Selena's killer to be booked into prison
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
7:40 AM 11/22/1995
CORPUS CHRISTI -- The woman convicted of killing Tejano star Selena is due to begin her life in prison today.
Yolanda Saldivar is expected to be moved from the Nueces County Jail to a state women's prison in Gatesville, where she will be isolated from other inmates for her own security, officials said Tuesday.
Saldivar, 35, was found guilty of murder Oct. 23 for shooting Selena once in the back March 31 at a Corpus Christi motel. She was given a life sentence and must serve at least 30 years before becoming eligible for parole.
Nueces County sheriff's deputy Pete Peralta said four deputies in two patrol cars would accompany Saldivar on the six- to eight-hour drive.
Larry Todd, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, said Saldivar will undergo a strip search in Gatesville, don a white hospital gown and thongs and go to a cell block for a preliminary examination. She will then have a photo made and identification card processed, take a shower and be assigned to a single, temporary cell.
In subsequent days, she will undergo a psychiatric interview, dental and eye exams, an IQ test and later an additional psychological examination, Todd said.
Officials also will gather information that includes a list specifying which 10 people will be allowed to visit her on weekends.
No more than two people may spend as many as four hours at a time with her on weekends. By the second week of her incarceration, a reception and diagnostic committee will decide where she should be imprisoned.
Possibilities are the 650-bed Mountain View Unit in Gatesville, which is 65 miles west of Waco, or the 1,356-bed Nat Neal Unit in Amarillo. Both facilities are for women only.
