| Yolanda Saldívar | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 19, 1960 Jiménez, Tamaulipas, Mexico |
| Charge(s) | First-degree murder |
| Conviction(s) | First-degree murder |
| Penalty | Life imprisonment with the possibility of parole in 30 years (2025) |
| Status | Currently serving out her life sentence in Gatesville, Texas |
Yolanda Saldívar (born September 19, 1960) is a Mexican American woman who was convicted in 1995 of the murder of Tejano music singer Selena at a Days Inn motel in Corpus Christi, Texas on March 31, 1995.[1]
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Saldívar was the youngest of eight children born to Frank and Juanita Saldívar in San Antonio, Texas. While growing up, she was teased and occasionally bullied at school because of her weight, she rarely made any friends and isolated herself from social activities. Her father was a head waiter at Jacala, a Mexican restaurant in the West End. She was transferred three times to different elementary schools in the Edgewood School district. Saldívar first attended Kennedy High School, then she was transferred to Holmes, and Jay High School, before graduating in 1979 from McCollom High School. While at McCollom, Saldívar trained for ROTC. Few classmates could recall Saldívar, who shared classrooms with Ram Herrera, who graduated in 1978, and Emilio Navaria who graduated in 1980.
After graduation Saldívar was accepted at the University of Texas in 1985, then to Palo Alto College. She studied to be a registered nurse, and on December 10, 1990, Saldívar received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Texas A&M International University. At this time she became obsessed with losing weight. Around the same time, she began working as a graduate nurse at Medical Center Hospital, while the following March she received her license as a registered nurse from the Texas Board of Nurse Examiners. Her job at the hospital helped her make $60,000 a year. Saldívar, who has never married, had to work part time after she had adopted three children, one of them her niece.
One of Saldívar employers, Dr. Faustino Gomez, a dermatologist, sued her for $9,200 he said she stole from him starting in 1983. The lawsuit was eventually settled out of court. Within two months, Saldívar was back in court again, when the Texas Guaranteed Student Loan Corporation obtained a Travis county court judgement in Austin against her for failing to repay a student loan of $7,361. At that time, Saldívar switched jobs and was working as a nurse at St. Luke's Lutheran Hospital.
Within four years, Saldívar worked at two other hospitals; however, she began losing interest in her career in health care. Having become a fan of Tejano music, she attended a Shelly Lares concert in San Antonio, and approached the singer about starting a fan club. She was turned down by Lares' father, Fred, who only wanted family members to be part of working with the singer. Saldívar was convinced by her friends to give the singer a try, although she originally disliked Selena for dominating the Tejano Music Awards.
While at the concert, Saldívar changed her views on Selena and approached Selena's father, Abraham Quintanilla, Jr., with the idea of starting a fan club in San Antonio.[2] Her wish was granted and she became the club's president; later she became the manager of Selena's clothing boutiques, Selena Etc..[3] By 1993, the fan club had reached 1,500 members in less than four years, and eventually grew to over 5,000. The fan club then went on to be one of the largest fan clubs throughout the San Antonio-area.[4]
Saldívar's trial for the murder of Selena was followed closely by the Latino community in the United States. The trial was not televised, but cameras were present outside the courthouse. The trial venue was moved to Houston, Texas, after Saldívar's lawyers successfully argued that she could not receive a fair trial in Corpus Christi, Selena's home town. 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 stole money from Selena's accounts." The defense was expected to introduce testimony from Texas Ranger Robert Garza 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.[5] Despite Saldivar's claim that the gun "[accidentally] went off," it was determined that the gun, a .38 caliber 5-shot revolver, requires 11 pounds (5.0 N) of pressure to go off, which can only occur when a finger pulls the trigger. The judge presiding 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 two hours.[5] 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.[6] On Wednesday November 22, 1995 she arrived at the Gatesville Unit (now Christina Crain Unit) in Gatesville, Texas for processing.[7]
Saldívar is serving her life sentence at the Lane Murray Unit in Gatesville, operated by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. She is eligible for parole on March 30, 2025.[8] Because of multiple internal death threats sent to Saldívar from incarcerated Selena fans, she had to be placed in isolation. Saldívar spends 23 of her 24 hours in her 9 by 6 feet (2.7 × 1.8 m) prison cell alone, without contact from other inmates. She can purchase a radio from the commissary, and she can have a two-hour visit with family or friends each week.
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 husband Chris. She also claimed to possess a suitcase with clothes Selena had asked her to keep days before her death, claiming Selena had planned to run away with her supposed lover, 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."[9]
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.[10]
Saldívar had requested that the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals review a petition that challenges her conviction. She claims the petition was filed in 2000 with the 214th District Court but was never sent to the higher court. Her request was received on March 31, 2008, the thirteenth anniversary of Selena's death.[11]
Saldívar was portrayed in the movie Selena by actress Lupe Ontiveros.
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