Where were you then: March 31, 1995, the day Selena was murdered
Fans grieve Selena’s death (1995)
ARCHIVE - News of Selena’s death on March 31, 1995, shocked the world. Here’s a look back from KDFW FOX 4 Dallas at what happened that week and how fans around the world began to grieve.
This year marks 31 years since Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, the "Queen of Tejano Music", was murdered.
Her shooting and sudden death stunned the world on March 31, 1995.
Selena murdered
What happened:
Quintanilla-Pérez was murdered in Texas by the president of her fan club following a confrontation at the Days Inn motel in Corpus Christi.
She 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.
Dig deeper:
A subsequent 9-hour standoff between Yolanda Saldívar and police followed the shooting, during which she held a gun to her head. She told police she had bought the gun to kill herself.
Selena’s legacy
FILE - Singer Selena (born Selena Quintanilla-Perez, 1971-1995) rides in a carriage during a performance at the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo at the Houston Astrodome, Houston, Texas, February 26, 1995. The performance was her last before her mu
Big picture view:
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."
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."
RELATED: 'Selena: From Texas to the World' exhibit opens at Grammy Museum
Yolanda Saldívar
The backstory:
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.
On October 23, 1995, a jury convicted Saldívar of first-degree murder. She was sentenced to life in prison, with the possibility of parole after 30 years.
RELATED: Selena's killer, Yolanda Saldivar, denied parole
Presently:
Saldívar has filed appeals on multiple occasions, and her first eligibility for parole was last year, in March 2025, and was denied.
Her case will be eligible for parole review again in March 2030.
The Source: Information in this article was taken from court filings and background information reported by The Associated Press and FOX 26 Houston. This story was reported from Detroit.