Nearly 3 decades ago, the famous Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla Pérez, was murdered. In the year 1995, the entire world was shocked when the famous singer was killed by the president of her fan club. The name of the former fan club president is Yolanda Saldívar.

Selena, the ‘Queen of Tejano music’ who was also a fashion designer was shot by Yolanda Saldívar on March 31, 1995. Back in the day, the heartbreaking news of Selena’s tragic death was covered by every news channel. At the time of her passing, she was only 23 years old. Read on to know the full story of Selena Quintanilla’s killer Yolanda Saldívar and learn where is she now.

For those of you who are unaware, let us share with you, Selena Quintanilla Pérez was an American Tejano singer who was born on April 16, 1971, in Lake Jackson, Texas to Marcella Ofelia Quintanilla and Abraham Quintanilla Jr. Her mom has Cherokee ancestry, meanwhile her dad is of Mexican American descent. Her father Abraham is a former musician.

This Tejano queen was known for bridging the gap between mainstream and Latin music. She shot to fame with the release of her debut album Selena in the year 1989. Her second studio album, Ven Conmigo, saw the light of day in September 1990. Her third album Entre a Mi Mundo, and fourth album Amor Prohibido, came out in 1992 and 1994 respectively. Sadly, her life came to an end on March 31, 1995, when Yolanda murdered her. She was survived by her husband of three years, Chris Pérez, her parents, and her siblings.

Here’s all you need to know about Yolanda Saldívar

Yolanda Saldívar was born in 1960 in San Antonio. She was 11 years elder than the famed singer Selena Quintanilla Pérez. In the year 1991, she became a registered nurse. During the same year, she saw the Queen of Tejano music perform and her life changed from that point on.

Saldívar was one of the many fans of Selena. She became the president of Quintanilla’s fan club in 1991. As per various media outlets, she pestered Selena’s father and manager, Abraham Quintanilla Jr. to start a fan club for the singer. The fan club garnered success and she left her job as a nurse to run the club full-time.

Later on, Saldívar became friends with the singer as well as her family. In a media interaction at that time, she stated that Selena is like a daughter to her. In 1993, she shifted the fan club from San Antonio to Corpus Christi after opening a second boutique there, but the store failed to run under her watch.

It has been reported that Yolanda threatened to expose the Quintanilla family for tax fraud until and unless they gave her control of both the stores back. The Quintanilla’s denied it but provided her a job as president of their newly formed company, Selena Etc.

Why did Yolanda Saldívar kill Selena Quintanilla?

Then, Yolanda worked as the personal assistant of the singer Selena Quintanilla. Not only this, but she also managed the two stores that sold the merchandise of the Latina queen. At first, Quintanilla had complete trust in Saldívar but things took a turn when she learned that her money was being stolen from her boutiques.

Selena’s dad Abraham Quintanilla Jr., who was also her manager and business partner had a chat about the alleged theft with Saldívar. Her father told her that he would approach the police authorities and file a lawsuit against her on the grounds of embezzlement. In December 1994, her dad found that $60,000 were unaccounted for. Then, he asked Yolanda for her bank records related to the fan club. In January 1995, she threatened him that she would resign from her post.

At that time, Saldívar stated that it was a misunderstanding between her and Quintanilla. She claimed that they met at a motel in Corpus Christi on March 31, 1995, and tried to sort things out and retrieve the financial documents. As per witnesses, Selena checked into the room no. 158 around 1:00 p.m. with Saldívar following close behind.

The two of them chatted for nearly half an hour. At one point during their meeting, Selena discovered that Yolanda had a gun with her. Soon after, an argument broke out between Quintanilla and Saldívar. A couple of seconds later, a few gunshots were heard. Yolanda shot Selena in the lower right shoulder. Then, she was able to run away from the room. She managed to reach the lobby of the hotel where she bled lying there.

The staff of the hotel gathered and Quintanilla was rushed to the hospital. She described Yolanda as her assailant. Shortly afterward, Selena was pronounced dead. Saldívar was arrested after a nine-hour standoff with the police authorities. Then, she told the cops that she didn’t mean to kill the singer while putting a gun to her head.

Where is Yolanda Saldívar right now?

Yolanda’s lawyer argued that she was not guilty and put forward the reason of insanity. Her attorney claimed that she suffered from a mental health problem and an obsessive-compulsive disorder. Then, the prosecutors countered and said that she planned the murder of Selena and that she wasn’t mentally ill.

They claimed that Saldívar was angry with the musician because she had figured out Yolanda had stolen money from her clothing boutiques. So, she wanted to get Selena out of the picture. At the trial, Saldívar was found guilty of murder with malice, a first-degree felony. Then, she was sentenced to life in jail. There is not a slight possibility of parole until March 2025.

At the moment, Yolanda is serving her life sentence at the Mountain View Unit, a maximum security women’s prison. In the year 2020, a series named Selena: The Series was created by Moisés Zamora. The show narrates the tale of Tejano singer Selena’s rise to fame and the sacrifices she and her family made along the way. Season 1 of the show premiered on the streaming giant platform Netflix in December 2020. The second and final season of the show dropped in May 2021.

Have you watched Selena: The Series? Do let us know your thoughts on the show in the comments section below. Stay in touch with us for more updates from the world.