Twenty-two years after she shot Selena Quintanilla, Yolanda Saldivar finally revealed the real reason why she took the life the queen of Tex-Mex music. Saldivar was the president of Selena’s fan club, and she recently told Univision why she did what she did.
According to Univision, Saldivar wanted to make the murder look like a robbery, even grazing her leg with a bullet to make her story more believable. “She killed her because she wanted to simulate a robbery to avoid jail time and especially not pay her [Selena] the money she stole from her,” explained Univision.
Saldivar owed the Como La Flor singer $20 million that she stole during her time as administrator of Selena’s fan club and merchandise stores. Throughout these 22 years, she claimed that the murder was an accident, but her recent claims fit the skeptics’ version of the incident much better.
The murder occurred on March 31st, 1995 at a motel in Corpus Christi, Texas, and Saldivar has been in jail since then. In eight years, she will be eligible for conditional liberty, but at 57-years-old, it will be too late for a fresh start in life.
Her declarations shed light on multiple theories that say Saldivar was jealous of Selena, especially her depiction in the Selena movie starring Jenifer Lopez. Selena considered Saldivar a friend but was allegedly ready to file a lawsuit against her for the money she stole.
When Saldivar first got arrested for the murder, she was saying that she wanted to kill herself and that it was all an accident. In her interview with Univision, she also mentioned that she wants to end her life still, not being able to overcome what she did.
Last year, Saldivar filed a lawsuit against the prison she’s being held at in Texas, saying they mistreat her. They allegedly denied her medical treatment when she suffered an injury after falling from the top bunk, which she had previously told the prison staff it was too dangerous for her to sleep there.
Saldivar also said that ten days passed before a doctor was able to check her lesions after her fall. Before she got to see a doctor, a nurse was the only one who checked up on her, but she claims the treatment negligent and lacked judgment.
She was handed a life sentence in October of 1995 but will be able to make her case for parole in the year 2025. Perhaps that’s the reason why she’s finally coming clean about killing Selena in cold blood that sad night 22 years ago.