Yolanda Saldívar
 |
Yolanda Saldívar | |
|---|---|
| Status | Currently serving life sentence |
| Criminal charge | First-degree murder |
| Penalty | Life imprisonment |
Yolanda Saldívar (born September 19, 1960) was convicted in 1995 for the murder of Tejano music singer, Selena Quintanilla-Perez, which occurred on March 31, 1995. She is currently serving a life sentence in a Texas prison and will not be eligible for parole until 2025.
The murder
On March 30, 1995, Selena and her husband Chris Perez showed up at room 158. Saldívar assured Selena and Chris that the accounting records were in order and that all the fans had been sent their packets, and she handed over more papers. Selena and Chris returned from the inn, only to discover some of the documents were still missing. Selena called Saldívar and informed her about the missing papers.
The next day, March 31, 1995, Selena apparently made up her mind to go by herself and confront Saldívar face-to-face, and fire her once and for all, just as her friends, family, and employees advised. Selena most likely wanted to keep Chris out of it. Most of the singer's friends assert the performer had grounds to sue Saldívar for embezzlement, but evidently Selena intended to fire her manager and cut all ties Saldívar had with the Quintanilla family. That morning, Selena was still under the false impression that the gold Faberge egg ring she was carrying was a gift solely from Saldívar, and went prepared to return it. Evidently, once Selena made up her mind to fire Saldívar, she felt it her duty to give the ring back. (This explains why the medical examiner discovered that the singer, even in death, still grasped the gold egg ring in her hand.)
Once arriving at the motel, Saldívar told Selena she had been raped in Monterrey, Mexico, and needed to go to the hospital. After being checked by doctors, there was no evidence that Saldívar had been raped. On their way back to the motel Selena had received a call that she was late to the recording studio to continue work on her cross-over album. Selena said that she was finishing up some business and would get there when she was done. Once arriving at the motel, both ladies went inside room 158 and began to argue. By this time, Selena had begun to dump important documents onto the hotel bed, telling Saldivar that she was missing papers that belonged to her. Saldívar pulled out a .38 caliber pistol from her purse and pointed it at her own head. As Selena turned to run towards the door for help Saldívar shot a single hollow-point bullet in the singer's back. Forensic evidence from the crime scene suggests that Selena had turned her back on Saldívar as she attempted to go to the lobby to get someone to stop Saldívar from allegedly "committing suicide". She was pronounced dead at 1:05pm, on March 31, 1995, from loss of blood due to a gunshot wound to the back.
Trial and imprisonment
Saldívar's trial for the murder of Selena Quintanilla-Perez was followed closely by the Latino community in the United States. 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 hometown. 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 is a lesbian and stole money from Selena's accounts". The defense was expected to introduce testimony from a state trooper 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.[2] The judge in 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 nine hours. 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.[3].
After the conviction
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 spouse. She also claimed to possess a suitcase with clothes Selena had asked her to keep only days before her death, with plans to run away with her supposed lover, Mexican plastic surgeon 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."[4]
These claims by Saldívar were discussed in the 1998 documentary program, Behind the Music, although the program did not describe the nature of the claims. When interviewed for the program, Saldívar answered most questions with, "I will not discuss that." She also insisted that she could direct the interviewer, Jim Forbes, to a bank where a safe-deposit box held items that could have harmed Selena's reputation. After an exhaustive investigation that included a trip to Mexico, Forbes concluded, "There was no safe-deposit box, nor tapes, nor diary, nor evidence."[citation needed]
Saldívar allegedly used similar claims of a safe-deposit box in January 1997, this time with financial documents, to gain an evidentiary hearing in Houston for the purpose of obtaining a new trial. Later that month, State District Judge Mike Westergren decided a new trial was not in order because the records that Saldívar claimed were missing were never admitted into evidence.[5]
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. [6]
Saldívar was portrayed in the movie, Selena, by Lupe Ontiveros.
Yolanda Saldivar is not related to the serial killer Efren Saldivar.
Notes
- ^ Trial of Selena's accused murderer begins Monday. CNN, October 9, 1993
- ^ Yolanda Saldívar found guilty of Selena's murder. CNN, October 23, 1995
- ^ Selena's killer receives life sentence of prison. CNN, October 26, 1995
- ^ Template:Es icon Las Mentiras de Yolanda Salivar. Retrieved on 2007-01-02
- ^ Burr, Ramiro. Four Years On, Selena Still Impacts. ondanet.com, April 1, 1999. Retrieved on 2007-01-02
- ^ Gun That Killed Singer Is To Be Destroyed. The New York Times, June 8, 2002