For the past 30 years, Selena Quintanilla's murdererYolanda Saldívar has been in prison after being convicted of killing the Grammy-winning star. Now, Saldívar is speaking out in a new documentary, in which she promises to share Selena's "secrets," and the Tejano singer's family is furious about her being given a platform. In an interview with TMZ, Selena's father, Abraham Quintanilla slammed Oxygen's docuseries, Selena & Yolanda: The Secrets Between Them, and insisted that Saldívar will tell "nothing but lies."
RELATED: 5 TV Episodes So Controversial They Sparked Protests.
According to TMZ, Abraham "tells us, in particular, he wants absolutely nothing to do with Yolanda herself ... cause everything she says is nothing but lies, and no one's gonna believe what she has to say anyway." The outlet continues, "In fact, Abraham wonders what more she has to say that she hasn't already ... reiterating that everyone knows there's zero truth to anything that comes out of her mouth."
TMZ reports that Abraham made "clear he and the rest of Selena's family are not involved or supportive of the project in any way, shape, or form."
Saldívar was serving as Selena's agent, the manager of her boutique stores, and the president of her fan club when she killed the star on March 31, 1995. Selena was 23 years old. Not long before the murder, it was discovered that Saldívar was embezzling money from the stores. When the two met up at a hotel to discuss the situation, Saldívar fatally shot Selena. Her defense attorney argued that the killing was accidental, but she was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 30 years. This means that Saldívar will be eligible for parole in March 2025.
According to Oxygen, "Selena & Yolanda: The Secrets Between Them marks the first time in over two decades that Saldívar has been interviewed extensively in English and on camera." The 63-year-old was interviewed from prison in Gatesville, Texas. The network promises that Saldívar "details her working relationship and friendship with Selena," and some family members "discuss the two women and share never-before-revealed documents and recordings in an effort to show there was more to the tragedy than the public knows."
"After so many years, I think it’s time to set the story straight," Saldívar says in the trailer for the docuseries, which airs Feb. 17 and 18. "My family gathered the evidence. It shows different versions of what was going on." She adds of Selena, "I knew her secrets, and I think that people deserve to know the truth."
Abraham has also denounced other projects about Saldívar and his daughter. As reported by Billboard, in 2019, he criticized the Telemundo miniseriesEl Secreto de Selena, which was adapted from the book by journalist Maria Celeste Arrarás. While the El Secreto de Selena is a fictionalized version of events, the book included an interview with Saldívar. In response to the show, Abraham wrote on Facebook, "The true story is that since the death of my beloved daughter Selena, my family and I have dedicated every second to protecting, elevating and honoring her short life."
