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The Texas Board of Pardons and Parole is expected to decide in March whether former Selena fan club president Yolanda Saldivar, who was convicted in the 1995 shooting death of the Texas pop star, will be eligible for parole.
Saldívar, 64, was sentenced to life in prison on October 26, 1995, with the possibility of parole in 30 years. On Friday, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice’s inmate page revealed that Saldívar, who is currently being held at the Patrick L. O’Daniel Unit in Gatesville, is in the parole review process.
A Texas commission will review Saldivar’s eligibility for parole on March 30, the 30th anniversary of the shooting death of Selena at a Corpus Christi hotel, according to the Department of Criminal Justice.
Prosecutors say the Grammy-winning artist and Texas native was shot and killed by Saldívar at a Days Inn Motel in Corpus Christi in 1995 after a business dispute. Saldívar is accused by Selena’s father, Abraham Quintanilla, of embezzling funds from her fan club and boutique companies, including Selena.
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In a two-part documentary produced by Oxygen True Crime last year, Saldívar described his controversial relationship with Quintanilla and made claims justifying checks he wrote to himself from Selena’s work. .
The parole review process in Texas begins six months before the eligibility date for the first review and four months before the eligibility date for subsequent reviews. The inmate’s file is reviewed along with supporting documents such as letters of support and letters of protest.
According to the Department of Criminal Justice, facility parole officers review files and interview offenders before preparing a case summary for the board. The board typically votes on cases just before the parole eligibility date.
