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Three decades have passed since the tragic death of Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, yet the memory of the beloved singer still lingers vividly in the hearts of her fans. The Tejano music icon was tragically shot on March 31, 1995, in a Days Inn hotel room in Corpus Christi, Texas, by Yolanda Saldívar, who once managed her fan club.
Saldívar, who has consistently claimed the shooting was unintentional, was convicted of first-degree murder. Prosecutors successfully argued that Selena was attempting to cut ties with Saldívar due to allegations of embezzlement from the singer’s businesses.
Recently, details about Selena’s devastating final moments and the fatal wound she sustained have come to light through her 1995 autopsy report. This report was made available to the public by US Weekly earlier this month.
How Did Selena Quintanilla-Pérez Die?
The Nueces County Medical Examiner’s Office conducted the autopsy, revealing that Selena was fatally shot in the lower right shoulder. Coroner Lloyd White determined that the 23-year-old succumbed to “exsanguinating internal and external bleeding due to a perforating gunshot wound” to the chest.
According to the report, conducted by The Nueces County Medical Examiner’s Office, Selena was killed after being shot in the lower right shoulder.
Coroner Lloyd White concluded that the 23-year-old died from “exsanguinating internal and external [bleeding] due to [a] perforating gunshot wound” to the chest.
Per the report, Selena was shot in the back before the bullet tore through her ribs, entered the “upper pulmonary lobe” and punctured her “chest wall.” Her subclavian artery was also hit by the bullet, which the corner noted contributed to her death.
The autopsy was performed just three hours after Selena died due to the immense public interest in the case.
Selena Quintanilla-Pérez Identified Her Killer
Horrified witnesses saw Selena stumble into the hotel lobby after the shooting, leaving a trail of blood behind her, according to the Oxygen original series, Selena and Yolanda: The Secrets Between Them.
Before collapsing on the hotel floor, Selena used her final words to identify the shooter, telling the staff, “Yolanda Saldívar, room 158.”
Saldívar was taken into custody after a nearly 10-hour standoff with police.
Prosecutors later argued that Saldívar killed Selena because the singer’s family believed she was embezzling money from Selena’s fan club and boutique. Selena’s father Abraham Quintanilla told investigators that he’d fired Saldívar and banned her from the family businesses before the fatal shooting, according to the Oxygen series.
Yolanda Saldívar Claims Shooting Was an Accident
Saldívar, however, has disputed the embezzlement allegations and claimed she wanted to stop working for the singer.
She insisted in Selena and Yolanda, “Selena, when she came into the [hotel] room, she kept trying to put guilt in me for not continuing with her, and how everything was going to crumble.”
Saldívar claimed that she had been threatening to kill herself with the weapon when Selena tried to leave the room and the gun went off.
“I said, ‘Don’t close the door,’” Saldívar claimed, “and pow! it went.”
Saldívar is currently serving out a life sentence. She was denied parole in March 2025 after the parole board concluded that she still posed “a continuing threat to public safety,” Oxygen confirmed at the time.
Selena’s life and tragic death are also the focus of the new Netflix documentary Selena y Los Dinos: A Family’s Legacy, a project championed by Selena’s husband Chris Pérez and her sister Suzette Quintanilla.
To learn more about the shocking case, watch Selena and Yolanda: The Secrets Between Them now through the Oxygen app.
