Investigation Discovery is continuing with its series of The Crimes That Changed Us, focusing on well-known high profile crimes. This week they are examining the murder of legendary pop star Selena Quintanilla by Yolanda Saldivar.
Yolanda Saldivar had been a massive fan of Selena and had begged her father and manager, Abraham Quintanilla, to allow her to form a fan club. In 1991, Salvidar was appointed president of the Selena Fan Club and was also promoted to manager of the singer’s boutiques.
However, things started to go badly wrong when Selena’s fans began complaining about sending membership fees and not getting anything in return. Selena suspected Salvidar was embezzling the cash, so she decided to terminate her employment.
On March 31, 1995, a meeting was set up at the Days Inn Motel in Corpus Christi, TX, where Selena was expected to confront Salvidar and demand the return of several important documents.
It is unknown exactly what happened in Room 158, but at some point, Saldivar pulled out a firearm and shot Selena in the back with a .38 caliber bullet.
Selena’s last words named her killer
Selena ran to the hotel lobby, where she shouted at a motel employee: “Lock the door! She’ll shoot me again.” She then collapsed on the lobby floor, but before the Grammy winner died, she said, “Yolanda Saldivar in Room 158.”
In the meantime, motel staff testified that they saw Salvidar come out of her room and point her firearm at the iconic singer before shouting an obscenity at Selena. She then lowered her weapon and went back to the room.
Watch the Latest on our YouTube ChannelA short time later, Salvidar had reached her pickup truck in the motel parking lot; from the truck, she began a nine-hour stand-off with the police and the FBI. She continuously threatened to shoot herself and also expressed remorse for the murder.
She eventually agreed to give herself up.
In October 1995, Salvidar was convicted of first-degree murder and was given a life sentence. She will be eligible for parole from March 2025.
More from Investigation Discovery
Follow the links to read about more crimes profiled on ID.
In a murder that was called the crime of the century, the Menendez brothers gunned down their parents in their Beverley Hills mansion. They later accused their parents of a lifetime of mental and physical abuse.
The disappearance of the young Lyon sisters from a Washington DC suburb in 1975 shocked the nation. Was Lloyd Lee Welch the murderer, and was his whole family involved?
Selena: The Crimes That Changed Us airs at 10/9c on Investigation Discovery.