Yolanda Saldvar is an American former nurse who was convicted of the 1995 murder of the singer Selena. Before the trial, Saldvar was the president of Selena’s fan club and manager of one of her boutiques. She has been serving a life sentence in prison for the crime.
Selena’s fan club president
Yolanda Saldvar was a super fan of Mexican singer Selena and was the president of her fan club. She grew to become a close friend of the singer. In 1991, Yolanda was appointed to manage Selena’s fan club and collect money from fans. In 1994, she also started managing the singer’s boutiques.
Yolanda Saldivar is a nurse who was enthusiastic about Selena’s music. She becomes a close friend of the Quintanilla family and becomes president of the fan club. But she later is charged with murdering the singer, but she insists it was an accident.
According to the Dallas Morning News, Saldivar was obsessed with Selena, and she turned her home into a shrine for her. She also tried to limit Selena’s interactions with other employees. Furthermore, she embezzled thousands of dollars from Selena, stole several items, and even stole financial records. As a result, she was fired as the fan club president and was on the verge of being fired from her role as manager of the boutiques.
Her relationship with Selena Quintanilla
Yolanda Saldivar was a fan of the singer Selena Quintanilla. In 1991, she created the Selena Fan Club and became close to the singer. But her relationship with Selena began to unravel after rumors began circulating that Saldivar was stealing money from Selena’s boutiques. Abraham, the singer’s father, was suspicious and demanded that Saldivar prove her innocence. While it’s unclear what caused Saldivar to kill the singer, she did so because she loved Selena Quintanilla.
As a fan, Saldivar was a frequent visitor to Selena’s concerts, and in 1991, she organized a fan club in her hometown of San Antonio. The fan club eventually grew to more than 1,500 members. She even became Selena’s manager, having access to her home. She became so enamored with the singer that she claimed to be her eyes and ears.
Selena’s murder trial was followed closely by the Latino community in the United States. The trial was shifted from Corpus Christi to Houston after her attorneys argued that she could not get a fair trial in her hometown. Ultimately, Saldivar was convicted of murdering Selena and sentenced to life in prison in 1995. She had thirty years to serve her sentence, and after seven years, her lawyer argued that she would release the letter to prove her innocence.
Her life sentence
After being sentenced to life in prison, Yolanda Saldvar is appealing the verdict. She was the youngest of eight children. She was bullied because of her weight and rarely made friends. She also was a member of the Junior ROTC. However, she was later dismissed from her job at a Texas clothing store.
The murder conviction has spawned numerous death threats. Yolanda Saldvar is currently serving a life sentence in Texas, but she could get parole after 30 years, which means she can be eligible for parole in 2025. However, she has already received death threats, some of which have been made by Selena Quintanilla’s fans. Abraham Quintanilla, the late singer’s father, has said that he believes the crime was committed by Yolanda Saldvar.
Saldivar has appealed the sentence several times, but these appeals have not moved forward due to procedural issues. Two years ago, she filed an appeal in the wrong court system, which led to a denial of her appeal. Despite this, she may be able to file another appeal in the right court system to get parole sooner.
Death threats against Yolanda Saldivar
Since Yolanda was arrested for the murder of Selena Quintanilla, her life has been in danger. She has received repeated threats through letters from outside the country, and has even been subjected to threats from other inmates. Some of these threats were violent.
Although Saldivar denied being the perpetrator of the murder, her brother, Abraham Quintanilla, said that she had stolen $100,000 from Selena. In the letter, the man said he knew the truth and felt remorse for the crime. According to the Texas Department of Correction, the letters were sent from Mexico. A reporter for VH1 tried unsuccessfully for seven months to confirm whether or not Saldivar had mailed them.
The threats against Yolanda Saldivar came shortly after Selena was shot in the lobby of a hotel. The singer was heavily bleeding. She ran to the lobby to identify the perpetrator, but the attack left her unconscious. She later died at the hospital. Saldivar remained at the scene of the crime for several hours and was charged with first-degree murder. However, her main defense was that she had accidentally fired the gun, which led to the shooting.
