Cnn
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The powerful voice of the superstar of Tejano Selena Quintanilla-Pérez music is still a must-have in households and Latin American parties almost 30 years after his death.
The sorrow that has engulfed fans immediately after Selena’s life has been interrupted over the years in a celebration of the cultural icon every spring in the days preceding its anniversary of April. But this year, the memorial is accompanied by a feeling of relief while Yolanda Saldívar, the woman who killed Selena in a Chamber of Texas Motel, was deprived of her first attempt at parole.
“Today, we are grateful that the Texas Board of Pardons and Words have chosen to refuse parole for Yolanda Saldívar,” said Selena’s husband, Chris Pérez, in a joint press release shared on their social media platforms.
“Although nothing can bring Selena back, this decision reaffirms that justice continues to defend the good life that has been taken to us and millions of fans around the world,” they added.
Saldívar, 64, is Unlock a life imprisonment for the murder of the 1995 singer in a prison in Gatesville, Texas, about 100 miles north of Austin.
In the weeks leading to the decision of the conditional liberation committee, some fans discussed the potential release of Saldivar while others remained concentrated on the celebration of life and the inheritance of Selena – just like the singer’s family.
“If I am the fan of Selena y los dino that I say that I am, I think it is the most important part. … They (the family of Selena) celebrate his life, and they celebrate her heritage,” said Stephanie Bergara, country and music singer of Tejano and singer of the band of the Bandi Tribute Texas.
Selena’s parents, his sister and members of the group joined fans and members of the film industry earlier this month under the name of “Selena y los dinos”, a new documentary on the singer’s life, created at the South by Southwest Festival in Austin. A few weeks earlier, the film was screened at the Film Film Sundance 2025 and won the Documentary Special Jury Award for the archive narration.
“She was such an inspiration, especially for Latin women like me,” said Roberta Salas, a fan who attended the screening, Keye Affilié. “She gave us the mentality that we can do everything.”
When will Yolanda Saldívar be eligible for parole again?
Saldívar entered Selena’s life as a fan, later becoming its president of Fan Club and managing some of the singer’s clothing shops.
On March 31, 1995, the “Queen of Tejano music” – known by her first name – met Saldívar in a Christi Motel corpus when Saldívar shot him. They discussed Selena’s concerns that Saldívar had diverted money from him, according to the testimony.
Selena was 23 years old and her first English -speaking album was for months after her release.
Saldívar was found guilty of first degree murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. Her case has been reviewed for parole in recent months depending on the time she has served in prison, which began during her first relaxation, and because the offense for which she was condemned made it possible to consider parole, according to the Ministry of Texas of Criminal Justice.
Saldívar was denied parole on Thursday after his business was examined by a panel of three members, according to the Texas Board of Pardons and Literole.
“After an in -depth consideration of all the available information, which included all the confidential interviews conducted, it was the determination of the parole committee to refuse parole to Yolanda Saldivar and to have given his next parole examination for March 2030,” the council said in a statement.
The Texas Board of Pardons and words says it considers the offense, “the medical and psychological history, and how the offender has adjusted and behaved in prison”. But the process is not “cut and dry”; Other factors such as outcry and the remorse and the responsibility of the offender are also taken into account in the decision, said Helen Anne Gaebler, main research lawyer of the William Wayne Justice Center for Public Interest Law at the Law School of the University of Texas.
“The process of parole – it is not cut and dry. It is very individual. It is very individually based, and the circumstances play an important role,” said Gaebler.
According to her experience, the representation of women in the process of examining parole in the center of Texas, Gaebler said that it thought that there was often a dependence on historical factors and not enough attention or concentration on current and future factors “.
“For example, we will often have individuals refused to the conditional liberation over and over again because of the nature of the offense. This is one of the bases on which parole can be refused. But it is a static factor that will never change,” said Gaebler.
In the case of Saldívar, the commission of parole has cited the nature of the offense as a reason for their refusal.
“The file indicates that the instant offense has elements of brutality, violence, aggression behavior or conscious selection of the vulnerability of the victim indicating a conscious contempt for the life, security or property of others, so that the offender represents a continuous threat to public security,” the conditional liberation council said in a press release.
In Texas, tens of thousands of cases are examined each year for parole, in addition to the pardons, requests for medical release and the revocation of parole. In 2023, 64,785 cases were taken into account for parole and approximately 34% were approved, according to an annual statistical report from the Texas Board of Pardons and Words.
Decades after her murder, Selena continues as an icon for her signature looks; A unique sound that mixed the tejano, the dancing dancing and the R&B; And for having put the Mexican American experience under the spotlight.
Bergara, the singer of the tribute group, was only 8 years old when Selena was killed and never had the chance to see her live. However, Selena’s image on stage, captivating large crowds, is engraved in her memory.
“She was the first person I have ever seen on television that seemed to be linked to me,” said Bergara. “She was immediately so relating to me and so relating to people around the world now.”
The Selena Tribute Band, who originally intended to achieve a punctual performance, has now visited major cities across the country for more than a decade and saw how the singer’s inheritance is transmitted by generations.
“We play shows all the time when the mothers of my age will arise, and their daughters will present themselves, and they are dressed like Selena, and they like Selena as much as their mothers,” said Bergara.
Selena continues to captivate the public, as evidenced by her star of Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2018, a Netflix mini-series inspired by her life in 2020, and the launch of a second Mac Cosmetics collection inspired by her the same year.
She also posthumously received the prestigious national arts medal in 2023 by former president Joe Biden, the highest prize awarded to artists by the federal government.
In Corpus Christi, where Selena and her family lived, the emblematic singer is commemorated in many ways. Fans can visit the Mirador of the Flor Memorial and his centerpiece of life -size bronze statues, the Selena Museum and the city’s auditorium, which was renamed in his memory.
Sonya M. Alemán, professor at the University of Texas in San Antonio, has been teaching a course since 2020 focused on Selena and its lasting impact on society. Her students interviewed hundreds of Selena fans and learned why she remains a cultural symbol despite generational differences.
“His heritage has not decreased. If anything, it is strengthening,” said Alemán. For those who have lived the life and death of Selena, their link with the singer is clearly defined – they attended concerts and signatures and looked at him as a pioneer and a proud Tejana, explained Aleman.
For young fans, many of whom were born at the turn of the century, Selena’s music means at home. His songs were a must of family functions – Quinceañeras, Carne Asadas and family gatherings.
“When they think of Selena, they think of the house, they think of the family,” said Alemán.
For Alemán, Selena’s sustainable heritage testifies to “resonant and constant need not only to raise it, but to see us”.
“She is always loved and she is always a story and a person that people want to continue to remember and keep her heritage alive,” said Alemán. “I also think that it means that the community to which it belonged, to which it has identified, is always thirsty for representation.”
For fans like Bergara, the celebration of Selena’s life which occurs each year surrounding its anniversary of April 16 should not be overshadowed by developments in the case of Saldívar.
“I don’t want to give him attention,” said Bergara. “I don’t think it is worth it, and what we should focus on is 30 years from Selena, 30 years of an emblematic life celebrated.”
The Quintanilla family and her husband said that after the conditional liberation of Saldívar, Selena “lived with joy, gave altruistic and continues to raise generations with her voice and her mind” and called the fans to remember.
“We will continue to celebrate Selena’s life – not the tragedy that took it to us – and we ask that all those who cherish it do the same,” they said.