Thirty years ago, music legend Selena Quintanilla-Pérez was killed by her fan club’s president, Yolanda Saldívar. For the last three decades, Saldívar has served her life sentence in Texas. Now 64, Saldívar petitioned for parole under review, according to Texas Department of Criminal Ju stice online records. On Thursday, parole was denied. Saldívar is serving a life sentence at the Patrick L. O’Daniel Correctional Facility in Gatesville, Texas. A three-member panel of the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles voted not to release her. The panel said her case will be eligible for parole review again in 2030. Here’s everything you need to know about Selena, Saldívar and the parole process in Texas: Who was Selena Quintanilla-Pérez? Born in 1971, Quintanilla-Pérez demonstrated an incredible vocal gift in childhood, fronting Selena y Los Dinos with her siblings A.B. and Suzette Quintanilla. Her superstardom arrived in the early 1990s, with her unique blend of Tejano, pop, cumbia and other musical styles manifesting in huge hits like “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom,” “Como la Flor,” “Amor Prohibido,” “No Me Queda Mas” and “Tu Solo Tu.” Known the world over as The Queen of Tejano, or even more simply just as Selena, she broke barriers for women in Latin music. She opened the floodgates for a new generation of contemporary artists of Latin descent who would go on to enjoy huge popularity with mainstream American audiences. She often sang in Spanish and spoke in English, reflecting a cross-cultural identity that resonated with listeners. She won her first Grammy in 1994 for best Mexican/Mexican-American album for “Live,” becoming the first female Tejano artist to win the category. She was just 23 when she was killed the following year. But her legacy endures for Mexican Americans, Mexicans, Texans, Latinos and beyond. Although she initially topped the charts thanks to her Spanish songs, Selena did not grow up speaking Spanish. Rather she gave a lot of early interviews solely in English, allowing her to captivate the audience with her charisma and particularly those who, like her, felt very close to their Latin roots, but didn’t grow up speaking the language. Selena learned the Spanish language later on in life and subsequently started to give more interviews in Spanish. Because of her bilingualism, many in the music industry, and fans alike, saw the English market as the next natural step for Selena after she conquered the Latin music scene. Her posthumous English-language crossover album released a few months after her death, “Dreaming of You,” topped the Billboard 200, featuring hits like “I Could Fall in Love” and “Dreaming of You.” In 1997, a biographical film about her life, “Selena,” would quickly become a classic, further launching the career of lead Jennifer Lopez. Selena was also one of the first artists to use her name and celebrity to expand into other businesses ventures — opening clothing boutiques with built-in hair salons in Texas. Since her death, Selena and her image remain popular. She received a wax statue of Selena at Madame Tussauds Hollywood. Additionally, MAC Cosmetics released a limited edition Selena makeup line — which prompted long lines of fans hoping to get their hands on the makeup. Forever 21 also launched a clothing line celebrating her legacy. In 2017, she received a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. At the time, according to a Hollywood Chamber of Commerce spokesperson, the crowd was the largest-ever for a Walk of Fame ceremony, breaking a 1998 record set by onlookers at the unveiling of the star for Mexican singer Vicente Fernández. In 2021, she received a posthumous lifetime achievement award from the Grammys. There was no tribute. Who is Yolanda Saldívar? Yolanda Saldívar, a former nurse, was the founder and president of Selena’s fan club. She was also a manager of Selena’s clothing boutiques, Selena Etc., but was fired in early 1995 after money was discovered missing. How did Selena die? On March 31, 1995, Selena went to Saldívar’s room at the Days Inn motel in Corpus Christi, Texas, to pick up business records she needed for a tax filing, according to court testimony. A confrontation followed. Selena was shot in the back with a .38-caliber revolver in the motel room, ran outside and collapsed in the lobby. She was rushed to a nearby hospital and pronounced dead about an hour later. Motel employees testified Selena named “Yolanda” in “room 158” as her attacker. “I didn’t mean to do it. I didn’t mean to kill anybody,” a sobbing Saldívar said during a 9-hour standoff with police, during which she held a gun to her head. She told police she had bought the .38-caliber revolver to kill herself. Spanish-language television and radio stations across the country reported her death as breaking news with many markets prioritizing the story and updates related to it for days to come. What happened at Yolanda Saldívar’s trial? The trial was moved to Houston because of heavy publicity. Prosecutors contended that Saldívar shot the 23-year-old after the singer’s family suspected her of embezzling $30,000. The defense argued the gun went off accidentally. On October 23, 1995, the jury convicted Saldívar of first-degree murder. She was sentenced to life in prison, with the possibility of parole after 30 years — beginning in 2025. Saldívar did not face the death penalty because the crime contained none of the aggravating circumstances required under Texas law, such as a multiple murder or a murder committed during a robbery. In 1999, the Court of Criminal Appeals in Austin turned down Saldívar’s first plea for a new trial. In 2000, her lawyer Bill Berchelmann asked the state to revisit the trial. He argued that prosecutors wrongly dismissed potential jurors because of race, did not disclose the criminal record of a witness and made improper comments in court. He said police also violated Saldívar’s rights by interrogating her after she asked for an attorney. In 2009, Saldívar lost an appeal because it was filed in the wrong county. She had asked the court to order an appeal filed nine years earlier in Nueces County to move forward, but the state’s highest criminal appeals court said it should have been filed in Harris County, where she was tried and convicted. She’s incarcerated at the Patrick L. O’Daniel prison unit in Gatesville, Texas, about 90 minutes north of Austin. How does parole work in Texas? In Texas, the parole division of the state’s Department of Criminal Justice identifies inmates six months before the date of their initial parole eligibility and pulls their case file for review. Notice of an inmate’s eligibility for parole is sent to officials involved in the trial, any victims and victims’ family members. An institutional parole officer with the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles interviews an inmate and prepares a summary for the board. The victim or the victim’s family members can provide a written statement and can appear in person before board members. The inmate’s file is then sent to the parole board and voted on by a three-person panel. The panel will vote on a case just prior to the inmate’s parole eligibility date and a majority of two votes is needed for a final decision. In Texas, the board does not conduct public parole hearings. Parole release decisions are made independently by each panel member. Representatives for members of Quintanilla-Pérez’s family did not immediately respond to The Associated Press’ request for comment this week. ...read more read less