Yolanda Saldivar has been a side note in the past few days as the nation observes the 20th anniversary of the murder of Selena Quintanilla, also known simply as Selena.
The 23-year-old Tejano superpower was shot and killed in 1995 by Yolanda Saldivar.
Yolanda Saldivar’s name isn’t as important as Selena’s in this time of remembrance, and may even be shunned, but it is interesting to take a look back on that time, 20 years ago, to one of the most shocking crimes in music history.
Yolanda Saldivar‘s story is perplexing. Saldivar, who was 35 at the time was an unassuming woman who was a huge fan of Selena’s. So much so, that she was the president of Selena’s fan club.
However, things turned dark for Yolanda Saldivar when members of Selena Quintanilla‘s family confronted her about missing money from the fan club and Selena’s fashion boutiques on March 9th.
Two days later, Yolanda Saldivar put down a $100 deposit on a pistol, which she picked up later that month.
Yolanda Saldivar then told Selena that she had been raped in Mexico. Selena took her to a local hospital in her hometown of Corpus Christie, Tx. The doctors suggested that Saldivar should visit a hospital in San Antonio.
When Selena took Yolanda Saldivar back to the hotel Saldivar was staying in, an argument about the missing money erupted between the two.
It was then that Yolanda Saldivar shot Selena in the back, severing an artery. Selena ran from Saldivar, but she passed out in the lobby from the blood loss and died.
At Yolanda Saldivar’s trial in 1995, defense attorneys for Saldivar tried to make it look like an accidental action by a woman who was distraught and desperate. However, employees at the hotel brought that theory down, saying that Yolanda Saldivar ran after Selena with the gun drawn.
In October of 1995, Yolanda Saldivar was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 30 years.
When asked if she had any final words, Yolanda Saldivar said, “No, sir,” then hung her head and began to cry.
Yolanda Saldivar still sits in prison while Selena’s friends, family, and fans observe the anniversary of her murder, and she has 10 more years before she even has the possibility of parole.
Do you remember when Selena was murdered by Yolanda Saldivar?