Yolanda Saldívar’s 1995 mugshot ; Yolanda Saldívar more recently. Photo:

Texas Department of Criminal Justice via AP ; courtesy of Oxygen

• Yolanda Saldívar killed Selena Quintanilla on March 31, 1995, fatally shooting the singer in Corpus Christi, Texas
• In October 1995, Saldívar was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole in 30 years, eventually set for March 30, 2025
• She was denied parole on March 27 and will continue to serve her sentence until her next parole date in five years

Selena Quintanilla‘s tragic death rocked the music industry after she was killed by the head of her fan club, Yolanda Saldívar.

The Tejano star was shot on March 31, 1995, two weeks before what would have been her 24th birthday. Six months later, Saldívar was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 30 years.

That day came on March 27, when the Texas Board of Pardons and Parole denied her parole, ruling that she would not be released from prison. While Selena’s family has celebrated the news, Saldívar has held fast in her conviction that she deserves to be free.

“I was convicted by public opinion even before my trial started,” she said in the 2024 Oxygen documentary Selena and Yolanda: The Secrets Between Them.

So where is Selena’s killer now? Here’s everything to know about Yolanda Saldívar and her life behind bars.

AP

Born on Sept. 19, 1960, in San Antonio, Texas, Saldívar was a registered nurse before she came to know Selena. After seeing the singer in concert, she reportedly called Selena’s father Abraham Quintanilla about starting a fan club. 

Through the fan club, where she served as the president, Saldívar infiltrated herself into Selena’s life, becoming one of her close friends and a business associate. Eventually, she was promoted as manager of Selena’s clothing boutiques, Selena Etc., giving her access to Selena’s business checking accounts.

According to those close to Selena, Saldívar began to show obsessive behavior. Selena’s fashion designer, Martin Gomez, told The Washington Post that Saldívar was often difficult to work with. 

“She’d get, like, very angry if you crossed her,” Gomez told the publication. “She would play so many mind games, say people had said things they hadn’t said,” he explained. “So many things would happen to the clothing I was working on. I knew that I had finished a certain piece, but I would come back from a trip to New York and the hems would be ripped out. It was very strange.”

“The last call I had with Selena, the last call, I told her to be careful,” Gomez recalled. “It was very weird. I was very afraid of Yolanda. But I never thought she would hurt Selena. I never thought it would come to this.”

Things took a turn in early 1995 as Selena’s father became suspicious that Saldívar was embezzling money after several employees informed him that they had overdue payments on their payrolls. 

On March 9, 1995, Abraham, Selena and her sister Suzette confronted Saldívar and accused her of stealing money from the boutiques and the fan club. As a result, Abraham fired Saldívar.

Two days after Selena confronted her, Saldívar applied for a permit to purchase a gun from a gun store in San Antonio, witnesses testified during her trial, per the Associated Press. At the time, Saldívar told gun store employees that family members of mentally ill people for whom she worked had made threats against her, according to the AP. She bought the gun that killed the singer on March 26, five days before the murder.

On March 31, Selena agreed to meet Saldívar at a Days Inn motel in Corpus Christi to retrieve various financial records Saldívar still had in her possession. However, during their meeting, Saldívar delayed handing over the papers, alleging she had been raped the night before, per USA Today. According to the publication, Selena then took Saldívar to the hospital for examination, where doctors found no evidence of rape. 

As the two returned to the motel, Selena demanded the paperwork again. Saldívar then pulled out her gun and shot the singer in the back, severing an artery. Selena was taken to Corpus Christi Memorial Hospital, where she was later pronounced dead from blood loss and cardiac arrest.

Yolanda Saldivar in ‘Selena and Yolanda, The Secrets Between Them’. Oxygen

After shooting Selena, Saldívar remained in the motel’s parking lot, where she locked herself in her truck and threatened to kill herself, per The New York Times. 

She eventually surrendered and was arrested and later charged with first-degree murder.

A trial was held at the Harris County Criminal Courthouse in Houston, Texas, starting on Oct. 9, 1995. Before the trial in April 1995, Saldívar was arraigned and pleaded not guilty, with her defense attorneys arguing that the fatal shooting was an accident and that Saldivar was trying to kill herself not Selena, per CNN.

On Oct. 23, a verdict was reached and Saldívar was found guilty of murder. She was later sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole in 30 years.

Oxygen

Saldívar is currently serving a life sentence at the Patrick O’Daniel Unit in Gatesville, Texas, which is operated by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

Saldívar has only given a handful of interviews in the years following Selena’s murder. During an interview with ABC’s 20/20 in 1995, she maintained that she did not deliberately kill Selena, saying “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.” 

In Oxygen True Crime’s 2024 docuseries Selena & Yolanda: The Secrets Between Them, Saldívar spoke from prison as she discussed her professional and personal relationship with Selena.

“After so many years, I think it’s time to set the story straight,” Saldívar said in the show. “I knew her secrets. And I think that people deserve to know the truth.”

Per her sentence, she was eligible for parole on March 30, 2025. However, her parole was denied, and Saldívar will continue to remain behind bars.

“After a thorough consideration of all available information, which included any confidential interviews conducted, it was the parole panels determination to deny parole to Yolanda Saldivar and set her next parole review for March 2030,” the Texas Board of Pardons and Parole said in a statement to PEOPLE.

Selena’s family shared their gratitude for the news on Instagram, writing that Selena’s “legacy” continues to be upheld as “one of love, music, and inspiration.”

“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,” they wrote.