How has Yolanda Saldivar, who killed Selena in 1995, escaped the death penalty?
The convicted killer of Tejano music star Selena has lost an appeal in the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. Yolanda Saldivar had asked the court to order her appeal filed nine years ago to move forward, but the state’s highest criminal appeals court says it was filed in the wrong county. The court also said Wednesday that the order Saldivar sought from the court wasn’t proper. Saldivar’s murder case stemming from the 1995 fatal shooting of Selena in a Corpus Christi motel room was transferred to Harris County. The appeals court says the appeal should have been filed there. Sources: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D98NSTL01.
Killer’s sentence reduced to life An inmate from San Antonio had his death sentence commuted Wednesday to life in prison after the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals decided that he is mentally impaired and ineligible for execution. Timothy Cockrell, 45, was convicted of the robbery and slaying of 35-year-old Sandra Deptawa, who was found bound, gagged, beaten and strangled in the bathtub of her San Antonio home in 1992. In his confession to police, he said he intended to steal items to support a $600-a-day cocaine habit, acknowledged tying and gagging the woman, but said he remembered little else because he was high and hadn’t slept for three days. At his 1993 trial, prosecutors told jurors about Cockrell’s long criminal record, including 13 first-degree felony convictions in 10 years. His mental capacity also was an issue at the trial. A defense witness testified that IQ tests given to Cockrell seemed to show that he was in the lowest 3 percent of the population. Selena’s murderer loses
