Tejano Music Queen Selena Was Shot To Death By The President Of Her Fan Club

It was March 31, 1995 when the Queen of Tejano music and beloved performer, Selena Quintanilla-Perez, was shot and killed by Yolanda Saldivar.

Yolanda Saldivar was the president of the Selena fan cub and the manager of the star’s clothing boutiques, Selena Etc,. By 1993, Selena’s fan club had more than 1,500 members and eventually reached over 5,000 devoted followers.

Despite her seeming devotion to Selena, Saldivar was embezzling money from the fan club and the boutiques. The Quintanilla family decided to fire Saldivar, and on the morning of March 31, 1995, Selena agreed to meet Saldivar at a Corpus Christi Days Inn.

Upon arriving at the hotel, Saldivar told Selena that she had been raped and asked the young star to drive her to a nearby hospital. Doctors did not find any evidence of assault as described by Saldivar.

Once back at the hotel, an argument ensued between the two women, and Saldivar drew a gun. As Selena ran from the room, Saldivar shot her in the back. Selena died in a hospital due to a loss of blood and cardiac arrest, two weeks before her 24th birthday.

Saldivar told authorities that she had intended to shoot herself and that the gun unintentionally killed Selena. Saldivar maintained her innocence and shared a very questionable account of the day's events with reporters.

Salvidar was charged with murder, and the jury only deliberated for two hours before finding her guilty. She was sentenced to life in prison on October 23, 1995, with the possibility of parole in 2025. While serving her life sentence, Saldivar was placed in isolation after multiple death threats from fellow inmates.

Shortly after her death, Selena’s final album Dreaming of You was released and went on to sell more than two million copies. More than two decades later, Selena is as popular as ever, and her fans have never forgotten her.

Read more: CNN