Selena Quintanilla-Pérez’s killer is speaking out in a new docuseries a year before she’s up for parole.
Yolanda Saldivar, once the late star’s pal and president of her fan club, sat down for a new prison interview featured in a Oxygen docuseries, “Selena & Yolanda: The Secrets Between Them.”
The special also includes interviews with Saldivar’s family, the hostage negotiator who responded to the crime scene, investigators and prosecutors.
The 63-year-old is eligible for parole March 30, 2025, almost 30 years after the Grammy winner’s slaying.
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Tejano star Selena, left, watches as Yolanda Saldivar speaks to a crowd at a 1994 Tejano Music Awards after-party in San Antonio, Texas. Saldivar shot Selena to death in a Corpus Christi motel room March 31, 1995. (AP)
“I think it’s time to set the story straight,” Saldivar said in the docuseries. “And I think people deserve to know the truth.”
The special has already sparked outrage among numerous fans of the Tejano legend on social media, as well as her father, Abraham Quintanilla. The patriarch, who was interviewed by TMZ, called the documentary “nothing but lies” and stressed the family wasn’t involved.
“No one’s gonna believe what she has to say anyway,” the 84-year-old told the outlet. “Everyone knows there’s zero truth to anything that comes out of her mouth.”
The family of late Tejano singer Selena, who was shot by her former fan club president Yolanda Saldivar. From left: husband Chris Perez, parents Marcela and Abraham Quintanilla AND siblings A.B. and Suzette. (Barbara Laing)
A spokesperson for Quintanilla, as well as the singer’s brother, producer A.B. Quintanilla III, and husband Chris Pérez, didn’t immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
In the documentary, previewed by Fox News Digital ahead of its airing, Saldivar claimes she had no intention of killing Quintanilla-Pérez March 31, 1995. Instead, she insisted she wanted to end her own life, but the gun went off and hit the 23-year-old instead.
“It startled me,” Saldivar said. “I did not know my gun went off. I did not know that it hit her. It scared her, it scared me. There was never ever any intention to do her any harm.”
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Yolanda Saldivar, who is behind bars, is speaking out in the new docuseries, “Selena & Yolanda: The Secrets Between Them.” (Oxygen)
“My decisions were my decisions, and the consequences were also mine,” she said. “I’m regretful for all of that. If I could turn back time, if I could turn the clock, I think a lot of things wouldn’t be as they [are]. And I want the people to know I miss Selena just like they do. So much. But I know I will see her again in heaven. I know I will. She didn’t deserve to die.”
The singer-songwriter, simply known as “Selena” by her legion of followers, broke barriers for women in Latin music. Hailed as the “Mexican-American Madonna,” she opened the floodgates for a new generation of Latin artists who would go on to enjoy mainstream popularity. She was portrayed by Jennifer Lopez in the 1997 biopic “Selena.”
The singer was gunned down in a room at a Days Inn in Corpus Christi, Texas. (Oxygen)
Quintanilla-Pérez was gunned down by Saldivar in a room at a Days Inn in Corpus Christi, Texas.
The bullet shattered an artery in her collarbone before it exited her chest, the New York Post reported. According to the outlet, Quintanilla-Pérez was able to stumble down to the hotel lobby pleading for help as she left a nearly 400-foot trail of blood.
Quintanilla-Pérez told hotel staff who her shooter was and where she could be found before collapsing. She later died at Corpus Christi Memorial Hospital.
“Yolanda, room 158,” were said to be Selena’s last words before she died. (Oxygen)
Saldivar attempted to flee in her pickup truck. However, she was spotted by an officer in a police cruiser, the outlet shared. After a nearly 10-hour standoff, Saldivar surrendered.
Quintanilla-Pérez was killed just two weeks ahead of what would have been her 24th birthday.
“I am so sorry that she’s gone,” said Saldivar. “I’m so sorry that her family is hurting. And I’m so sorry that my family is hurt. At no point did I mean to hurt anyone.”
Selena receives a Grammy Award at The 36th Annual Grammy Awards March 1, 1994, in New York. (Larry Busacca)
Saldivar allegedly killed Quintanilla-Pérez after her pal discovered she had embezzled a reported $30,000 from her clothing boutiques. Two days after Quintanilla-Pérez confronted her, Saldivar applied for a permit to purchase a gun from a gun store in San Antonio, witnesses said.
In the documentary, Saldivar claimed she purchased the gun to protect herself from Quintanilla-Pérez’s father, whom she described as a menacing, domineering figure. Saldivar claimes she showed the gun to Quintanilla-Pérez and told her she needed to protect herself. However, she said the singer told her she would keep her safe from harm.
Saldivar also denied ever stealing from Quintanilla-Pérez.
Jennifer Lopez portrayed Selena in a 1997 biopic. (Scott Del Amo/AFP)
“Why didn’t [her father] press any charges against me?” she said. “He didn’t because he didn’t have any evidence against me.”
That wasn’t the only allegation Saldivar made in the special. She has long maintained that Quintanilla-Pérez had an affair with plastic surgeon Ricardo Martinez and that she was in charge of keeping the relationship a secret from her father and husband. She also insisted Martinez viewed her as a threat.
“She sought the love of another man,” Saldivar alleged. “And I covered that up. … I did a lot of lying. I did a lot of maneuvering.”
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Yolanda Saldivar was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole in 2025. (Oxygen)
The docuseries noted that Martinez couldn’t be reached for comment.
Quintanilla-Pérez was already an established star when she hired Saldivar, an in-home nurse in San Antonio who wasn’t shy about being a fan. After serving as president of Quintanilla-Pérez’s fan club, she was promoted to manage two of the star’s boutiques in San Antonio. She would have had control over her business checking accounts.
Selena (left) poses with Bonnie Raitt during the EMI records Grammy after-party at Rex March 2, 1994, in Los Angeles. (Larry Busacca)
“Selena had an aura of attracting you to her,” said Saldivar. “When she would perform, she would draw you to dance with her. She wanted you to feel what she was feeling. … Maybe I was feeling that way. Maybe I was depressed. Maybe I was feeling hopeful. She brought you to her. … She was very friendly. … She would just pat you [on] the back… She just embraced me. We became friends.”
Yolanda Saldivar was previously a nurse. In the docuseries, Saldivar claimed she was going to return to nursing after working with the late singer. (Oxygen)
According to multiple reports, many in Quintanilla-Pérez’s circle were suspicious of Saldivar’s motives. However, Quintanilla-Pérez trusted her friend. But things took a turn when fans began to complain they had paid their membership fees but never received any merchandise in return.
Quintanilla-Pérez fired Saldivar over the phone, and the ex-employee begged to meet her in person in an attempt to explain herself. Saldivar also insisted she had bank statements that would prove her innocence.
It is believed that when Quintanilla-Pérez met Saldivar in the hotel room, she demanded to see the paperwork. That’s when Saldivar shot her. Still, Saldivar maintains that the gun went off, and the bullet wasn’t intended for the star.
Selena performs a month before she was murdered. (Arlene Richie)
According to the special, Saldivar has never been charged with or convicted of embezzlement or theft from Quintanilla-Pérez, the fan club or any businesses linked to the star. She was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole.
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Yolanda Saldivar’s family said in the docuseries they are hopeful she will be free next year, but they are worried for her safety. (Getty Images)
“I was convicted by public opinion even before my trial started,” Saldivar explained. “They had been fed a narrative that is not correct, that I was an embezzler, an obsessed fan. My right as a citizen of the United States to be innocent until proven guilty was reversed from me.
“I was guilty. I needed to prove my innocence. I know the people were hurting. And I know that they love her. No doubt. And I know that they’re still hurting. I do too. I think Abraham took advantage of that sentiment, of that sympathy … to poison their minds.
“I was scared, I was frightened. I knew her secrets.”
Quintanilla-Pérez’s music continues to resonate. As of 2015, she had sold more than 65 million units worldwide, making her the bestselling female artist in Latin music history.
"Selena & Yolanda: The Secrets Between Them" premieres Feb. 17 at 8 p.m. and concludes Feb. 18 at 7 p.m. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
