Selena also believes Dolores killed her father and has not seen her mother in 15 years. In 1975, Joe was an abusive alcoholic, and one night Dolores had threatened to kill him with a hatchet if he ever harmed her again. Selena, then 13 years old, was unaware her mother was being abused. Dolores went to work as a housemaid for millionaire Vera Donovan to save money to pay for Selena's education. Dolores went to the bank to withdraw her money so Selena and she could flee Joe's abuse. The plan was abandoned, however, when Dolores discovered that Joe had stolen the money from Selena's savings account.