October 11, 1995: The prosecution testimony of Chris Perez
(Nueces County District Attorney Carlos) Valdez: How old are you?
Chris Perez: 26
Valdez: Where do you live?
Perez: : Corpus Christi, Texas.
Valdez: How long have you lived there?
Perez: For about three years.
Valdez: What do you do for a living?
Perez: I am a musician.
Valdez: For about how long?
Perez: For approximately 8 years.
Valdez: When did you learn to play the guitar?
Perez: When I was about 15 or 16.
Valdez: How did you pick it up?
Perez: I learned it by myself.
Valdez: Did you join a band?
Perez: Not right away. I was about 18 when I joined a Tejano band.
Valdez: When did you start playing with Selena's band?
Perez: In about 1989 or 1990.
Valdez: When you joined Selena's band, did you meet someone special?
Perez: Yes, Selena. She turned out to be my wife.
Valdez: How did that relationship develop?
Perez: We started out as friends, then later on we got serious, then we got married.
Valdez: How long did you date?
Perez: We dated for about eight months before we got married.
Valdez: When did you get married?
Perez: We got married on April 2 of 1992.
Valdez: How was you relationship with you wife?
Perez: She was my wife.
Valdez: How was your relationship with your wife?
Perez: It was good.
Valdez: Do you still talk to them (Selena's family)?
Perez:: Yes.
Valdez: Do you plan to move?
Perez: Yes, I am looking for a place.
Valdez: Is that because of anything that has happened?
Perez:: No, not at all.
Valdez: When you started with the band, did you consider this your immediate family?
Perez:: Yes.
Valdez: How old were you when you married Selena?
Perez: Twenty-two
Valdez: How old was Selena?
Perez: Twenty.
Valdez: Do you know Yolanda Saldivar?
Perez:: Yes.
Valdez:: How long?
Perez: I don't remember the exact time. I don't know. Sometime in about 1990.
Valdez: What was Yolanda Saldivar to do?
Perez: She was to start a Fan Club.
Valdez: Did Yolanda become close to the family?
Perez: Yes, she did.
Valdez: Do you remember what Yolanda's job was?
Perez: At that time I think she was a registered nurse.
Valdez: Did Selena hire her?
Perez: Yes.
Valdez: When?
Perez: About a 1 1/2 years ago.
Valdez: What job did she hire her for?
Perez: To take care of the business.
Valdez: What business?
Perez: Planning and so forth.
Valdez: To take care of all of Selena's business?
Perez:: Yes.
Valdez: Was she Selena's chaperone?
Perez: No
Valdez: Did Selena need a chaperone?
Perez:: No.
Valdez: Did you and your wife go places together?
Perez:: Yes.
Valdez: Do you know how long Yolanda worked for Selena?
Perez:: For about eight months.
Valdez: Were you familiar with the business?
Perez: Yes.
Valdez:: Did you help Selena with the business?
Perez:: Yes.
Valdez:: What did you do?
Perez: We made decisions together.
Valdez: Whose money was it?
Perez: Selena's and mine.
Valdez:: What did Selena exactly do?
Perez: She tried to design clothes and sketch..It was individual designs..
Valdez:: What kind of designs?
Perez: Clothing. And al so people would have their nails done and their hair.
Valdez: Did Selena ever talk to you about drawing also?
Perez:: She wanted to open up her own store.
Valdez:: Did you talk on a regular basis?
Perez:: Yes.
Valdez:: How involved was Yolanda ?
Perez:: She was plenty involved.
Valdez: Did she write checks?
Perez:: Yes, she wrote checks, and withdrew money.
Valdez:: Did she have any credit cards?
Perez:: Yes.
Valdez: Was she on all of the accounts?
Perez:: She handled the business.
Valdez: Did you remove Yolanda from the checking account?
Perez: Yes.
Valdez: Do you remember the dates?
Perez:: The middle of March.
Valdez:: What happened that date?
Tinker: Objection.
Judge Westergren: Overruled.
Valdez: Why?
Perez: Selena and I didn't trust her .
Valdez: Why did you not trust her?
Perez: A lot of things were not accounted for.. We could not get a explanation for the things.
Valdez: When was the meeting called?
Perez:: On March 9 Selena called Yolanda on the phone.
Valdez: Did Selena fire her?
Perez: Yes, Selena fired her that night on the phone.
Tinker: Objection. Hearsay.
Valdez:: After that did Yolanda still work for you?
Perez: Yes.
Valdez: What was her job?
Perez: Going to Mexico and opening a clothing line of business.
Valdez: Why was it that she kept on working after she was fired?
Perez: At that time we were trying to collect paperwork and tax time was coming up.
Valdez: Did you ever get the paperwork?
Perez: We never got the paperwork.
Valdez: So that is why you kept her on.
Perez: Yes.
Valdez: Did you ever get all of the paperwork?
Perez:: No.
Valdez: Now let me ask you about March 30, 1995.
Valdez: Did you see Yolanda on that day?
Perez:: Yes.
Valdez:: Did Selena see her on that day?
Perez: Yes.
Valdez: How do you know?
Perez: I took Selena to the hotel.
Valdez:: What hotel?
Perez: The Days Inn.
Valdez: Why did you take her there?
Perez: To see Yolanda?
Valdez: What happened when you got there?
Perez: Selena went in.
Valdez: What did you do?
Perez: I stayed outside waiting, walking around the truck.
Valdez: Did Selena get the paperwork from Selena?
Perez: Yes.
Valdez: Was all of the paperwork there?
Perez: No.
Tinker: Objection.
Judge Westergren: Overruled.
Valdez: What happened?
:Perez: Selena got into the truck, and we looked at the paperwork. and she said that all of it was not there.
Valdez: So what did she do?
Perez: She didn't do anything. When we got home we could see that statements were missing.
Valdez: What did you do?
Perez: It was my decision to Selena to call Yolanda and to meet with her.
Valdez:: Did Selena meet with Yolanda again?
Perez:: The next morning. My father was staying with us and I was awakened with a scare when Selena opened the door. Selena left.
Valdez:: What did you do?
Perez: My father and I went shopping and when we returned some messages were on my message machine saying come to the hospital. And I didn't know that she was dead until I got to the hospital.
Valdez: How did you feel?
Perez: My wife was dead. I was devastated.
Valdez: Was Selena scared of her father?
Perez: No.
Valdez: Was he involved in Selena's business?
Perez: No.
Valdez: Did you have a business?
Perez: Yes.
Valdez: Was Selena's father involved?
Perez: No.
Valdez: Mr. Perez, have you ever threatened Yolanda Saldivar in any way?
Perez: No.
Valdez: Have you seen her since Selena's death?
Perez: No.
Judge: Do you have any questions?
Tinker: No, not at this time.
Editor's Note: Testimony was also heard Wednesday from Selena's sister Suzette and two employees of a San Antonio gun store and shooting range where the gun used in Selena's slaying was purchased.