Former nurse Yolanda Saldívar was tried on one count of first-degree murder after the shooting death of American Tejano music singer Selena on March 31, 1995, after which she held police and the FBI Crisis Negotiation Unit at bay for almost ten hours.

The prosecution argued against the motion of change of venue from Corpus Christi, Texas, to Houston, while the defense believed that Selena's high-profile status in her hometown might result in a biased jury.

The defense team called fewer witnesses, which included Saldívar's parents, former co-workers, motel staff at the Days Inn, Selena's former seventh-grade teacher, and the lead murder investigator.

The jury convicted Saldívar of murder after a two-hour deliberation, and she was sentenced to a maximum of life imprisonment with eligibility for parole in March 2025.

[3][4] However, she did enjoy Shelly Lares, a Tejano music artist, and disliked Selena for dominating award categories Saldívar's favorite musician was nominated in.

[8] Because of her touring schedule, she was unable to run the businesses and decided to appoint Saldívar as manager, since Quintanilla, Jr. believed she was the perfect choice, having successfully filled the role as president of the fan club for three years.

[11] They claimed that Saldívar mismanaged Selena's affairs, manipulated their decisions, destroyed their creations, intimidated and threatened them, and secretly recorded them without their consent or knowledge.

[20] When they returned to the motel room, Selena emptied Saldívar's satchel which was filled with documents relating to the boutiques and fan club as well as the .38 revolver.

[19] Critically wounded, Selena ran to the motel's lobby and collapsed on the floor, naming Saldívar as her assailant, and giving the room number where she had been shot.

Assistant Police Chief Ken Bung and Quintanilla, Jr., informed the press that a possible motive was that Selena had gone to the Days Inn motel to terminate "her" employment; Saldívar was still not identified by name in media reports.

[53] A Spanish-language radio personality informed the judge that the general consensus among Hispanics in the area was that Saldívar was guilty and that she would be acquitted because of the "faulty" juridical system, and Valdez's lack of experience.

[54] The judge recessed the hearing and Valdez scrambled to find witnesses who believed that an unbiased jury could be selected were the trial to be held in Corpus Christi.

[59][60] Tinker opened his statement as though he were "describing a mystery movie" calling Quintanilla, Jr. a "controlling and dominating father, ambitious for power and money.

[66] After hearing this testimony, Marcella Quintanilla (Selena's mother) experienced chest and arm pains and was hospitalized to treat a sudden rise in her blood pressure.

[71] The last person to be called to testify was paramedic Richard Fredrickson who described, in detail, Selena's condition and a mysterious ring she clutched in her hands.

[74] She continued repeating, "I just wanna die" as Young began talking about religion to determine if she believed in a faith that might cause her to reconsider suicide.

"[77] Newswoman María Celeste Arrarás wrote in her 1997 investigative book that she found it "curious" that a person who cried for hours that she wanted to die "would be afraid that someone might make her wish come true.

"[60] As the taped conversation continued, the jury heard Saldívar's reaction to the news of Selena's death after her phone picked up a local radio station's signal.

[77] In an angry voice, Saldívar asked Young why he had kept the singer's condition from her, since she wanted to visit Selena at the hospital, believing she was still alive.

[81] John Houston, a police officer who was present during the standoff, was asked during the nine and a half hours that Saldívar held the gun to her head, how many times it "went off"; he said "none".

[60][83] The defense called Rivera to the stand and explained to the jury that Rivera had a conflict of interest after finding out that he had a poster of Selena hanging on his wall and was treated to a Selena T-shirt by Quintanilla, Jr.[84] Tinker explained to the jury that the confession was signed by an exhausted, sleep deprived Saldívar after eleven hours of questioning and being denied water, food, and use of a bathroom.

[85] Tinker asked Rivera why he destroyed his notes, and why he had not recorded his interrogation of Saldívar, had not provided her with a lawyer as the law requires, and had not allowed her to see her relatives after signing her confession.

"[87] The prosecution called on a firearms expert who found the gun to be in working condition and stating that a person pulling the trigger must use a "great amount of pressure".

[92] Greer then spoke about how Quintanilla, Jr. had taken away the possibility of college for Selena, wasting her youth by forcing her to sing at nightclubs and bars for money, something that was unhealthy for a thirteen-year-old girl.

"[93] The defense claimed that Selena still referred to Saldívar as her "dearest friend" pointing out that the singer took her to the hospital, despite having a recording session scheduled that day.

"[93] The defense accused the prosecution of manipulating the jury's emotions by displaying photographs of Selena at the morgue, and the trail of blood from the motel room to the lobby.

[44] On December 22, the Houston Chronicle reported that Saldívar's lawyers were seeking a retrial, citing the prosecution's failure to notify them that a key witness had once been convicted of theft.

[116] Because of multiple death threats from incarcerated Selena fans, Saldívar was placed in isolation and spends twenty-three hours a day alone in her 9 by 6 feet (2.7 by 1.8 m) cell, away from other inmates who may want to do her harm.

[122] In 1997, Arrarás published her book Selena's Secret, which included interviews with Saldívar recounting the singer's "real life" and her side of the events of March 31.

[113] In December 2014, the San Antonio Express-News reported that Saldívar was "mounting a new legal effort to get an early release from prison, following numerous appeals in her case.