An autopsy report recently released verifies that Selena Quintanilla, the beloved Tejano music star, died from a single gunshot wound leading to significant internal bleeding. This tragic incident occurred 30 years ago when she was shot by her friend and former employee.
The coroner’s office in Nueces County, Texas, has officially classified the 23-year-old singer’s death in 1995 as a homicide, attributing it to Yolanda Saldívar.
“To put it simply, Selena Quintanilla Perez, aged 23, died from exsanguination due to hemorrhaging caused by a wound in the thorax, which essentially means she bled heavily,” coroner Lloyd White explained in the autopsy report.
On March 31, 1995, Quintanilla was tragically shot at the Days Inn Motel in Corpus Christi, Texas. Her death is back in the news following the debut of a Netflix documentary titled “Selena and Los Dinos: A Family Legacy,” celebrating the 30th anniversary of her passing.
This documentary features footage and interviews never seen before, allowing family members to share their thoughts 30 years after the tragic event.
Yolanda Saldívar, who had been a fan and then a business associate, was responsible for the shooting. She had previously embezzled funds while managing the singer’s fan club. During a confrontation over missing finances, Saldívar used a .38-caliber revolver against Quintanilla.
The autopsy details that the bullet entered the back, passing through her ribs and lung before exiting through the chest, severing a critical artery and causing severe internal bleeding.
Additionally, it was noted in the medical report that Quintanilla’s clothing was soaked with blood at the time of her passing.
Initially, Saldívar had gained access to the singer’s life by persuading her father to let her manage the fan club in San Antonio. Unfortunately, things took a downward turn in early 1995 when the Quintanilla family realized that substantial sums were missing from both the fan club and the boutique where Saldívar worked.
She was ultimately dismissed from her positions in March 1995. Prior to the shooting, she had purchased a revolver from a local range, returning it only to buy it again shortly before the incident.
On the eve of the tragedy, Saldívar checked into the Days Inn and reached out to Quintanilla, falsely claiming she had been raped and needed assistance with business documents.
When Quintanilla and her husband, Chris Perez, met her at the motel, they didn’t receive the documents they were expecting. The next day, she returned solo to retrieve the papers, indicating to a business partner that she was looking for missing items.
After taking Saldívar to a hospital for a supposed sexual assault examination, Quintanilla returned to the motel, only to demand the documents again. In a shocking turn of events, Saldívar pulled the gun and shot her.
Quintanilla fled to the lobby for help, with Saldívar close behind her. Emergency responders transported her to Corpus Christi Memorial Hospital, where she was declared dead around 1:05 p.m.
Following the shooting, Saldívar barricaded herself in her vehicle in the motel parking lot, threatening self-harm. After a lengthy standoff lasting nearly ten hours, she surrendered to FBI negotiators.
Charged with first-degree murder, Saldívar claimed the incident was accidental during her trial but was ultimately convicted in October 1995 and sentenced to life without parole.
Now 64 years old, she is currently incarcerated in a women’s prison in Gatesville, Texas. Although she applied for parole in December 2024, that request was declined just three months later, leaving her to serve her sentence.
