The family of Yolanda Saldívar, who was convicted of the murder of pop icon Selena Quintanilla-Perez, claims that Selena’s actions contributed to the tragic event.
Yolanda Saldívar has been incarcerated for 30 years following her conviction for the first-degree murder of Selena, which took place at a Days Inn hotel in Corpus Christi, Texas, on March 31, 1995.
Selena, who was only 23 at the time of her death, had garnered fame as the ‘Queen of Tejano Music’ due to her blend of Mexican and American musical influences.
Before Selena’s murder, she had accused Saldívar of embezzling money. Now, Saldívar’s family alleges that it was Selena’s conduct before the incident that led to her murder.
In a statement to the New York Post before a recent parole hearing, which ultimately denied Saldívar’s release, a family member commented: “[Yolanda] knows what she did was wrong and she takes responsibility for it. But she was reacting to the way she was confronted.
“She says that [Selena] came at her really aggressively,” they added, alleging that the intensity of Selena’s approach caused Saldívar to become ‘thrown off’.
“If Selena had confronted her differently, this never would have happened,” they claimed.
Despite these claims, it’s important to remember that Saldívar shot Selena in the back.
Now 64, Saldívar has continually asserted that the shooting was accidental.
Her family hoped for her release after the parole hearing this month, maintaining their support for her. However, on March 27, her request for parole was denied.
Parole board documents stated that Saldívar remains a ‘continuing threat to public safety’, citing the nature of the crime as having ‘elements of brutality, violence, assaultive behavior or conscious selection of victim’s vulnerability indicating a conscious disregard for the lives, safety, or property of others’.
Carlos Valdez, the former Nueces County District Attorney who prosecuted Saldívar, expressed support for her continued imprisonment.
Speaking with Houston’s KHOU11, she said: “Lord knows what will happen if she is released. Based on what I’ve seen so far, I think it would be a serious mistake to grant her parole. I believe, I really believe, that the safest for Yolanda would probably be where she is.”
Due to threats against her life for killing Selena, Saldívar has been held in protective custody while in prison.