Selena Quintanilla-Pérez’s powerful voice still resonates in Latino households and parties, even nearly 30 years after her tragic death.
The deep grief that followed Selena’s passing has transformed over time into a yearly celebration of her legacy every spring as her birthday approaches. But this year, there’s an added sense of relief as Yolanda Saldívar, the woman who tragically ended Selena’s life in a Texas motel room, was denied parole for the first time.
In a joint statement shared on social media, Selena’s family and her husband, Chris Pérez, expressed gratitude, saying, “Today, we are grateful that the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles has chosen to deny parole for Yolanda Saldívar. 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.”
At 64 years old, Saldívar is serving a life sentence for Selena’s murder in 1995 at a prison in Gatesville, Texas, around 100 miles north of Austin.
Leading up to the parole board’s decision, some fans discussed the possibility of Saldívar’s release, while others, including Selena’s family, focused on honoring Selena’s life and legacy.
Stephanie Bergara, a country and Tejano music singer-songwriter and lead vocalist of the Texas-based Selena tribute band Bidi Bidi Banda, said it best: “If I am the Selena y Los Dinos fan that I say I am, I think that’s the most important part. They (Selena’s family) are celebrating her life, and they’re celebrating her legacy.”
This month, Selena’s family, along with her bandmates and fans, gathered at the South by Southwest festival in Austin for the premiere of Selena y Los Dinos, a new documentary about her life. The film also screened earlier at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the US Documentary Special Jury Award for Archival Storytelling.
Roberta Salas, a fan who attended the screening, shared, “She’s been such an inspiration, especially for Latina women like myself. She gave us the mentality that we can do anything.”
Saldívar’s parole was denied after a review by a three-member panel from the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles. According to the board, “After a thorough consideration of all available information, including confidential interviews, the parole panel’s decision was to deny parole to Yolanda Saldívar and set her next parole review for March 2030.”
