(NewsNation) — The 64-year-old who has been behind bars for nearly three decades for the murder of Tejano superstar Selena Quintanilla-Pérez is attempting to get parole in 2025, the New York Post first reported.
A Texas Department of Criminal Justice representative tells the Post that Yolanda Saldívar has no blemishes on her prison record, allowing the parole board to consider her case next March.
Saldívar, president of Selena’s fan club, shot and killed the 23-year-old on March 31, 1995, in Corpus Christi, Texas, during an argument.
While Saldívar maintains that she meant to kill herself, not the young singer, that day, inmates report the convicted murderer is being housed in protective custody because she is a target.
“Everyone knows who Yolanda Saldívar is,” said Marisol Lopez, who was an inmate alongside her from 2017 to 2022, per the Post.
“There’s a bounty on her head, like everyone wants a piece of her. The guards keep her away from everyone else because she’s hated so much. If she were out [in general population], someone would try to take her down,” Lopez added.
Former inmate Yesenia Dominguez told the Post that, “Everyone was always like, ‘Let me have five minutes with that b—-. Everyone wanted to get justice for Selena. There’s a target on her back.”
Officials say Selena’s family will receive an official parole hearing notification in January, per reports.
Selena was born on April 16, 1971, in Lake Jackson, south of Houston. She began singing with Los Dinos, the Quintanilla family band, when she was 9. Like Madonna, Selena was known for risqué stage costumes, including high boots and bustiers, but she also emphasized family values and was married to band member Chris Perez.
Selena, who set a mark recognized by the Guinness World Record for the biggest-selling Latin album in the U.S., has been the subject of both a movie and a Netflix series about her life, has a museum with her merchandise and even a MAC Cosmetics collaboration.
NewsNation’s Ryan Garza contributed to this report.