Selena Quintanilla's Death And The Tragic Story Behind It

Selena Quintanilla's Death And The Tragic Story Behind It

Latina superstar Selena was just 23 years old when she was gunned down by an obsessed fan in 1995. As the "Queen of Tejano Music" collapsed in a pool of blood in a Days Inn lobby, she used her last words to identify her killer: "Yolanda Saldívar in Room 158." 

See the photos and discover the truth behind the tragic death of the incredibly talented Selena

appointed Yolanda Saldívar president of Selena's fan club in 1991 after Saldívar had repeatedly asked permission to start one. In January 1994, Saldívar was promoted to manager of the singer's boutiques. Soon Selena's employees, fashion designer, and cousin began complaining about Saldívar's management style. In January 1995, Quintanilla Jr. began receiving telephone calls and letters from angry fans who had sent membership payments and had received nothing in return. He began investigating their complaints and found evidence that Saldívar had embezzled $60,000 from the fan club and the boutiques using forged checks. After the Quintanilla family confronted her about this, Saldívar fatally shot Selena with a .38 special revolver on the morning of March 31, 1995, at the Days Inn in Corpus Christi, Texas. Although the healthcare team tried to revive Selena, she died of hypovolemic shock.

The Latino community was deeply affected by the news of Selena's death; some people traveled thousands of miles to visit her home, boutiques, and the crime scene, while churches with large congregations of Latinos held prayers in her name. All major television networks in the United States interrupted their regular programming to break the news. The public's reaction to Selena's death was compared to those that followed the deaths of John Lennon, of Kurt Cobain, and of John F. Kennedy. Some Americans who were unaware of the singer and her popularity criticized the attention she and her murder received from both the media and the Latino community. Radio personality Howard Stern mocked Selena's murder, burial, and her mourners, and criticized her music, playing her songs with gunshots in the background, causing an uproar among the Latino population. On April 12, 1995, two weeks after her death, then-Texas governor George W. Bush declared her birthday Selena Day in Texas, offending some Americans because Selena Day that year coincided with Easter.

At the time of Selena's death, Tejano music was one of the most popular Latin music subgenres in the United States. She was called the "Queen of Tejano music" and became the first Latina artist to have a predominantly Spanish-language album—Dreaming of You (1995)—debut and peak at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart. After her death, the popularity of Tejano music waned. During Saldívar's trial for the murder—called the "trial of the century" and the most important trial for the Latino population—Saldívar said she accidentally shot Selena while attempting suicide. Saldívar was found guilty of murder and was sentenced to life imprisonment. Jennifer Lopez was cast as Selena in a 1997 biopic film about her life and achieved fame after the film's release.

at her right temple, and threatened to commit suicide. A SWAT team and the FBI Crisis Negotiation Unit were brought in. Musicologist Himilce Novas later said the event was reminiscent of O. J. Simpson's planned suicide ten months earlier.

Larry Young and Isaac Valencia began negotiating with Saldívar. They ran a telephone line to their base of operations adjacent to Saldívar's pickup truck as the standoff continued. Lead negotiator Young tried to establish a rapport with Saldívar and persuade her to give herself up. Valencia suggested the shooting was accidental. Saldívar later changed her story, saying the "gun went off" by itself. She spoke to relatives in addition to speaking with police.

 Motel guests were ordered to remain in their rooms until police escorted them out.[89] Later that afternoon, police drained the gasoline from the gas tank of Saldívar's car and turned on floodlights.

After the standoff entered its fourth hour, Valencia succeeded in getting Saldívar to confess that she had intended to shoot herself. Saldívar said when she placed the gun to her own head, Selena tried to tell her not to kill herself. When Selena opened the door to leave, Saldívar said she told her to close it.

She also said the gun went off when Selena left. During the sixth hour, Saldívar agreed to give herself up, but when she saw a police officer pointing a rifle at her, she panicked, ran back to her truck, picked up the revolver, and pointed it at her head again.

Saldívar surrendered after more than nine hours. By then, hundreds of Selena's fans had gathered at the scene. Many wept as police took Saldívar away. A press conference was called within hours of Selena's murder; Saldívar had not yet been named in media reports. Assistant Police Chief Ken Bung and Quintanilla, Jr. told the press the possible motive was Selena's intention to terminate Saldívar's employment.