Yolanda Saldívar is alive and currently serving life imprisonment at the Mountain View Unit at Gatesville, which is run by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. The former nurse who became infamous for the murder of Selena Quintanilla Pérez, an American singer, is up for possible parole on March 30, 2025.
Yolanda Saldívar has joined the train of those who became infamous for committing heinous crimes. She was the president of Selena’s fan club and the manager of the late singer’s boutique. Meanwhile, her life was portrayed in the movie Selena and in the series Selena’s Secret and Selena: The Series. All about Yolanda Saldívar and where she is at the moment has been unraveled below.
Why Did Yolanda Saldívar Kill Selena Quintanilla?
Yolanda Saldívar killed Selena Quintanilla Pérez after the singer’s family found out that she was stealing funds from the fan club and boutique.
As stated earlier, Yolanda Saldívar is a former nurse who later worked as the president of Selenea’s fan club and also the manager of her boutique. Prior to working with the late singer, she was a big fan of country music and often attended concerts. After attending one of the late singer’s concerts, she talked Abraham Quintanilla, Selena’s father, into establishing a fan club in San Antonio.
With the series of calls that she put across to him, he agreed to it. After the fan club was established, she was appointed as its president. The fan club later grew to become one of the largest in San Antonio. She was later made the manager of Selena’s clothing boutiques, known as Selena Etc.
In 1995, Selena’s family found out that she had severely tampered with the funds from the fan club and boutiques. In the first week of March 1995, she was fired from her positions in the fan club and boutique. Meanwhile, Selena reached out to her to get the financial reports, but she gave the reasons that made her not return them as discussed.
On the 31st of March 1995, Yolanda Saldívar made Selena come to a Days Inn Motel in Corpus Christi to get the financial records. The former nurse went on to claim that she was raped in Mexico, which made the singer drive her to a local hospital. Meanwhile, the test could not be carried out in the hospital because the incident happened in another country.
After they returned to the motel, Selena asked for the financial records once more but was met with a great shock. Yolanda Saldívar took out a .38 Taurus Model 85 small frame revolver from her purse and aimed at Selena. At that moment, the singer tried to run for her life but was shot once in the back, cutting through an artery.
In her critical condition, Selena ran towards the lobby for help, but Yolanda Saldívar came after her, calling her a bitch. The singer later slumped on the floor while the clerk called 911 for help. She later passed away in the hospital at 1:05 pm due to blood loss.
What Is Yolanda Saldívar’s Sentence?
After Yolanda Saldívar committed the murder, it took the police about 10 hours to get her arrested. This is because she sat in the trunk of her pickup parked in the motel’s parking lot in a stiff aloof. She began shortly after she was arrested in Selena’s hometown. According to reports, it was not televised, but the use of cameras was allowed in the courthouse.
This made her attorney persuade the court to transfer the case to another court in Houston, Texas, as she would be denied a fair trial. Meanwhile, the trial for the murder of the singer was closely followed up by the Latino community that resided in the United States. In an argument where Selena’s father accused the former nurse of stealing from his daughter’s account, CNN requested a signed, controversial police confession by Yolanda Saldívar.
It was disclosed that the former nurse told the police that the shooting was an accident, but they refused to include it in her statement. While the defense office maintained that the shooting was an accident, the prosecution revealed that she did not call 911 or try to help the late singer despite being a trained nurse.
After three hours of deliberation by jurors on October 23, 1995, they found Yolanda Saldívar guilty of murder. On October 26, she was sentenced to life in prison.
Meanwhile, after the trial, the weapon that she used in committing the murder went missing. It was later found in a box of office supplies at the home of the court reporter, Sandra Oballe, who was unaware that she had the weapon. It was later dismantled and thrashed at Corpus Christi Bay.
When Is Yolanda Saldívar’s Release Date?
After Yolanda Saldívar was sentenced, she was given the possibility of parole in thirty years. This indicates that the infamous former nurse will be eligible for parole on March 30, 2025.
Meanwhile, she pleaded with the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals to look into a petition that opposed her conviction. According to her, she filed the petition in 2000, but it was never taken to the higher court. However, on the 13th anniversary of Selena’s death, on March 31, 2008, the higher court received the petition.
Where Is Yolanda Saldívar Now?
Yolanda Saldívar is currently serving her life sentence at a prison located in Texas. A few weeks after her conviction, she moved into the Gatesville Unit, now known as the Christina Melton Crain Unit, in Gatesville, Texas, in the United States. At the moment, she is serving her sentence at the Mountain View Unit at Gatesville, which is run by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
Is Yolanda Saldívar Still Alive?
Yes! Yolanda Saldívar is still alive. As stated earlier, she is still serving her prison term while awaiting parole. According to information gathered by RadarOnline from the Public Information Officer, she passes out food trays from carts to other inmates in her cell area.
How Old Is Yolanda Saldívar Now?
Yolanda Saldívar is 63 years old. She was born on September 19, 1960, in San Antonio, Texas, in the United States, and is of Mexican roots. She was born under the Virgo birth sign.
The former nurse was born to Frank and Juanita Saldívar, who are both Mexican immigrants. She reportedly grew up alongside her seven older siblings under the care of their parents.
Much about Yolanda Saldívar’s education is not known. This includes where she had her elementary, middle school, and high school education. The name of the university or college that Yolanda attended is also not known, but with her profession as a nurse, it is certain that she attended one.
