The lady who fatally shot singer Selena Quintanilla-Perez will quickly turn out to be eligible for parole on the eve of the thirtieth anniversary of the Tejano music celebrity’s loss of life.
Yolanda Saldívar, now 64, has spent three many years in jail following her conviction for first-degree homicide. Saldívar shot the singer within the again at a Days Inn lodge in Corpus Christi, Texas, in 1995 after Quintanilla-Perez accused her of embezzling cash.
Saldívar is presently serving a life sentence on the Patrick L. O’Daniel Unit in Gatesville and has a petition for parole that might be thought of by the parole board on Sunday, in keeping with the Texas Division of Prison Justice on-line information.
The parole course of in Texas entails a complete evaluate, together with interviews and evaluations about her conduct in jail and potential impression on the group if launched. If parole is denied, Saldívar’s case might be reconsidered in a single to 5 years.
Former Nueces County Dist. Atty. Carlos Valdez, who led the prosecution in opposition to Saldívar, has expressed considerations about her launch as a result of severity of the crime and the potential dangers she would pose to public security.
Singer Selena was honored posthumously in 2017 with a star on the Hollywood Stroll of Fame.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Instances)
Quintanilla-Perez nonetheless has a loyal fan base, and lots of of her supporters strongly oppose Saldívar’s petition for parole.
Saldívar’s household, however, has advocated for her launch, telling the New York Submit that the singer got here at her “really aggressively,” inflicting their confrontation to escalate previous to the 1995 capturing.
Whereas in jail, Saldívar has confronted quite a few threats for killing the beloved singer, prompting her to be held in protecting custody and spend most of her time alone in her cell.
Quintanilla-Perez was born in 1971 in Lake Jackson, Texas, and have become one of the influential Latin artists of all time earlier than her sudden loss of life at simply 23. Generally known as the “Queen of Tejano,” she reached newfound ranges of fame by mixing conventional parts of Mexican music with fashionable pop sounds.
In 1994, she turned the primary Tejano artist to win a Grammy, for her album “Selena Live!”
On the time of her loss of life, she was recording her first English-language album and opening a collection of boutiques impressed by her love for vogue. Her legacy endures to at the present time, inspiring quite a few documentaries, artwork items and musicians.
In 2017, she acquired a posthumous star on the Hollywood Stroll of Fame. Her unveiling ceremony drew the most important crowd on document, in keeping with the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.
