knows what she did was wrong and she takes responsibility. But she was confronted,” the unidentified relative said.
“She says that [Selena] came at her really aggressively. She was so thrown off with how forceful Selena was being; everything happened so fast.
“If Selena had confronted her differently, this never would have happened.”
‘SLIM TO NONE’
Eric Faddis, a trial attorney at Varner Faddis Elite Legal in Colorado, told The U.S. Sun he believes Saldivar’s family statements impacted her unlikely chance at being freed.
“These statements from the family hurt her chances at being released,” Faddis said.
“One thing the parole board is looking at is whether Yolanda is taking responsibility, whether she’s showing remorse and whether she has adeptly appreciated the gravity of her conduct,” he explained.
“Here, she has indicated forever that this was an accident. But the parole board is going to look at that lack of responsibility, and also the facts of the murder in which Yolanda was accused of embezzlement and so she was sort of taking measures for personal gain.”
Prior to Thursday’s parole ruling, Faddis told The U.S. Sun that Saldivar’s chances at being released were “slim to none” due to the severity of the case.
“When we’re talking about a nationally publicized case and the pretty horrendous set of circumstances that led to her incarceration, I think it’s very unlikely she’ll be released this time around,” he told The U.S. Sun before Thursday’s ruling was announced.
DEATH OF AN ICON
Remembered as the Queen of Tejano Music, Selena’s musical talent, fashion, and songs about heartbreak and new love propelled her to superstardom among the growing Latino population in the US in the ’90s, shattering barriers for Latin women in music.
Selena emerged at the forefront of the Tejano music boom in the early 1990s with songs like Bidi Bidi Bom Bom, Amor Prohibido, Si Una Vez, No Me Queda Mas, and Tu Solo Tu.
However, Selena’s life was cut short as she was on the verge of making a breakthrough on an international level after winning her first Grammy Award for Best Mexican/American Album in March 1994.
On March 31, 1995, Selena traveled to the Days Inn in Corpus Christi, about two hours south of San Antonio, to pick up financial documents from Saldivar, who had been fired by the Quintanilla family after being accused of embezzling money.
An argument between the two ensued, and as Selena turned away in an attempt to exit the motel room, Saldivar pulled out a .38-caliber revolver and shot her longtime friend in the back.
Selena was able to run out of the room; however, witnesses said they saw Saldivar emerge from the door with a gun, aiming at the singer, before saying, “b***h,” prosecutors said during the October 1995 murder trial.
Selena managed to make it to the motel’s lobby, where she collapsed, and died after being transported to the hospital.
POLICE STANDOFF
A nine-hour standoff between Corpus Christi police and Saldivar ensued after authorities arrived at the Days Inn.
Saldivar locked herself in her van and held a gun to her head, claiming she was going to kill herself.
“I didn’t mean to do it, I didn’t mean to kill anybody,” a sobbing Saldivar told police during the standoff.
Saldivar, a former nurse, was eventually arrested and charged with first-degree murder.
After a two-week trial, a Houston jury convicted Saldivar in October 1995.
Saldivar was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 30 years.
YOLANDA’S PAROLE DENIED
On Thursday, a Texas parole panel refused to release Saldivar citing the violent nature of the killing as the reason for its denial.
“After a thorough consideration of all available information, which included any confidential interviews, it was the parole panel’s determination to deny parole to Yolanda Saldivar and set her next parole review for March 2030,” the board said in a statement.
“The record indicates that the instant offense has elements of brutality, violence, assaultive behavior or conscious selection of victim’s vulnerability indicating a conscious disregard for the lives, safety, or property of others, such that the offender poses a continuing threat to public safety.”
Faddis told The U.S. Sun that he suspects the parole panel members still have concerns about Saldivar’s “violent tendencies” after determining she still poses a risk to society.
“That part was curious to me because due to her age and due to an absence of any ongoing violent activity for the past three decades, she doesn’t strike me as someone I’d be worried about encountering in a dark alley,” he added.
“But, I think that the parole board just looked at how violent the underlying crime was, and inferred that Ms. Saldivar could still have those violence tendencies.
“That being said her crime was so specific to her relationship with Selena that I just didn’t see any evidence that she would also be violent with others 30 years later.”
Selena’s family and Chris Perez, the singer’s husband at the time, applauded the Texas parole board’s decision and thanked fans for their unwavering support.
“While nothing can bring Selena back, this decision reaffirms that justice continues to stand for the beautiful life that was taken from us and from millions of fans around the world far too soon,” the statement from the Quintanilla family and Perez read.
“Selena’s legacy is one of love, music, and inspiration. She lived with joy, gave selflessly, and continues to uplift generations with her voice and her spirit.”
