Selena Quintanilla autopsy revealed 30 years after singer's murder

by · Mail Online

Selena Quintanilla-Pérez's autopsy report has been unearthed, 30 years after she was murdered by a crazed fan.

The singer, dubbed the Queen of Tejano music, was gunned down aged just 23 by Yolanda Saldívar on March 31, 1995, in a crime that shocked the world. 

Saldívar shot Selena in the back at the Days Inn in Corpus Christi, Texas, after being repeatedly confronted about embezzling $60,000 through her work as fan club president and boutique manager.

At 11.48am, the dying star ran to the lobby to name Saldívar as her killer before collapsing.

Saldívar threatened to shoot herself during the ensuing ten-hour standoff with police. 

Selena was pronounced dead at 1:05pm after severe blood loss and suffering a cardiac arrest.

Amid the release of Netflix documentary Selena y Los Dinos: A Family Legacy, new details from the star's autopsy report have emerged - showing the extent of her devastating injuries. 

The Nueces County Medical Examiner rushed the report two-and-a-half hours after the Grammy winner was murdered, due to intense public interest in the case. 

Tragic Selena Quintanilla-Pérez's autopsy report has been unearthed, 30 years after the singer was murdered by a crazed fan in 1995 
Yolanda Saldívar (R) shot the iconic singer in the back at the Days Inn in Corpus Christi, Texas on March 31, 1995 - after being repeatedly confronted about embezzling $60,000 through her work as Selena's fan club president and boutique manager

Selena's green sweatshirt - where the bullet passed through - was mysteriously missing after her body arrived from the Corpus Christi Memorial Medical Center. Meanwhile, 'blood [was] present over many areas' of her clothing.

The bullet severed the singer's right subclavian artery and perforated her right upper pulmonary lobe [lung] before exiting the front of her chest, and had it gone one millimeter higher or lower she might have survived.

Coroner Lloyd White ruled Selena's death a homicide because of 'massive bleeding due to a perforating gunshot wound of the thorax [chest].'

Saldívar claimed the gunshot was an accident and pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder. 

She was convicted in October 1995 and sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole. 

Read More

Selena's family responds to murderer Yolanda Saldivar's parole update

More than 78,000 fans attended the singer's public memorial at Bayfront Auditorium, and her crossover English album Dreaming of You topped the US Billboard 200 chart four months after her death.

On March 27, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles denied release for Saldívar, who is serving a life sentence at Patrick O'Daniel Unit in Gatesville for first-degree murder. She will be up for parole again in 2030.

'While nothing can bring Selena back, this decision reaffirms that justice continues to stand for the beautiful life that was taken from us and from millions of fans around the world far too soon,' the Quintanilla family and her widower Chris Pérez wrote on Instagram.

The Nueces County Medical Examiner rushed the report two-and-a-half hours after the Grammy winner was gunned down, due to intense public interest in the case (pictured in 1995, one month before her murder)
Selena's green sweatshirt - where the bullet passed through - was mysteriously missing after her body arrived from the Corpus Christi Memorial Medical Center and 'blood [was] present over many areas' of her clothing (pictured in 1993)
The bullet severed the Queen of Tejano Music's right subclavian artery and perforated her right upper pulmonary lobe [lung] before exiting the front of her chest. Had it have gone one millimeter higher or lower she might have survived (pictured in 1994) 
Coroner Lloyd White ruled her death a homicide because of 'massive bleeding due to a perforating gunshot wound of the thorax [chest]' (pictured in 1995)
Selena with Saldivar, the president of her fan club, who went on to shoot her, in 1995
On March 27, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles denied parole for Saldívar - who's serving a life sentence at Patrick O'Daniel Unit in Gatesville for first-degree murder. She will be up for parole again in 2030 
'While nothing can bring Selena back, this decision reaffirms that justice continues to stand for the beautiful life that was taken from us and from millions of fans around the world far too soon,' the Quintanilla family and her widow Chris Pérez wrote on Instagram

'Selena's legacy is one of love, music, and inspiration. She lived with joy, gave selflessly, and continues to uplift generations with her voice and her spirit. 

'As her family and loved ones, we remain committed to preserving her memory and ensuring that her story is honored with the dignity and respect it deserves.'

Serena's sister Suzette and brother AB served as executive producers on the fully authorized Netflix documentary, which features never-before-seen footage and new interviews with family and band members.

The Sundance/SXSW Film Festival darling currently has a 94 percent critic approval rating (out of 17 reviews) on Rotten Tomatoes.

Fans can now stream Isabel Castro's new 105-minute documentary Selena y Los Dinos, which premiered Monday on Netflix
Serena's sister Suzette (third from right, pictured March 12) and brother AB were executive producers on the film, which features never-before-seen footage and new interviews with family and band members
The Sundance/SXSW Film Festival darling currently has a 94 percent critic approval rating (out of 17 reviews) on Rotten Tomatoes
The Latina superstar's widower Chris Pérez (left, pictured in 1994) says he still thinks about her every day
Jennifer Lopez played the doomed singer in the 1997 biopic, Selena (pictured)

The Latina superstar's widow Chris Pérez said he still thinks about her every day, dividing his life between before her death and after her death.

'I can't watch the end of the documentary about her death. It's just difficult,' the 56-year-old guitarist told People last Saturday.

'As time has gone on, you romanticize it even more. The love story is a big part of her legacy. My most prized possessions are her love letters. I hope that her fans, or the people who watch the documentary, understand how lucky I feel to even have that.'

Pérez went on to have two children - son Noah and daughter Cassie - during his seven-year marriage to second wife Vanessa Villanueva, which ended in 2008.

'When I'm making a decision, I can hear her in my head, like, "I don't know — are you sure you wanna do that?"' he said.

The Netflix documentary comes five years after Selena: The Series featuring Christian Serratos and 28 years after biopic Selena, starring a then-unknown Jennifer Lopez.