Is it Safe for Yolanda Saldivar to be Released in 2025?

While many are looking forward to 2025, others are dreading the year already. Nearly 30 years after Tejano music legend Selena Quintanilla-Perez was tragically murdered, the woman convicted of killing her, Yolanda Saldivar, is eligible for parole.

Saldivar was convicted of murdering Selena in 1995, but the Texas Department of Criminal Justice confirmed that her 30-year sentence ends on March 30, 2025.

Carlos Valdez, the former Nueces County District Attorney who led Saldivar’s prosecution, said in a recent interview, “When I was trying this case 30 years ago, I looked around and saw thousands of people all interested in this case, and to myself, I thought, ‘All this is gonna be gone in five years… People are going to forget about Selena, and I was so wrong.”

Under Texas law, inmates sentenced to life in prison for first-degree felonies must serve 30 years before being eligible for parole. And although Valdez successfully secured a life sentence for Saldivar, the parole process is now underway.

However, Valdez believes that releasing Saldivar would be a mistake. “Thirty years later, there is so much interest in the case, and I believe—I really believe—that the safest place for Yolanda would probably be where she is,” he said.

Even after three decades, this case remains one of the most high-profile in history. With loyal fans worldwide, it begs the question: Is it safe for Saldivar to be released?