Yolanda Saldívar, who murdered Selena Quintanilla-Perez, the famous Tejano music sensation, was denied parole after serving over 25 years in prison. The Texas parole board unanimously decided that Saldívar remains a danger to the public and her heinous crime demonstrated a blatant disregard for human life. Her next chance for parole will be in 2030.

Selena, one of the first Mexican Americans to break into mainstream music, was shot to death in a Corpus Christi motel in 1995 at the age of 23. She was on the verge of a successful crossover into the English-language pop market. Saldívar, who managed Selena’s clothing boutiques and founded her fan club, was fired in early 1995 for theft. During a confrontation with Selena, Saldívar shot her in the back with a .38-caliber revolver.

Over 50,000 people attended Selena’s funeral. Saldívar claimed that she intended to kill herself during the altercation, but the gun misfired. In 1995, Saldívar was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison with a chance for parole after 30 years. In prison, Seldívar earned paralegal and criminal justice degrees and filed civil rights complaints against the prison system for mistreatment. Despite several appeals of her conviction, they were all denied.

Selena’s career skyrocketed during a boom in Tejano music in the 1990s. Her hits included “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom,” “Como la Flor,” “Amor Prohibido,” “No Me Queda Más,” and “Tu Solo Tu.” After her death, her English-language crossover album “Dreaming of You” topped the Billboard 200. In 1997, Jennifer Lopez played Selena in her eponymous biopic. The Grammy Awards posthumously honored Selena with a lifetime achievement award in 2021.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/27/selena-murder-sentence-parole-denied