Wrong County Means No Appeal For Selena’s Killer

Saldivar recently asked the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals to move forward on an appeal she filed nine years ago. The court’s reply? She filed the appeal in the wrong county.

Saldivar filed the appeal in Nueces County, but the court told her the appeal should have been filed in Harris County, where she was tried and convicted of the shooting death of the 23-year-old singer.

Evidently, the Criminal Appeals Court takes such paperwork seriously. Because she filed in the wrong county, the court ruled Saldivar lost the appeal.

The murder of Selena wasn’t your typical fan-stalking-star incident. In the years leading up to the shooting, Saldivar founded a fan club for the young Tejano singer, and oversaw a Selena clothing business.

But evidence of embezzlement by Saldivar caused Selena to confront her at a Corpus Christi motel in 1995. Prosecutors argued during Saldivar’s trial that she had purposely shot Selena during the incident, although Saldivar always claimed the gun accidentally fired while she was gesturing with the firearm.

Jennifer Lopez starred as Selena in the 1997 movie based on the singer’s life. Lupe Ontiveros portrayed Saldivar.

Meanwhile, Saldivar, who is currently serving a life sentence for the shooting, has plenty of time to determine which is better – Google Earth or Yahoo Maps.