Selena Quintanilla’s Family ‘Grateful’ After Her Killer Yolanda Saldívar Denied Parole: ‘Justice Continues to Stand’

The family of Selena Quintanilla-Perez is expressing gratitude after her killer, Yolanda Saldívar, was denied parole on Thursday, March 27.

“Today, we are grateful that the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles has chosen to deny parole for Yolanda Saldívar,” Selena’s loved ones wrote in an Instagram statement shared on her official account Thursday, just hours after the parole board’s decision.

They continued, “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.”

Selena’s family described her “legacy” as “one of love, music, and inspiration,” adding that the “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom” singer “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.”

The statement concluded by thanking fans for their “unwavering support throughout the years.”

“Your love has been a source of strength and healing. We will continue to celebrate Selena’s life – not the tragedy that took her from us — and we ask that all who cherish her do the same.”

 In a statement sent to PEOPLE on Thursday afternoon, the Texas Board of Pardons and Parole said, “After a thorough consideration of all available information, which included any confidential interviews conducted, it was the parole panels determination to deny parole to Yolanda Saldivar and set her next parole review for March 2030.”

The board cited the “nature of the offense” for its decision.

“The record indicates that the instant offense has elements of brutality, violence, assaultive behavior or conscious selection of victim’s vulnerability indicating a conscious disregard for the lives, safety, or property of others, such that the offender poses a continuing threat to public safety,” the board said in part.

Saldívar, now 64, fatally shot Selena at a Days Inn in Corpus Christi, Texas, on March 31, 1995. Saldívar, who was the manager of Selena’s clothing boutiques, Selena Etc., and the founder and president of her fan club, had just been fired by Selena’s family for allegedly forging checks to embezzle more than $30,000 from the fan club and boutiques.

Selena had come to the motel room to pick up business records needed to file taxes, court testimony said, per the Associated Press. Saldívar pulled out a gun and shot Selena in the back as she tried to run away. She was rushed to a local hospital, where she died from loss of blood and cardiac arrest.

Saldívar sat in her truck for nine hours and threatened to die by suicide before she turned herself in to the police.

Ahead of the parole board’s decision, former Nueces County District Attorney Carlos Valdez, who prosecuted the high-profile case, said granting Saldívar parole would be “a serious mistake,” KHOU reports.

“Lord knows what will happen if she is released,” Valdez said. “Based on what I’ve seen so far, I think it would be a serious mistake to grant her parole. I believe, I really believe, that the safest for Yolanda would probably be where she is.”