Selena Quintanilla’s killer causing controversy with new docuseries  (2024)

A new docuseries about the murder of Mexican American singer Selena Quintanilla Pérez is stirring controversy among fans and her family.

The two-part series, “Selena & Yolanda: The Secrets Between Them,” which debuts on Oxygen on Saturday, features extensive interviews with the singer’s killer, Yolanda Saldívar from prison. Saldívar was convicted of first-degree murder in 1995 and is serving a life sentence. (Oxygen is owned by NBCUniversal, the parent company of NBC News.)

NBC News has previously reported that Saldívar unsuccessfully appealed her murder conviction in 1998 and will be eligible for parole next year.

Selena Quintanilla’s killer causing controversy with new docuseries (1)

In the series, Saldívar claims she did not intentionally kill Selena on that fateful day at a motel in Corpus Christi, Texas. Saldívar, who served as the president of the singer’s fan club and was the manager of two of her clothing boutiques, dismissed the long-held theory that she was embezzling money. Instead, Saldívar alleges that Selena was having an extramarital affair and tasked Saldívar with making purchases on her behalf to help cover up the tryst. Saldívar says she was simply paying herself back and that Selena was aware. But in the docuseries, Saldívar did not provide any evidence to substantiate her claims.

“After so many years, I think it’s time to set the story straight,” Saldívar said in a preview clip for the show. “I knew her secrets. And I think that people deserve to know the truth.”

Selena was a star on the rise and just 23 years old when she was gunned down. Considered a trailblazer for Latina crossover stars, she won several Tejano Music Awards, five No. 1 singles on Billboard’s Hot Latin Tracks chart, and a Grammy Award for Best Mexican/American Album in 1994. Her life and death were also the subject of a 1997 movie starring Jennifer Lopez. She was posthumously honored in 2021 by the Recording Academy with the Grammy’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

Selena Quintanilla’s killer causing controversy with new docuseries (2)

This is not the first time Saldívar has offered her version of events.

In 1995, she said in an interview with ABC’s “20/20” that she did not deliberately kill Selena.

“They made me out to be a monster, and I just want to say, I did not kill Selena,” she said. “It was an accident, and my conscience is clear.”

In that same interview, she claimed that she and Selena were having a dispute at the Days Inn motel and that in a heated moment, Saldívar put a gun to her head and threatened to take her own life. Saldívar claimed that she then waved her gun in the direction of the door and accidentally shot Selena.

Selena’s widower, Chris Pérez, testified in court in that he and Selena had removed Saldívar from the singer’s checking accounts two weeks before his wife’s death because they “didn’t trust her,” according to a court document from the Texas Court of Appeals from 1998, when Saldivar unsuccessfully appealed her murder conviction​.

Several witnesses saw Selena run into the lobby of the motel with Saldívar chasing her waving the gun, according to the appeals court’s decision to uphold her murder conviction. The singer collapsed in the motel lobby and was able to identify Saldívar as the person who had shot her before passing out, according to a description of events in the Texas appeals court document.

Selena Quintanilla’s killer causing controversy with new docuseries (3)

Selena’s family slammed the docuseries ahead of its release for giving Saldívar a platform.

“No one’s gonna believe what she has to say anyway. Everyone knows there’s zero truth to anything that comes out of her mouth,” Selena’s father, Abraham Quintanilla Jr., told TMZ.

Selena’s family declined to participate in the docuseries. NBC News has reached out to the family’s spokesperson, as well as Abraham Quintanilla Jr. directly, for comment regarding Saldívar’s claims.

Fans have criticized the timing of the series, which is set to air just one month shy of the 29th anniversary of Selena’s death.

The two-part series includes interviews with “the hostage negotiator who spent nine hours on the phone with Saldívar after she shot Selena, the Corpus Christi Police Department detectives who were on the scene, the prosecutors who put Saldívar on trial and journalists who cover Selena and Latinx culture,” Oxygen said in a news release.

The network told NBC News that those involved with the project would not be available for interviews.

Chloe Melas

Chloe Melas is an entertainment correspondent for NBC News.

Lindsay Lowe, TODAY

Selena Quintanilla’s killer causing controversy with new docuseries  (2024)

FAQs

What did Yolanda Saldivar say? ›

However, Saldívar claims that "at no point did I mean to hurt anyone." She alleges, "I did not know when my gun went off. I did not know that it hit her because I thought that she just ran. It scared me, it scared her. All I can say is that there was never, ever any intention to do her any harm."

What does Yolanda 158 mean? ›

In her last words, Selena identified Saldívar as the shooter — "Yolanda Saldívar, room 158" — before losing consciousness and succumbing to her injuries a short time later at the hospital.

What were Selena's last words? ›

I've been shot!" In the lobby, Selena collapsed and yelled at the staff, "Lock the door! She'll shoot me again!" As the motel's manager called for an ambulance, she identified Saldívar as her shooter and the room where he was staying in her last words: "Yolanda ... 158."

What nationality is Yolanda Saldívar? ›

Yolanda Saldívar (Spanish pronunciation: [ɟʝoˈlanda salˈdiβaɾ]; born September 19, 1960) is an American former nurse who was convicted of murdering Tejano musician Selena Quintanilla-Pérez in 1995.

How was Yolanda caught? ›

Yolanda was caught in a standoff with police, resisting arrest by trapping herself in her car and threatening to kill herself with her gun.

Is Yolanda getting out in 2025? ›

Saldívar is currently serving a life sentence at the Patrick O'Daniel Unit in Gatesville, Texas, which is operated by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Per her sentence, she will become eligible for parole on March 30, 2025. Saldívar has only given a handful of interviews in the years following Selena's murder.

What did Selena Quintanilla always say? ›

With a positive attitude, you can be anything you want to be.” “If you have a dream, don't let anybody take it away.” “Always believe that the impossible is always possible.” “All I need to do is try and do the best that I can do.”

What did Selena's mom do for Selena? ›

How old would Selena be now in 2024? ›

Selena Quintanilla-Pérez would have turned 53 in 2024.

What was Selena Quintanilla's favorite food? ›

Selena Quintanilla | Five things you probably didn't know about the Tejano star. While most know Selena's favorite food was pizza and that she had a passion for fashion, here are five other things you probably didn't know about the late Queen of Tejano music.

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