Almost 30 years have passed since the tragic day Selena Quintanilla-Pérez was killed in a Texas motel room.
Known as the Queen of Tejano Music, Selena was one of the most celebrated Mexican-American entertainers of the late 20th century. The Grammy-winning artist, often compared to icons like Madonna and Gloria Estefan, was loved universally.
Her murder at only 23 years old shocked the world, particularly as it was carried out by her close friend and former assistant, Yolanda Saldívar.
Selena’s funeral drew 50,000 mourners in Corpus Christi, Texas, and a local radio station broadcasted the heartbreaking service live.
This tragedy has been retold in the movie Selena, starring Jennifer Lopez, as well as in a Netflix series produced by Selena’s father and manager, Abraham Quintanilla. Now, as Saldívar approaches parole eligibility in 2025, Oxygen True Crime has revisited the events in Selena & Yolanda: The Secrets Between Them, shedding light on the complexities behind their close relationship.
The Friendship
Selena and Yolanda first met when Saldívar, a former nurse, founded Selena’s fan club with permission from Selena’s father. The pair quickly became close, and soon, Selena asked Yolanda to help manage her burgeoning fashion and beauty line.
“They were really good friends. Yolanda was her companion and confidant,” Saldívar’s niece, Tina, revealed in the documentary. She claims Yolanda knew secrets about Selena that even her family was unaware of—especially her father, Abraham.
Saldívar purchased a gun three weeks before the shooting, but the documentary raises questions about her motives. Tina shares that Yolanda felt her life was in danger, claiming she was being followed by someone in a blue car. There are lingering questions about what secrets Saldívar might have been protecting.
The Day of the Murder
On the morning of the murder, Selena met Yolanda in her hotel room. Shortly afterward, a gunshot rang out. Selena stumbled into the hotel lobby, leaving a trail of blood and identifying Yolanda as her shooter before collapsing. She was rushed to the hospital but passed away just after 1 p.m.
Following the shooting, Saldívar retreated to her truck, holding a gun to her head for nine hours as negotiators tried to calm her down. Her chilling words can be heard in the documentary, as she cried, “I don’t have anybody to live for. I don’t have anybody.”
Saldívar’s Version of Events
Saldívar was convicted seven months later and is serving a life sentence. Now eligible for parole in 2025, she claims in the documentary, “I had fear. I was frightened of Abraham. He knew I knew her secrets, and he wanted me to reveal them.”
Her defense asserts that she was demonized by public opinion and insists she was unfairly labeled a thief. Saldívar maintains that the argument was about her loyalty to Selena, not money, and describes the shooting as a tragic accident.
Preparing for Parole
As Saldívar nears her parole date, her family is reportedly gathering documents they say challenge the accepted story, including a letter from Selena’s alleged lover and evidence suggesting Saldívar had tried to distance herself from the Quintanilla family before the shooting.
The family hopes to counter the portrayal of Saldívar in the Netflix series Selena: The Series, and Tina, Saldívar’s niece, who has kept her family connection secret, believes it’s time for their side of the story to be told.
