Yolanda Saldívar, the woman who was convicted of Selena Quintanilla Pérez's murder, has filed for parole.
Thirty years after the death of the Mexican American singer, Saldívar, 63, filed a petition for parole in Texas, according to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice online records. She is currently in the parole review process and imprisoned at the Patrick L. O’Daniel Unit prison in Gatesville, Texas.
Saldívar was president of the singer’s fan club and the manager of two of her clothing boutiques. She shot and killed Quintanilla Pérez at a Days Inn motel in Corpus Christi, Texas, on Mar. 31, 1995. The “Como La Flor” singer was 23.
Saldívar was found guilty of first-degree murder and on Oct. 26, 1995, she was sentenced to life in prison, with the possibility of parole after 30 years.
According to NBC News, Quintanilla Pérez's family fired Saldívar in early 1995, accusing her of embezzling money from the singer's fan club and boutiques. The singer's widower, Chris Pérez, testified in court that they “didn’t trust her” and removed her from their checking accounts, according to a 1998 court document from the Texas Court of Appeals.
Saldívar has stated in the past that she did not intentionally kill the singer, including in last year’s Oxygen docuseries, “Selena & Yolanda: The Secrets Between Them.”
In the three-part docuseries, she dismissed the claims that she embezzled money and said she was covering up Quintanilla Pérez’s extramarital affair. She, however, did not provide any evidence.
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The documentary received a slew of backlash from the singer’s fans, who did not want to hear what Saldívar had to say.
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The parole process begins about six months before the parole eligibility date for a first review and four months before the eligibility date, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice’s website states. Saldívar’s file will be reviewed, including letters of support and protest, and a case summary will be prepared for the board voting panel.
Saldívar’s parole review date is March 30.
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