Yolanda Saldívar denied parole 30 years after murdering Selena

Three decades after the murder of Tejano music legend Selena Quintanilla-Pérez shocked the nation, the woman who fired the gun will remain in a Texas prison.

Yolanda Saldívar, now 64, has been serving a life sentence in the Patrick L. O'Daniel Unit, a maximum-security women's prison in Gatesville, Texas, after being convicted of the singer's murder on Oct. 26, 1995.

She will not be released following Thursday's decision by the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles.

"After a thorough consideration of all available information, which included any confidential interviews conducted, it was the parole panel's determination to deny parole to Yolanda Saldívar and set her next parole review for March 2030," the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles statement said.

The statement went on to say the reason for denial was that the nature of the offense's "brutality, violence" and "a conscious disregard for the lives, safety, or property of others," the statement ended with the determination that Saldívar is "a continuing threat to public safety."

The Quintanilla family and Chris Pérez said in a post on social media they are grateful for the decision.

"While nothing can bring Selena back, this decision reaffirms that justice continues to stand for the beautiful life that was taken from us and from millions of fans around the world far too soon," the joint statement said. "We will continue to celebrate Selena’s life — not the tragedy that took her from us — and we ask that all who cherish her do the same."

Just two weeks shy of her 24th birthday, Selena had already risen to fame and become a cultural icon in the hearts of the Mexican-American community and beyond with her Tejano musical style.

Although she spoke English, Selena sang in Spanish, inspiring her fans, who called her the "Queen of Tejano."

As the lead singer of her family band, Selena y los Dinos, she was admired not only by her fans but also by the music industry. She won her first Grammy Award for Best Mexican-American Album in 1994 with "Selena Live."

But her successful career would come to an end on the night of March 31 at the Days Inn in Corpus Christi, Texas.

The night of the murder at a Corpus Christi motel

Yolanda Saldívar, a former nurse, was the founder and president of Selena's fan club. She was also a manager of Selena’s clothing boutiques, Selena Etc., but was fired in early 1995 after money was discovered missing.

According to court testimony, on March 31, 1995, Selena went to Saldívar's room at the Days Inn motel in Corpus Christi to pick up business records she needed for a tax filing.

A confrontation followed. Selena was shot in the back with a .38-caliber revolver in the motel room.

Wounded, Selena managed to run to the motel reception desk, where she named her killer before collapsing. She was rushed to Corpus Christi Memorial Hospital, where she died an hour later.

Motel employees testified that Selena named “Yolanda” in “room 158” as her attacker.

A nine-hour standoff with police

After shooting Selena, Saldívar went to the motel parking lot where she stood with the loaded gun pointed at herself.

“I didn’t mean to do it. I didn’t mean to kill anybody,” a sobbing Saldívar said. She told police she had bought the .38-caliber revolver to kill herself.

She had a standoff with police that lasted nine hours before they were able to approach her and arrest her.

Yolanda Saldívar's trial moved to Houston

The trial was moved to Houston due to intense publicity.

Prosecutors contended that Saldívar shot the 23-year-old after the singer’s family suspected her of embezzling $30,000. The defense argued the gun went off accidentally.

On Oct. 23, 1995, the jury convicted Saldívar of first-degree murder. She was sentenced to life in prison, with the possibility of parole after 30 years — beginning in 2025.

Saldívar did not face the death penalty because the crime contained none of the aggravating circumstances required under Texas law, such as a multiple murder or a murder committed during a robbery.

In 1999, the Court of Criminal Appeals in Austin turned down Saldívar’s first plea for a new trial. In 2000, her lawyer Bill Berchelmann asked the state to revisit the trial. He argued that prosecutors wrongly dismissed potential jurors because of race, did not disclose the criminal record of a witness and made improper comments in court. He said police also violated Saldívar's rights by interrogating her after she asked for an attorney.

In 2009, Saldívar lost an appeal because it was filed in the wrong county. She had asked the court to order an appeal filed nine years earlier in Nueces County to move forward, but the state’s highest criminal appeals court said it should have been filed in Harris County, where she was tried and convicted.

What's next for Saldívar?

Because Saldívar was convicted of first-degree murder, one of the crimes where state law dictates that the next review after a denial can be done anywhere from one to five years from the date of the denial.

Yolanda Saldívar's next parole review will be in March 2030, according to the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles.

The governor cannot veto a parole decision by the pardons board. The governor, upon recommendation by a majority of the pardons board, can grant clemency. That includes pardons, commutations and reprieves.

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Associated Press reporter Juan A. Lozano contributed to this report from Houston.