On March 31, 1995, beloved singer Selena Quintanilla, at just 23 years old, was tragically murdered by Yolanda Saldivar, the president of her fan club. Yolanda fatally shot the singer at a Days Inn in Corpus Christi, Texas, marking the end of the life of one of the most influential Latin artists of all time.
30 years later, we take a closer look at Saldivar, the motives behind the murder, and her current whereabouts.
Yolanda, a former nurse, was the president and founder of Selena’s fan club and managed Selena’s boutique, Selena Etc., where she handled finances.
In 1995, Yolanda had just been fired by Selena’s family after allegedly forging checks to embezzle over $30,000 from the fan club and boutiques she was managing.
Then, in March of the same year, Selena came to Yolanda’s motel room to pick up business records needed to file taxes, court testimony said, per the Associated Press. There, Yolanda shot Selena in the back as she tried to run away. Selena was rushed to a local hospital, where she died from blood loss and cardiac arrest.
Afterwards, Yolanda sat in her truck for nine hours and threatened to die by suicide before she turned herself in to the police.
Yolanda claimed that she never intended to kill Selena and that she had purchased the .38-caliber revolver with the intention of taking her own life. During her trial, her defense argued that the gun discharged accidentally, striking Selena.
