Selena Quintanilla Perez was considered by many as the first female superstar in the Tejano music industry. Yolanda Saldivar was the president of Selena’s fan club and a dedicated employee. On March 31, 1995 Saldivar shot Selena at a Corpus Christi motel causing her death from the single gunshot. The shooting left many unanswered questions. This is a first-hand account of the trial of Yolanda Saldivar for the murder of Selena. It is a riveting, behind the scenes look at what happened before, during and after the trial as told by the man in charge of the prosecution, District Attorney Carlos Valdez. Learn the surprising answers to all of the questions raised during the trial. You’ll sit with the prosecution team as the trial unfolds and watch, not just what was publicly seen by the spectators, but also what went on beyond the glare of the media lights. Narrated in an easy-to-read, conversational style, by one of the principal players in this real life drama, this book is a must-read for anyone who has lingering questions about why the murder occurred in the first place. Every question will be answered.

There is no doubt that Yolanda Saldivar pulled the trigger and killed the beloved Tejano superstar Selena Quintanilla Perez. But does any of us know what really happened in Room 158 of the Days Inn, moments before Yolanda fired the gun that took Selena's life? Maria Celeste Arraras has many answers - and her unrivaled coverage of the murder, the trial, and the aftermath have made her an expert on the Selena case.

The district attorney who prosecuted the case against Yolanda Saldivar offers a firsthand account of the trial involving the death of Selena Quintanilla Perez, the Tejano music superstar whose murder sent shockwaves throughout the music world.

Selena Quintanilla was a vibrant performer, wildly popular in the growing field of Tejano music. But her rising star suddenly fell when she was murdered at the age of 23. Now her life, her work, and her musical legacy have been documented. This work recounts Selena's tragically short life, from the ups and downs of her career to her stunning transformation into a sensual Latina superstar.

An outpouring of memorial tributes and public expressions of grief followed the death of the Tejana recording artist Selena Quintanilla Pérez in 1995. The Latina superstar was remembered and mourned in documentaries, magazines, websites, monuments, biographies, murals, look-alike contests, musicals, drag shows, and more. Deborah Paredez explores the significance and broader meanings of this posthumous celebration of Selena, which she labels “Selenidad.” She considers the performer’s career and emergence as an icon within the political and cultural transformations in the United States during the 1990s, a decade that witnessed a “Latin explosion” in culture and commerce alongside a resurgence of anti-immigrant discourse and policy. Paredez argues that Selena’s death galvanized Latina/o efforts to publicly mourn collective tragedies (such as the murders of young women along the U.S.-Mexico border) and to envision a brighter future. At the same time, reactions to the star’s death catalyzed political jockeying for the Latino vote and corporate attempts to corner the Latino market. Foregrounding the role of performance in the politics of remembering, Paredez unravels the cultural, political, and economic dynamics at work in specific commemorations of Selena. She analyzes Selena’s final concert, the controversy surrounding the memorial erected in the star’s hometown of Corpus Christi, and the political climate that served as the backdrop to the touring musicals Selena Forever and Selena: A Musical Celebration of Life. Paredez considers what “becoming” Selena meant to the young Latinas who auditioned for the biopic Selena, released in 1997, and she surveys a range of Latina/o queer engagements with Selena, including Latina lesbian readings of the star’s death scene and queer Selena drag. Selenidad is a provocative exploration of how commemorations of Selena reflected and changed Latinidad.

Dreaming brings together lyrical renditions, little boys dancing "the washing machine," prayers over velas, and odes to purple, sparkly hips swaying to cumbia beats. There's thirty-three works of poetry, prose, and fiction on these pages that provide such narratives: "For Selena" by Timothy Daily-Valdés, "One of Us: Selena Quintanilla-Pérez" by Nancy de la Zerda, "La Milagrosa Selena" by Rubén Degollado and plenty more pieces showing the world the impact she continues to make on the dance floor and across generations.

20th Anniversary Edition An intimate and investigative portrait of beloved Mexican American singer Selena Quintanilla’s murder by Emmy Award-winning journalist María Celeste Arrarás. Now with a new foreword and afterword by the author for the 20th Anniversary Edition. There is no doubt that Yolanda Saldívar pulled the trigger and killed Tejano superstar Selena Quintanilla Pérez on March 31, 1995. But does anyone know what really happened in Room 158 of the Days Inn, moments before the crime took place? María Celeste Arrarás has many answers, and her unrivaled coverage of the murder, trial, and aftermath made her the undisputed expert on the Selena case. Arrarás shares firsthand information about the crime and the people involved—including details of her headline-making jailhouse interview with Yolanda, who repeatedly spoke of “Selena’s secret”—a powerful hidden piece of information that she refused to divulge in the courtroom but revealed to Arrarás at length. Many questions were raised, and not all were answered until this revealing interview shed light on the crime. Why was there a suitcase filled with Selena’s clothes at the murder scene? What was the significance of the jeweled ring, adorned with the initial S that fell from Selena’s bloody fist? Who was the doctor from Monterrey who called himself Selena’s confidant and business adviser? Selena’s Secret fits together the pieces of this puzzle and depicts what really happened on that rainy day in March.