Yolanda Saldívar

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Yolanda Saldívar (born September 19, 1960) was convicted in 1995 for the murder of Tejano music singer Selena Quintanilla-Perez that occurred on March 31, 1995. She is currently serving a life sentence in a Texas prison and will not be eligible for parole until 2025.

[edit] Trial and imprisonment

Saldívar's trial for the murder of Selena Quintanilla-Perez was followed closely by the Latino community in the United States. The trial venue was moved to Houston after Saldívar's lawyers successfully argued that she could not receive a fair trial in Corpus Christi, Selena's hometown. Before the start of the trial, CNN reported that prosecutors were expected to introduce a controversial police confession signed by Saldívar in which she claimed she shot Selena "during an argument over accusations from the singer's father that Saldívar is a lesbian and stole money from Selena's accounts". The defense was expected to introduce testimony from a state trooper that "he overheard Saldívar claim the shooting was accidental, and that she objected when police failed to include it in her statement".^[1]

Although the defense attorney argued for Saldívar's claims that the shooting was accidental, the prosecution raised the issue that Saldívar, a trained nurse, neither called 911 nor tried to help the victim after she was shot.^[2] The judge in the case chose not to give jurors the option of the lesser charges of manslaughter or negligent homicide, instructing jurors that they must either convict or acquit Saldívar on the sole charge of first-degree murder.

The jury deliberated for nine hours. She was convicted and sentenced to life in prison on October 23, 1995, with parole eligibility set for thirty years; this was the maximum prison term for the state of Texas.^[3] When she began her jail term, she publicly alleged that she would out 'the truth' about Selena.^{[citation needed]}

Saldívar had to be isolated for safety reasons; prisoners had taken a liking to Selena and her music, and had sent death threats to Saldívar. Yolanda spends 23 of her 24 hours in her 9x6 prison cell alone, without contact from visitors.^{[citation needed]} She can purchase a radio from the commissary, and she can have a two hour visit with family or friends each week.^{[citation needed]}

According to prison staff, Yolanda made constant requests to contact the Quintanilla family, through telephone or letter, but was denied each time.

On January 14th, 1999, Yolanda requested to visit another inmate's cell to play a board game. The other inmate gave her a concussion by throwing her against the wall. The inmate was a secret admirer of Selena's.

[edit] Epilogue

Saldívar has never offered a motive for the murder, claiming instead that it was an accident. In later years, she stated that she had been the protector of the singer's private life. When interviewed by journalist María Celeste Arrarás, Saldívar claimed to have in her possession a diary, a letter, and a video as evidence of Selena's infidelity to her spouse. She also claimed to possess a suitcase with clothes Selena had asked her to keep only days before her death, supposedly with plans to run away with her supposed lover, Mexican plastic surgeon Ricardo Martínez. Martínez was a chief financier of Selena's clothing business and has expressed outrage at Saldívar's claims, saying, "This woman [Saldívar] continues doing harm. I don't know how they can continue to believe a murderer."^[4]

These claims by Saldívar were discussed in the 1998 documentary program Behind the Music, although the program does not describe the nature of the claims. When interviewed for the program, Saldívar answered most questions with, "I will not discuss that." She also insisted that she could direct the interviewer, Jim Forbes, to a bank where a safe-deposit box held items that could have harmed Selena's reputation. After an exhaustive investigation that included a trip to Mexico, Forbes concluded, "There was no safe-deposit box, nor tapes, nor diary, nor evidence."^{[citation needed]}

Saldívar allegedly used similar claims of a safe-deposit box in January 1997, this time with financial documents, to gain an evidentiary hearing in Houston for the purpose of obtaining a new trial. Later that month, State District Judge Mike Westergren decided a new trial was not in order because the records that Saldívar claimed were missing were never admitted into evidence.^[5]

The gun used to kill Selena had been lost for a time after the trial, but was discovered in a court reporter's home. It was later destroyed and its remains thrown into Corpus Christi Bay. ^[6]

Saldívar was portrayed in the movie Selena by Lupe Ontiveros.

Yolanda Saldivar is not related to the serial killer Efren Saldivar.

[edit] Notes