Yolanda Saldivar, the woman who murdered Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla in 1995, is the focus of a new documentary airing on the Oxygen True Crime network on February 17.
The documentary, titled Selena & Yolanda: Secrets Between Them, includes many jailhouse interviews with Saldivar, as well as interviews with her family, Corpus Christi police, Texas journalists, and others involved in the shooting inquiry. According to the network, the series is Saldivar’s first extensive English-language interview on camera in more than two decades.
Selena’s family did not take part in the documentary, and they have criticised it for featuring the singer’s killer. Selena’s father, Abraham Quintanilla, told TMZ that “everything she says is nothing but lies” and asked what else Saldivar could say that she hadn’t already revealed in the nearly 30 years since the shooting.
Several individuals questioned the timing of the documentary, which will be published right before Selena’s 29th death anniversary on March 31. Furthermore, Saldivar, who is spending life in jail for the murder, is eligible for parole next year.
Early in the three-hour documentary, Univision journalist Martha Flores discusses the unsolved questions surrounding the incident.
“There were two people in that room: Yolanda and Selena.” “Selena was killed, so Yolanda is the only one who knows what happened in the room,” Flores explained. “And all these years, she keeps claiming the same thing: ‘I didn’t mean to do it. “It was an accident.
The documentary’s first episode provides a comprehensive overview of Selena’s rising fame and relationship with Saldivar, who was the president of her fan club before getting increasingly involved in Selena’s other commercial pursuits, such as her fashion businesses.
In early 1995, just as Selena was preparing to release a crossover record that was intended to catapult her to popularity, Abraham Quintanilla questioned Saldivar about checks she had written to herself and other financial irregularities in Selena’s businesses. Abraham intended to terminate Saldivar, but Selena maintained a contact with her until her death in March of that year. It’s unclear what kind of relationship they had—whether it was simply business or more of a friendship—and how the shooting happened.
On March 31, Selena met Saldivar at a Days Inn in Corpus Christi, probably to collect papers for her multiple enterprises. By noon, the singer would be dead, the result of a single bullet. Saldivar then barricaded herself in her truck, leading in a nine-hour standoff with police until she was apprehended.
Saldivar has long claimed that the shooting was accidental. Police argued that it was premeditated, and the jury agreed, sending Saldivar to life in prison.
The rest of the documentary focuses on Saldivar’s version of the story, supported with police interviews, crime scene images, glossy reenactments, and chats with Saldivar’s family that occasionally feel weirdly pre-rehearsed.
The documentary contains several shocking revelations that may surprise anyone who haven’t followed the topic closely over the years. The filmmakers also do an excellent job of showing the ways in which police may have botched the case, such as missing evidence in the hotel room’s safe (later discovered by a cleaner after detectives evacuated the scene) and inconsistent testimony from witnesses.
Cat Cardenas, a journalist who has written extensively about Selena’s cultural effect and death, discusses the 1990s tabloid media climate, which was especially harsh on female suspects. Saldivar claims that she was already convicted in the court of public opinion before ever taking the witness stand.
Saldivar also portrays herself as the protector of Selena’s secrets. The singer, who was married to bandmate Chris Pérez, was reportedly having an affair with a plastic surgeon in Mexico who also provided financial support for her fledgling clothing brand. (After years of denying the affair, the doctor confirmed it in a 2012 Univision interview.) Saldivar claims she made cheques to herself so she could buy plane tickets for herself and Selena to see the doctor. She also claims that she originally purchased the gun because she was terrified of Abraham, whom she accuses of slashing her tyres and pestering her in the days preceding the murder.
She also claims that Selena wanted to leave the music profession to pursue fashion, which Abraham opposed. Saldivar claims she supported the change, which made her the subject of Abraham’s ire. One of the materials the police overlooked was a resignation letter Saldivar wrote to Selena, in which she stated that she is stepping down due to meddling and harassment by Selena’s relatives.
None of these disclosures are new, raising the question of why this documentary is even necessary now. Throughout the three hours, Saldivar exhibits little regret and accepts little responsibility. She is more willing to explain that she was never charged with embezzlement than to admit her role in the shooting. (It’s important noting that Saldivar has never denied that she shot Selena, simply that it was an accident.)
Towards the end of the video, Cardenas wonders what Saldivar’s words may add to our comprehension of the tragedy, especially because Saldivar is an untrustworthy narrator.
“There’s a lot of risk in essentially retrying this case in the court of public opinion when at the end of the day, she is the person who did it,” she added. “Is there any nuances in the circumstances that lead up to it? Yes, but does that negate the fact that she killed Selena?
Selena & Yolanda: Secrets Between Them starts on Oxygen with back-to-back episodes on February 17 at 8 p.m. ET/PT and runs until February 18 at 7 p.m. Episodes will be available for streaming on Peacock the day after they air.