Last Updated on July 15, 2026
Yolanda Saldívar was a killer who was born on September 1 1960.
She murdered the pop star Selena on March 31 1995.
Yolanda had previously been the President of the Selena Fan Club.
Early Life
Yolanda lived in San Antonio, Texas, with her parents Frank and Juanita Saldívar.
She was the youngest child in a family of seven children.
The other children at her school often teased her about her weight.
She did not have many friends during her school years.
She moved schools many times throughout her childhood.
Yolanda graduated from McCollum High School in 1979.
She enrolled at the University of Texas starting in 1985 but transferred to Palo Alto College.
She studied nursing, earning a degree in 1990.
Adult Life
She began her career as a nurse at the Medical Center Hospital.
Yolanda got married and adopted three children.
One of these children was her niece, whom she raised as her own.
Yolanda had several legal troubles during her time as a nurse.
A dermatologist took her to court for over $9,000.
He accused her of taking money from his practice without permission.
The case ended when they settled outside of the courtroom.
She also faced a problem with a student loan debt.
A court in Austin ordered her to pay back over $7,000.
She took a nursing job at St. Luke’s Lutheran Hospital.
Selena Fan Club
Yolanda eventually discovered the music of the singer Selena and quickly became a fan.
Her niece encouraged her to go to a concert to see the singer perform.
She began calling Abraham Quintanilla Jr., the singer’s father, regularly.
She asked for his permission to start an official fan club for Selena.
Abraham eventually gave his approval.
Yolanda took on the role of President of this new fan club.
The club experienced rapid growth over the next few years.
It eventually grew to include more than five thousand active members.
In 1995, Abraham started receiving angry letters from fans.
These fans had paid membership fees but never received their club materials.
Abraham began investigating the financial records.
He discovered evidence that Yolanda was stealing money from the fan club.
Selena Etc.
Selena opened two clothing stores, Selena Etc., in 1994.
These stores were located in Corpus Christi and San Antonio.
Selena traveled often on tours and could not manage the stores.
She decided to appoint Yolanda to manage these business locations.
Abraham believed that Yolanda was the right person to handle the job.
The employees who worked at the stores began bringing complaints to Selena.
The fashion designer and the singer’s cousin also shared concerns.
They claimed that Yolanda did not manage the finances properly.
They said she manipulated people to get what she wanted and was often rude and aggressive towards the workers.
Some workers said she recorded their private conversations without their permission.
Selena did not believe these reports at first.
She felt that Yolanda was a close and trusted friend.
Abraham heard more and more complaints coming from many different people.
He tried to convince his daughter that Yolanda was not a good influence.
Selena did not listen to her father’s warnings.
She felt that her father was always suspicious of the people around her.
He eventually found proof that Yolanda was taking money from the clothing stores.
He learned that she used fake checks to take $30,000.
The family called a meeting on March 9, 1995, to discuss the issues.
They asked Yolanda to explain what happened to the missing money.
Yolanda could not give them a clear or honest explanation.
Abraham told her that he had no choice but to contact the police.
He told her that she was fired from her job at the club and the stores.
The family told her she was no longer allowed to contact Selena.
Murder of Selena
On March 31, Yolanda called Selena and claimed that she had important financial documents that Selena needed.
She convinced Selena to meet her at the Days Inn hotel in Corpus Christi to get the papers.
The meeting took place at a Days Inn hotel in Corpus Christi on MMarch 31
Selena arrived at the hotel to meet her alone.
Selena asked for the financial papers so she could prepare her taxes.
Yolanda found ways to delay giving the papers to the singer, including a false rape claim.
Selena looked through Yolanda’s bag to find the papers and found the gun.
Yolanda grabbed the weapon and aimed it at the singer.
Selena tried to run, but she was hit in the back.
She ran out of the room and toward the lobby of the hotel.
She asked the staff to help her and told them who had shot her.
Selena collapsed on the floor and was given aid by the staff.
She passed away at the hospital shortly after she arrived.
Arrest
Yolanda fled the scene and went to her car.
A police officer saw her attempting to leave the scene.
He ordered her to stop the truck and get out.
Yolanda refused to follow his orders.
She parked the truck in a space near two other vehicles.
Yolanda held the gun to her own head and threatened to end her life.
The police brought in a SWAT team and the FBI to handle the negotiations.
They spent nine and a half hours talking to her to get her to s hand herself in.
Many fans of the singer gathered at the hotel.
Yolanda finally surrendered to the police and she was taken into custody.
Grand Jury
When Yolanda first appeared in court, she told the judge that she was not guilty of murder.
The judge set her bail at $100,000.
The district attorney asked the judge to raise the bail to $500,000.
Her first lawyer quit the case because he was afraid of how the community would react.
A grand jury met on April 6 to decide if she should face charges.
They decided to charge Yolanda with murder.
Murder Trial
Douglas Tinker was Yolanda’s defense lawyer.
His wife asked him not to take the case because she feared for their safety.
The court scheduled the trial to begin on October
The defense team said she should remain free until proven guilty in court.
The prosecution argued that she was a flight risk because she knew people in Mexico.
The judge denied the request to reduce the bail amount.
The judge decided to move the trial to a court in Houston.
He believed that people in that city loved Selena too much to judge the case without bias.
The trial officially started in Houston during October 1995.
The prosecution team called a long list of witnesses to testify.
This included her father, her widow, employees of Selena Etc and the hotel.
They also called the staff from the gun shop and the medical examiner.
The defense called her parents and a few character witnesses.
The prosecution called it murder and the defense claimed it was an accident.
They claimed she planned to shoot herself and accidentally shot Selena.
The prosecution argued that despite her being a trained nurse, she offered no medical help to Selena.
She also did not call for help and instead attempted to flee the scene.
The jury deliberated for just three hours before finding her guilty of murder.
Sentencing and Appeals
The court scheduled the sentencing for three days after the murder trial.
The judge sentenced her to life in prison.
She could become eligible for parole after thirty years.
Reporters arrived from all corners of the globe to follow the story.
The trial had attracted attention worldwide due to the popularity of Selena’s music.
She was held at the Mountain View Unit, which has since been renamed the Patrick O’Daniel Unit.
She filed appeals of the verdict in the years that followed.
The courts denied all of her appeals.
Yolanda became eligible for parole in 2025.
The parole board looked at her request and denied it on March 7 2025.
They decided to set the date for her next review in March 2030.