Yolanda Saldívar

Yolanda Saldívar (Spanish pronunciation: [ɟʝoˈlanda salˈdiβaɾ]; born September 19, 1960)[1][2] is an American former nurse who murdered Tejano singer Selena on March 31, 1995 in Corpus Christi, Texas.

[3] Born in San Antonio, Saldívar had been the president of Selena's fan club and the manager of her boutiques, but she lost both positions a short time before the murder, when the singer's family discovered that she had been embezzling money from both organizations.

[6] In early 1995, Selena's family discovered that Saldívar had been embezzling money from both the fan club and boutiques, which led to her getting fired in the first week of March.

[9] Selena drove Saldívar to a local hospital, where they were told that the gynecological exam was to be done elsewhere, because the assault had allegedly happened in another country.

The venue was moved to Houston, Texas, after Saldívar's lawyers successfully argued that she could not receive a fair trial in Selena's hometown.

The defense was expected to introduce testimony from Texas Ranger Robert Garza that "he overheard Saldívar claim the shooting was accidental, and that she objected when police failed to include it in her statement".

[3] The defense attorney argued the shooting was accidental, but the prosecution pointed out that Saldívar, a trained nurse, did not call 911 or try to help Selena after she was shot.

[16] Saldívar is currently serving a life sentence at the Patrick O'Daniel Unit in Gatesville, operated by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.