Selena Quintanilla was a Mexican-American singer/songwriter. The gifted performer rose to fame in the late ’80s and early ’90s before being gunned down by her friend and employee, Yolanda Saldivar. Saldivar has been in jail ever since for her crimes. While fans commemorate the anniversary of Selana’s passing this month, many wonder what Yolanda has been up to.
Selena was only 23 years old when she passed away. The young starlet had spent years coming up in the Latin music market and was planning her American music crossover when things went left. She had confronted Yolanda about some missing money when the 35-year-old president of her fan club got scared and shot at the singer. Yolanda claims the whole thing was a mistake and misunderstanding. She was convicted of murder and given life in prison.
In 2009, Yolanda tried to appeal her case and get out. The appeal was denied due to being filed incorrectly. According to Billboard, “Saldivar had asked for an appeal filed nine years earlier in Nueces County to move forward, but it should have been filed in Harris County, where she was convicted.” Another one was declined in 2010.
Rumors of Yolanda’s passing began to spread following the death of Lupe Ontiveros in 2012, the actress who portrayed her in the 1997 film starring Jennifer Lopez. Several false reports claim that Yolanda was found unresponsive in her cell. However, Saldivar is still alive. Other sites falsely reported that Yolanda would be getting out of jail in 2014.
Saldivar remains in the Mountain View Unit, a maximum-security women’s prison in Gatesville, Texas, that is located about 130 miles southwest of Dallas. The MVU is also home to several other high-profile killers. This includes Kimberly Clark Saenz, Linda Carty, Brittany Holberg, and Darlie Routier.
Yolanda is scheduled to be up for parole on March 30, 2025. That is a day before the 30th anniversary of the day she shot Selena. March is also the same month that the Selena biopic was released. Fans are not too keen on seeing Selena’s killer get out of jail and are currently petitioning for her to stay behind bars.
There is currently a Care2Petition demanding that Yolanda stay in prison. “Fans against the release of Yolanda Saldivar From Prison” currently has 1,408 signatures. Despite being over eight years old, it continues to get signatures. The most recent ones were within the last week. Fans have left comments like “I love Selena and her music, and I do not think the woman who killed Selena should be released. She took a beautiful and talented young woman who was going to be the star of the world. She was the star.”
Fans are working hard to keep Selena’s legacy alive and remind the world of Yolanda’s evil. One girl in Houston, TX, “avenged” her hometown hero by beating a piñata with Yolanda’s face on it while dressed like Selena. The 9-year-old named Emily went viral on Tiktok for her unique birthday activity.
@edithjgomez38 ♬ original sound – Edith
The young girl took great pride in beating up the picture of Yolanda and yelled, “I’m going to f*** this b**** up!” Get it girl.
