Selena Quintanilla’s killer, Yolanda Saldívar, is telling her side of the story from behind bars in a new docuseries, but nearly 3 decades later.
via: Daily Mail
Yolanda, 63 – who fatally shot the 23-year-old singer at a hotel in Corpus Christi, Texas, in March 1995, but has long maintained that it was an accident – has shared new insight into the horrific incident and what lead up to it during an explosive sit-down interview from prison as part of Oxygen’s upcoming two-part docuseries called Selena & Yolanda: The Secrets Between Them.
The news about the documentary’s release has sparked fury from the acclaimed musician’s dad, Abraham Quintanilla, who blasted the show for giving Selena’s killer a platform, while insisting that what she says in it is ‘nothing but lies.’
Speaking to TMZ, Abraham made it clear that ‘he and the rest of Selena’s family are not involved or supportive of the project in any way, shape, or form.’
He told the publication that he ‘wants absolutely nothing to do with Yolanda’ because ‘everything she says is nothing but lies.’
He added, ‘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 – who had become one of the most celebrated Mexican artists of the 20th Century before she was shot and killed in 1995, at just 23 years old – and Yolanda’s story is one that has captured the nation for nearly three decades.
By the time they first crossed paths, Selena has at the height of her career, having already released a slew of big hits and having just launched her own chain of boutiques to market the flamboyant costumes that had become her trademark when her life tragically came to an end.
Selena had hired Yolanda – an adoring fan working as an in-home nurse in San Antonio – who soon ingratiated herself into the singer’s inner circle, according to prosecutors at the time.
She became a trusted family friend, had a key to the home Selena shared with her husband, Chris Perez, and pushed to establish the hitmaker’s fan club – for which she served as president.
Yolanda was also promoted to manage two of the star’s outlets – one in Corpus Christi and the other in San Antonio – which meant she had control over Selena’s business checking accounts.
While some of Selena’s associates started to become suspicious of Yolanda and her intentions, it’s been said that the songstress stayed loyal to her and even defended her in the face of criticism.
Selena’s personal fashion designer Martin Gomez previously told The Washington Post: ‘[Yolanda] was very vindictive. She was very possessive of Selena.’
‘She’d get very angry if you crossed her. She would play so many mind games, say people had said things they hadn’t said.’
But their relationship soured after Yolanda was allegedly caught embezzling $30,000 which only came to light after fans complained that they had paid membership fees for the fan club and hadn’t received their promised merchandise in return.
In the days before her death, Selena had reportedly confronted Yolanda and fired her over the phone.
Yolanda then begged Selena discuss the incident in person, and insisted she had bank statements to show her that could prove her innocence.
They agreed to meet at a Days Inn hotel, but once inside the room, Yolanda fatally shot Selena with a 38-caliber revolver.
The bullet shattered an artery in her collarbone before exiting her chest. The singer was reportedly able to make it into the lobby to tell the hotel staff what had happened before she collapsed.
Tragically, she was rushed to Corpus Christi Memorial Hospital where she was pronounced dead.
Yolanda was found guilty of first-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole.
She has since insisted that she had shot Selena by accident has long maintained her innocence, filing for several appeals to no avail.
And now, nearly 30 years on from the tragedy, Selena’s killer is preparing for parole eligibility in 2025 – and is set to lay bare her side of the story in the bombshell new Oxygen docuseries.
In a trailer for the docuseries, which will premiere on February 17, Yolanda said, ‘After so many years, I think it’s time to set the story straight.
‘My family gathered the evidence and it showed different versions of what was going on.
‘I was scared, I was frightened. I knew her secrets and I think the people deserve to know the truth.’
