John Jefferson
Left: Yolanda Saldívar (Texas Department of Criminal Justice). Right: Selena Quintanilla-Pérez during a concert in Corpus Christi, Texas, on Nov. 14, 1994. (Photo AP/George Gongora-Corpus Christi Caller-Times, Archive).
The woman imprisoned for 30 years in the killing of the “Queen of Tejano,” Selena Quintanilla Perez, is seeking parole, saying she has a “bounty on her head.”
Yolanda Saldívar, 64, has become eligible for parole this year after serving 30 years of her life sentence at the Patrick L. O’Daniel Unit in Gatesville, Texas.
The parole review process begins with a review of the offender’s file, including letters of support and protest. An Institutional Parole Officer reviews the file and interviews the offender before preparing a case summary for the Board voting panel. The Board usually votes on a case just before the parole eligibility date. That would be on March 30 in Saldívar’s case. If she is approved for parole, her release can be no earlier than March 30. If she is denied parole, her next review date will be set between one and five years from her decision date, the specific number of years to be determined by the parole panel, officials said.
She maintains the shooting was accidental and has expressed concerns for her safety in prison. An inmate told the New York Post Saldívar’s a target.
“Everyone knows who Yolanda Saldívar is,” said Marisol Lopez, who served with her from 2017 to 2022, the Post reported. “There’s a bounty on her head … like everyone wants a piece of her. The guards keep her away from everyone else because she’s hated so much. If she were out [in general population], someone would try to take her down.”
Saldívar was a Selena fan club president who later became friends with the singer and managed her boutiques. In 1995, Saldívar was fired after the singer’s family accused her of embezzling money from her.
Over the years, Saldívar has spoken out about the killing, including extensive interviews from prison in the Oxygen series, “Selena & Yolanda: The Secrets Between Them.” She has denied the embezzling allegation, offering unsubstantiated claims that she was using money to cover up an affair that Selena was having.
In a 1995 interview with ABC’s 20/20, she said, “They made me out to be a monster, and I just want to say, I did not kill Selena. It was an accident, and my conscience is clear.”
Saldívar shot the 23-year-old singer on March 31, 1995, at a motel room in Corpus Christi, Texas, where the singer was lured under the guise of returning financial documents. Saldívar was arrested after a standoff with police and convicted of first-degree murder on Oct. 26, 1995. She was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole after 30 years.
Selena’s death devastated her fans, who have commemorated her since as one of the most iconic figures in Latin music history.
“She has been credited for elevating Tejano and Latin music into the mainstream market. Whether at a family party, a celebration or at the club, when a Selena song comes on, everyone hits the dance floor,” Democratic Rep. Robert Garcia said in a press release in March honoring her.
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