Oxygen’s Yolanda Saldívar Doc Is Out, And Many Selena Quintanilla Fans Are ‘Not Having It’
Oxygen’s docuseries “Selena and Yolanda: The Secrets Between Them” premiered last weekend, including interviews with Selena Quintanilla‘s killer Yolanda Saldívar, 63. Speaking from prison in Gatesville, Texas as she serves her life sentence, Saldívar maintains that she shot the Tejano icon by accident. She alleges, “All I can say is that there was never, ever any intention to do her any harm.”
As expected, many Selena fans are unimpressed by the docuseries— and are taking to social media to air their disappointment. Yes, one look at X, and many people seem quite confused by the show:
Ahead, we’ve compiled what Saldívar said in the docuseries, and how many Selena Quintanilla fans are reacting.
This is what Saldívar says in the new Oxygen docuseries about the day of the tragic murder
So what did Saldívar allege in the new docuseries?
For one, she spoke about how the Quintanilla family accused her of stealing money as president of Selena Quintanilla’s fan club and manager of the singer’s clothing boutiques. Saldívar still denies the accusations, saying in the new doc: “They’ve never proven [that] I stole a single cent from her.”
“If I was an embezzler like [Selena’s father, Abraham Quintanilla] claimed, why didn’t he ever press charges on me?” she asked. “He didn’t because he never had that evidence.”
To that end, the 63-year-old states that she bought a gun for “self-defense” because she “didn’t feel safe.” She stated, “It was my own self-defense that if anything came my way, I was going to protect myself.” Saldívar also says that she was “fearful.”
Later, Saldívar recounts the tragic morning of March 31, 1995, when she met with Quintanilla at a Days Inn motel in Corpus Christi, Texas. As the story goes, the Quintanilla family had recently fired Saldívar, and the “Como La Flor” singer met with her to pick up paperwork.
As per her eventual conviction, Saldívar shot Quintanilla in the back with a .38 Taurus revolver at the hotel. According to the Houston Chronicle, one witness later testified seeing Quintanilla running out of a hotel room and screaming— with who they identified as Saldívar running behind and “pointing a gun” at her. At the time, the witness remembered hearing Saldívar call Quintanilla a “b*tch” while the singer was “calling for help” in the lobby.
However, in the new docuseries, Saldívar attempts to paint another picture. As per Oxygen, the 63-year-old says that Quintanilla wanted her to keep working for the family— and tried to convince her to stay. “Selena, when she came into the [hotel] room, she kept trying to put guilt in me for not continuing with her,” she states in an interview.
Later, Saldívar says she threatened to commit suicide at the hotel— but later “just clicked” the gun towards Quintanilla.
In the doc, the convicted killer continues, “I did not know when my gun went off. I did not know that it hit her because I thought that she just ran. It scared me, it scared her.”
At other points, Saldívar also talks about Quintanilla allegedly having an affair, which as one X user wrote: “Not Yolanda trying to tarnish our angel Selena’s name in this documentary.” Girl, bye.
Other Selena fans are simply confused why Saldívar makes such a point about not stealing money. “[She] bought a gun, brought the gun to the hotel, pointed the gun and shot Selena. Talk about why you did that,” another wrote.
As yet another viewer wondered, why is Saldívar so focused on saying she allegedly resigned from her job with the Quintanillas, anyway?
At another point in the docuseries, Saldívar seems to allege potential wrongdoing in the justice system. “I was convicted by public opinion even before my trial started,” she states. “My right as a citizen of the United States to be innocent until proven guilty was reversed on me. I was guilty and needed to prove my innocence.”
As expected, many fans reacted to that as well, writing, “Yolanda out here acting like the victim.”
Overall, at least from social media, the general sentiment seems to be disappointment with Saldívar’s comments. With many calling the interview “B.S.,” others say the 63-year-old isn’t “fooling” anyone. Many more fans call the docuseries a “slap” in the face.
Amid the new docuseries, Saldívar continues to serve her life sentence in prison. She will be eligible for parole in March 2025.
If you are considering suicide, call 800-273-8255 or text TALK to 741741.