Yolanda Saldívar seeks parole amid 'bounty on her head' for brutal murder of Selena
Yolanda Saldívar, currently imprisoned for the murder of music icon Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, wants to be let out on parole but it might not be the safest for her
Mention the name Yolanda Saldívar to any fan of Latin music and the hair on their arms will stand up.
The now-64 year old Yolanda has been imprisoned at the Patrick L. O'Daniel Unit in Gatesville, Texas after murdering beloved Tejano music icon Selena Quintanilla-Pérez in 1995. Selena was just 23 years old.
Yolanda is now applying for parole in the upcoming new year, per the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. There aren't any disciplinary infractions on Yolanda's record that could prevent her from being released, but her fellow inmates note it wouldn't be in her best interest, as many call for justice and would do anything for Selenas.
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Yolanda is currently being kept in protective custody at her prison where women on death row are also housed. Marisol Lopez, who served five years alongside Yolanda, shared the dangers that Yolanda currently faces.
"Everyone knows who Yolanda Saldívar is," she told the New York Post. "There's a bounty on her head, like everyone wants a piece of her. The guards keep her away from everyone else, because she's hated so much. If she were out [in general population], someone would try to take her down."
Yesenia Dominguez, who also served time alongside Selena's killer, added: "Everyone was always like, 'Let me have five minutes with that b---h. Everyone wanted to get justice for Selena. There's a target on her back."
In 2018, Selena's father, Abraham Quintanilla, shared that he knew there were threats made against the woman who killed his daughter. "To this day, we still receive letters from women who are in the same prison where they say they are waiting for her," he said at the time.
"They say that they are going to kill her. There are bad women in there," he continued. "Women who have murdered other people in the past. That is why they are in there. They have nothing to lose."
Yolanda has insisted over the years that she didn't intend to kill Selena. She shot her during an argument at a Days Inn in Texas after the singer confronted Yolanda about stealing over $60,000 from her fan club.
Despite her early death, Selena is still regarded as one of the greatest Latinx musicians of all time and is considered to influence stars like Beyoncé and Selena Gomez, the latter of whom she was named after. She has sold over 18 million records worldwide as one of the best selling female artists in Latin music.
A film was made about her life in 1997 titled Selena and starred the then-unknown Jennifer Lopez. Netflix also released a TV show based on her life called Selena: The Series in 2020.
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