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Twenty-five years ago, Selena Quintanilla-Perez was already a legend in the Tejano music world and on the verge of superstardom. But on March 31, 1995, Selena’s close friend Yolanda Saldívar pulled a gun from her purse and fired a single bullet. Selena was pronounced dead a short time later. Selena’s murder left her family, friends and fans around the world stunned, heartbroken and speechless. In the days, months and years that followed, one question would linger: "why?" Why would someone who claimed to be the singer’s best friend, someone so close to her, choose to end her life? What events in the hours and days before the murder led Saldívar to kill Selena? With access to an extraordinary…
At a Corpus Christi motel, you hear the case turn on what nobody saw.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A measured look at Selena's Texas legacy, where memorials, fandom, and parole keep the case present.
Selena's memory in Texas is anchored in public places: the white rose at Mirador de la Flor in Corpus Christi, the black wrought-iron fence around her nearby gravesite, and engraved bricks carrying notes from friends and family.
A reflective look at Selena's living legacy, from Corpus Christi memorials to the fans carrying her story forward.
Selena's legacy is traced through the places where devotion has settled into public memory: the white rose monument in Corpus Christi, her gravesite, and engraved bricks carrying messages from friends and family.
A guilty verdict leads into prison testimony, intimate recordings, and a late theory that leaves the case unsettled.
Yolanda Saldivar's guilty verdict leaves the episode in the uneasy pause before sentencing, with Selena's family and friends waiting for what comes next.
Old tapes, a prison visit, and a startling theory pull a courtroom aftermath back into personal territory.
Chapter 5 starts in October 1995, with Yolanda Saldivar found guilty of murdering Selena Quintanilla Perez and facing anything from five years to life.
A murder trial turns on the disputed aftermath of the shot and the standoff that followed.
Seven months after Selena's murder, the trial of Yolanda Saldivar narrows to a hard question: what happened after the shot. With no witness to the shooting beyond Saldivar herself, Judge Carlos Valdez frames the prosecution's case around the aftermath.
A 1960 McAllen murder, followed through church and courthouse.
Twenty-five years after Selena's death, Corpus Christi landmarks such as the Mirador de la Flor, her gravesite, HiHo, and the former filming locations preserve her public memory.
Selena: A Star Dies in Texas examines Selena’s memorials in Corpus Christi, Yolanda Saldívar’s parole eligibility, and repeated attempts to overturn her conviction.
In October 1995, a Harris County jury sentences Yolanda Saldívar to life in prison for Selena Quintanilla Pérez’s murder after rejecting the accident defense.
Selena: A Star Dies in Texas, Chapter 5 opens on October 1995, after Yolanda Saldívar is found guilty of murdering Selena Quintanilla Pérez and faces five years to life.
Selena: A Star Dies in Texas, Chapter 4 follows prosecutor Carlos Valdez as the trial of Yolanda Saldívar moves from Corpus Christi to Houston under intense public pressure.
Chapter 4 of Selena: A Star Dies in Texas follows Carlos Valdez as he prepares to prosecute Yolanda Saldívar amid more than 50,000 mourners and worldwide scrutiny.
Chapter 3 of Selena: A Star Dies in Texas follows the first days after Selena Quintanilla Perez was shot at a Corpus Christi motel and died at Memorial Hospital.
Selena: A Star Dies in Texas, “State of Mind | 3,” follows the first days after Selena Quintanilla Perez was shot at the Days Inn in Corpus Christi and died at Memorial Hospital.
Selena: A Star Dies in Texas, hosted by Corpus Christi journalist Rudy Trevino, traces Selena's rise from local performer to a singer preparing an English-language album after performing before more than 60,000 people at Houston's Astrodome.
On March 31, 1995, Selena takes Yolanda Saldívar to a Corpus Christi hospital after Saldívar reports a sexual assault in Mexico, then confronts her about missing fan club money at the Days Inn.
On March 31, 1995, Selena brings Yolanda Saldívar to a Corpus Christi hospital after Saldívar reports being raped in Mexico, then returns with her to Days Inn room 158 over missing fan-club money.
Selena: A Star Dies in Texas traces Selena's rise from Corpus Christi performer to a singer preparing an English-language album after a 60,000-person Houston Astrodome performance.