The Neighbor Across The Street

Summary

Podcast Summary: 48 Hours – “The Neighbor Across The Street”
Release Date: August 3, 2026

---

Episode Overview

This gripping 48 Hours episode tells the story of Katina Salerno's 1979 murder by her ex-boyfriend and neighbor, Stephen Burns, and follows her family's multi-decade fight to keep him in prison. Through interviews, archival clips, and emotional testimony, the episode explores the traumatic impact on the Salerno family, their advocacy for victims’ rights, the complexities of the parole process, and the haunting legacy of domestic violence and loss.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Salerno Family and Katina’s Legacy

Timestamps: 01:45–08:04

• Family Foundation:
  The Salerno family is described as a loving, middle-class household, active in their community and faith.
  • Nina Salerno: “I think the best way to describe it is it typified a middle class American family that valued their faith, valued family, valued community as well.” (07:24)
• Katina's Character:
  Katina was “the heart and soul of the family,” a compassionate, ambitious young woman set on becoming a dentist.
  • Regina Salerno: “She had such a good heart. She loved being the older sister.” (07:54)
• The Boy Across the Street:
  The Salernos welcomed the new neighbors, the Byrnes. A friendship between Katina and Stephen Burns evolved into an intense teenage romance.

---

2. Warning Signs and Stalking

Timestamps: 08:13–11:13; 14:11–15:03; 25:03–25:58

• Controlling Behavior:
  Katina attempted to break off the relationship as she prepared to start college, but Stephen struggled to accept it.
  • Regina Salerno: “Steve said that if I broke up with him, he would kill me.” (10:37)
• Unsettling Incidents:
  The night before Katina left for college, Stephen was reportedly seen lurking outside the sisters’ bedroom window with a suspicious metallic sound—possibly wielding the stolen gun.
  • Nina Salerno: “I think if I had opened the window and he got in, there’d be three dead girls.” (25:52)

---

3. The Crime

Timestamps: 13:50–21:09

• Murder at College:
  On Katina’s first day at University of the Pacific, Stephen followed her, ultimately fatally shooting her in the back of the head after arranging a final meeting.
  • Kevin Arlan (witness): “She was still alive. She was unconscious, but there was a big pool of blood around her head.” (17:07)
• Immediate Aftermath:
  Burns returned to his dorm, showed no visible panic, and denied involvement. Police were unable to detain him due to insufficient evidence initially, but following a threat disclosed by her family, he was arrested two days later.
  • Harriet Salerno: “I just said to Mike, it’s Steve. Mike, it's Steve. I don’t know why. I just had that feeling.” (20:38)

---

4. The Impact on the Family

Timestamps: 23:06–24:37

• Grief and Regret:
  The loss left the Salerno family fractured, with enduring guilt over missed warning signs and not reporting Stephen’s threats.
  • Regina Salerno: “What if I had said something? What if we told them about the threat?” (23:35)
  • Harriet Salerno: “I didn’t even care. I even lived. I wanted to join Katina.” (24:06)

---

5. The Justice System & Trial

Timestamps: 26:00–27:16

• Trial Experience:
  The family experienced frustration with a justice system perceived to favor the defendant, and young Nina had to testify alone without adult support.
  • Nina Salerno: “The only person I knew in the courtroom was the guy that had murdered my sister.” (26:39)
• Legal Outcome:
  Burns was convicted of 2nd degree murder and sentenced to 17 years to life—less than the family expected.

---

6. Decades of Parole Hearings

Timestamps: 27:16–32:18

• Relentless Advocacy:
  The Salernos became fierce advocates, attending every single parole hearing—thirteen in total—and organizing public support.
  • Nina Salerno: “Not just because he murdered Katina, but because he is a dangerous murderer that will kill or harm again. And that’s just the bottom line.” (30:55)
• Victims’ Rights Movement:
  Harriet founded Crime Victims United, which achieved significant legal reforms, such as allowing victim impact statements and support people for child witnesses.
  • Nina Salerno: “She’s my hero. I mean, absolute hero.” (32:58)

---

7. Has Stephen Burns Changed?

Timestamps: 33:26–37:44

• Disputed Reform:
  Some believe Stephen has grown (college degree, hospice work). Others, including family and a supportive prison friend, cite continued minimization of his responsibility and concerning behaviors.
  • Deputy DA Robert Himmelblau: “His story has changed at least 12 times over the years.” (33:39)
  • Nina Salerno: “The shooting of the gun murdered my sister. But the behaviors and the need for his power and control and the obsessiveness is what makes him dangerous.” (34:34)
• Prison Testimony:
  Professor reported disturbing, manipulative conduct by Burns towards her in prison.
  • Nina Salerno: “He was relentless towards her because she would not allow him into a class.” (35:04)

---

8. The 2025 Parole Hearing

Timestamps: 31:16–47:43

• Legal Shifts:
  Discussion of California laws considering youth at the time of offense and elderly parole programs. Statistical evidence presented that recidivism for such parolees is low.
  • Keith Whatley (Uncommon Law): “He does seem like somebody who, under the law, should be granted parole.” (41:54)
• Emotional Toll and the Fight Continues:
  The family remains vigilant and fearful.
  • Harriet Salerno: “I am shaky. Very shaky. You are right now, yes. I’m afraid of him being released. I just afraid that he’ll come after us.” (44:11)
• Hearing Outcome:
  Burns was once again found unsuitable for parole—a ruling that brought relief but a recognition that the battle will return in another five years.
  • Nina Salerno: “Even after 45 years in prison, we see very little change on those issues.” (45:55)
  • Kevin Anderson: “This man is absolutely not ready to be released.” (47:01)

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Nina Salerno (on family’s mission):
  “My dad passed away in 2013. His last words to me were, whatever it takes. You protect your mom and you fight to keep Steve in prison.” (01:45)
• Regina Salerno (on guilt):
  “It’s the hole in my heart for missing my sister and what we could have had together.” (23:44)
• Harriet Salerno (on Katina's loss):
  “We thought we were doing good and everything would be fine, and never thought the boy across the street would murder our daughter.” (11:13)
• Parole Reflection:
  Reporter/Interviewer: “But isn’t it likely at one of these hearings he’s going to get out?”
  Harriet Salerno: “That’s my biggest fear, is getting out.” (04:30)
• On system change:
  Reporter/Interviewer: “Before Harriet Salerno, victims in California weren’t allowed to give impact statements at sentencing. Now they are...” (32:29)
• After the most recent hearing:
  Nina Salerno: “Katina, it’s the best birthday present I think we can give you. Was that denial.” (47:32)

---

Important Timestamps

• 01:45 – Opening: Family loss and mission
• 10:37 – First disclosure of Stephen's threats
• 17:07 – Katina’s body discovered on campus
• 25:03 – Burns stalking the Salerno household before the murder
• 26:39 – Nina’s testimony and trauma during the trial
• 30:55 – Rationale for family’s ongoing vigilance at parole hearings
• 32:29 – Victims’ rights legal reforms led by Harriet
• 33:39 – DA Himmelblau on Burns’ shifting stories
• 35:04 – Burns’ pattern of obsessive behavior in prison
• 41:54 – Legal context for parole (Whatley commentary)
• 44:11 – Harriet’s fear before the latest parole hearing
• 45:55 – Parole board’s justification for denying release
• 47:01 – Kevin Anderson’s reversal after reading hearing transcript
• 47:32 – The family’s visit to the cemetery on Katina's birthday

---

Tone and Language

The episode balances the sorrow of bereavement, the resolute tone of advocacy, and the tension of parole hearings. The voices of the Salerno women reflect both lasting pain and determination. Officials, advocates, and even one reformed inmate provide measured, sometimes hopeful, sometimes skeptical, assessments of justice’s ability to rehabilitate.

---

Closing

This episode is a powerful narrative about loss, the long reach of trauma, the evolution of victims’ rights, and the never-ending vigilance of one family in the face of profound injustice. Despite decades passing, “The Neighbor Across The Street” asks whether true change and closure are ever possible for either victims’ families or those who commit the most personal of crimes.

Transcript

[Narrator/Host]

On this show, we cover what happens in the hardest moments. But there's another side to every story. The people who show up, the ones who run toward crisis, who stop the bleeding, who bring people back. Doctors, nurses, first responders, the people who hold the line. Most of them, they wear figs. Back to school. Season often means lectures, labs and late nights for healthcare workers in training. It's also a reminder that in medicine, education never really ends. And right now, figs just dropped s fresh colors and exclusive back to school styles. And the best part? Everything's 20% off site wide for a limited time. From scrubs to outerwear to footwear and beyond, figs keeps awesome humans looking sharp, performing their best, and ready to take on anything from marathon lab sessions to 12 hour shifts. So if you're in healthcare or know someone who is, don't miss out on 20% off for back to school. Happening now through August 11th at wearfigs.com that's wherefigs.com With Squarespace, you can do more than just build a website. You can build a business. Squarespace helps restaurants and hotels showcase signature offerings and experiences. And with Squarespace, consultants and photographers can create invoices to collect well earned payments. You can even send email newsletters to keep in touch with your loyal customers. Done. So grow your [e-mail] get started with offer code make it real for 10% off your website or domain.

[Nina Salerno]

My dad passed away in 2013. His last words to me were, whatever it takes. You protect your mom and you fight to keep Steve in prison.

[Kevin Anderson]

Katina Salerno was only 18 years old when she was shot in the head and killed by her boyfriend

[Nina Salerno]

with the flash of a gun. My whole world just got turned upside down.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

Steven Burns was convicted of murdering Katina Salerno in 1979.

[Harriet Salerno]

He just looks dangerous. It's like a killer face.

[Nina Salerno]

If you looked at his eyes. There is nothing behind him. He has no soul. My name is Nina Salerno and I am the sister of Katina. Stephen Burns was sentenced to 17 years to life in 1990. After just 10 years, Stephen Burns came up for parole. My parents, my sister Regina, myself and friends and family traveled to Vacaville State Prison to protest his release.

[Stephen Burns]

As a father, I closed her casket and buried my 18 year old child who was murdered by this animal. God dammit. This is a body bag of my daughter. This is what you did to her. Steve.

[Nina Salerno]

46 years since Katina's death has not diminished one ounce of that pain.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

Where are we going?

[Nina Salerno]

We are heading to the San Joaquin County District attorney's office.

[Harriet Salerno]

I am shaky, very shaky.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

You are right now. How many parole hearings have you attended?

[Nina Salerno]

Number 13.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

You've been at every single one of these?

[Harriet Salerno]

Yes, every single one.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

As Steve Burns heads into his 13th parole hearing. What are you thinking?

[Kevin Anderson]

I'm thinking that he's no longer a risk to commit the kind of crime he committed coming into prison. I've known Steve Burns for over two decades.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

You don't think he's a danger?

[Kevin Anderson]

I don't think he's a serious danger. If he were to be released, if

[Reporter/Interviewer]

somebody looked at this and said, it's been 45 years. Is this now just about vengeance?

[Regina Salerno]

No, it's not. Keeping Steve in jail is not about vengeance for me. It's fear. Fear for my family.

[Kevin Anderson]

I think he has a very good chance of being found suitable.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

Isn't it likely at one of these hearings he's going to get out?

[Harriet Salerno]

That's my biggest fear, is getting out.

[Stephen Burns]

Erin Moriarty reports. The boy across the street.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

It shook the entire campus at the University of the Pacific. A freshman on her first day of College in 1979, found unconscious, bleeding from her head in a remote area of the school. Her name was Katina Salarno. Harriet and Mike Salarno were getting ready for bed when the phone rang at their San Francisco home. Mike answered it. His tone signaled the news.

[Harriet Salerno]

And I said, what's wrong? He says, Katina's been shot and she's in the emergency room.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

The Salerno's two younger daughters, Regina and Nina, rushed to their side. Then the phone rang again

[Harriet Salerno]

and they said, you, daughter passed away.

[Nina Salerno]

I don't think it can be described in words what it's like to watch your mom collapse, crying. My dad, very, very strong man. But you could tell he was shaken to the cor

[Regina Salerno]

and life just stopped. I literally, life stopped, Completely stopped.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

You got the keys to the car?

[Stephen Burns]

Yeah.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

48 hours. First met the Salarno family in 1990. Harriet and Mike were making their weekly visit to Katina's resting place.

[Stephen Burns]

I think coming out here and being able to talk to Katina gives me a peace of mind also that I can still communicate with my daughter, that it isn't the final end.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

At the time, Katina had been gone for 10 years and her family was just embarking on a decades long journey to keep her killer behind bars.

[Stephen Burns]

It's the first skirmish in a long, long battle that this weed started today.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

It was not a journey they had ever expected to make. Harriet, did you and Michael really have kind of the perfect Life as parents, three kids.

[Harriet Salerno]

Yes, to answer you, yes. We were so blessed.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

Both Mike and Harriet were juvenile commissioners assigned by the city of San Francisco to mentor boys and girls. Their arms and and home were always open, says Nina, the youngest daughter.

[Nina Salerno]

I think the best way to describe it is it typified a middle class American family that valued their faith, valued family, valued community as well.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

They spent blissful summer days at the cabin in the mountains. Three carefree sisters with Katina leading the pack. Says regina younger, by 18 months, she

[Regina Salerno]

was the heart and soul of the family. She had such a good heart. She loved being the older sister.

[Nina Salerno]

I think the best way to describe Katina is she is that person every person should meet in their life. She just brought an air of kindness.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

When Katina was 14, a new family, the Byrnes, moved in across the street in San Francisco. There were four children, a girl and three boys, all about the same age as the Salerno sisters.

[Regina Salerno]

And we were spying on them. So we all made a big batch of cookies, giggled all the way across the street, knocked on the door, introduced ourselves and gave them a batch of homemade cookies.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

Soon the friendship between the oldest Salarno sister and the second oldest Burns brother blossomed into a young love. Katina and Stephen Burns started dating in the 10th grade. How would you describe Stephen Burns?

[Regina Salerno]

Well, he was the big brother I never had, you know, and for me it was like, God, I have a big brother. And I was, I just thought he was great because we got to go to the football games.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

Steve, who went to an all boys Catholic school, was a star athlete and captain of the football team. He and Nina, a basketball and volleyball player, bonded over their shared love of sports.

[Nina Salerno]

I love Steve. I idolized him. He was a great athlete. He coached my team so he would help me with my shot and he took the time to do that.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

Mike took Steve, who had a difficult relationship with his own dad under his wing. He not only mentored him, he gave him a job at his TV store delivering TVs.

[Regina Salerno]

And my dad, who embraces everybody, brought him in and treated him as a son.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

Mike trusted him completely, says Regina. They all did. Did you ever see anything between Steve and Katina that worried you?

[Harriet Salerno]

I have to tell you, I've given hours and hours of thought of that. Why didn't I see this? What was it?

[Nina Salerno]

You sometimes are close to people. You don't always see little signs or you ignore them.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

But with hindsight, the sisters say there were signs. In her senior year, Katina, who had been accepted to the University of the Pacific wanted to break up with Stephen, but he wasn't having it, says Regina. He started threatening her.

[Regina Salerno]

He said that Steve said that if I broke up with him, he would kill me.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

But at the time, neither sister took him seriously. Neither one of you told your parents?

[Regina Salerno]

We just figured he was just saying it. And because of what our relationship was over the years, why would we believe that he enjoyed being part of their family? Why would he destroy a family that he loved?

[Reporter/Interviewer]

Mike and Harriet never heard about that incident, never imagined that the life they knew would come to an end.

[Harriet Salerno]

We thought we were doing good and everything would be fine, and never thought the boy across the street would murder our daughter.

[Narrator/Host]

Summer adds up fast. A trip here, a dinner there, a couple of outdoor concerts. With all the extra expenses this season brings, it's easy to wonder if you're getting the most out of your money. That's why you need to check out Chime. They are completely changing the game with rewarding fee free banking, meaning no monthly fees, no minimum balance requirements and absolutely no overdraft fees. My younger self definitely, definitely could have benefited from that. It gets better, too. You can get 5% cash back on your Chime card in a category of your choice. I'm talking everyday purchases like gas or groceries, all while building your credit through everyday spending with no credit check required. Plus, your savings grow faster with an interest rate that's nine times the national average. Join the millions who are already banking fee free with America's number one choice for banking. Head to chime.com 48hours that's chime.com 48hours. Sign up now. It only takes a few minutes. Chime is a fintech, not a bank. Banking services and Chime card provided by Chime's bank partners. Qualifying direct deposits required terms and limits apply. Go to chime.com disclosures for details. Summer is flying by, and if your calendar looks anything like mine, it's packed with plans to squeeze in before the season ends. But more plans mean you need more energy, not more complicated steps in your morning routine. Groons can help make your morning a little simpler. It's a convenient, comprehensive formula in one delicious daily pack of gummy bears. It isn't a multivitamin, a greens gummy or a prebiotic. It's all those things and then some. It's a fraction of the price. You get over 20 bioavailable vitamins and minerals, and the ingredients are backed by over 35,000 research publications. Instead of choking down earthy powders or swallowing a handful of Oversized pills. You just open one daily pack of grunds. Plus, they taste great, so you actually remember to take them every single day. Even better, each pack delivers six full grams of prebiotic fiber, which is three times the fiber of standard greens powders and equivalent to over 2 cups of broccoli. Save up to 52% off with code hours at Gruns Co. That's code hours at Gruns Co.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

When Katina arrived at the University of the Pacific UOP in September of 1979, she thought she had left Steven Burns behind for good. He said he was going to Santa Clara University and she was going to begin pursuing her longtime goal.

[Regina Salerno]

She knew she was going to become a dentist. She knew exactly what she was going to do. It was planned for her. That was her goal, her dream.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

But Katina's excitement was cut short soon after, the Salernos got to campus.

[Regina Salerno]

We were staying overnight and we went to the hotel lobby. And then all of a sudden there's Steve and his sister and family, and we're like, what are you doing here? And he says, well, I'm going uop.

[Nina Salerno]

That's really the first time I heard a lot of panic in her voice because that just caught her off guard.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

For the first time, Katina turned to her father for help.

[Regina Salerno]

My dad walked up to him and said, okay, Steve, leave Katina alone. She has told you that you guys move on to your own ways. Be friends and know that I will always be here for you.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

The Salarnos headed back to San Francisco, and Katina and Steve each moved into their respective dorm rooms on opposite sides of the campus. Steven's new roommate, Les Serpa, remembers walking in the room and seeing Katina's picture everywhere.

[Stephen Burns]

He said his girlfriend was at Pacific as well. There were pictures of her and him together, more pictures than I had ever seen before, but they were everywhere on his desk.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

He didn't mention that she had wanted to break up.

[Stephen Burns]

Not at all. It was all very positive. Everything was great.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

Across campus, Katina was settling in with her new roommate, Joanne Marks. Then came a knock on the door. It was Steve Burns. After he left, Katina told me that he wanted to meet with her later in the evening for the last time. She was not looking forward to meeting with him, but she was looking forward to it being the last time. She believed that he would stop bothering her. Joanne says Steve came by to pick up Katina about 7:45 that evening. I said something like, you know, have a good evening. And he kind of just grunted. Katina told Joanne she would see her later, but that later never came.

[Stephen Burns]

I think it was probably close to here.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

A freshman out for a walk named Kevin Arlan would be the one to discover why. It was around 9:45 at night when he saw something on the sidewalk.

[Stephen Burns]

And I kept walking and realized that's a person and figured I needed to go get some help.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

Kevin, unnerved by what he saw, rushed back to his dorm and, and got a resident advisor. They both ran back to the scene

[Stephen Burns]

and we got up to her and it was a young lady that was laying on the ground and she was still alive. She was unconscious, but there was a big pool of blood around her head.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

Kevin would later find out it was 18 year old Katina Rose Salerno. She had been shot in the back of the head.

[Stephen Burns]

Her arms were twisted in a way that I never thought the human body could twist.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

Do you remember her face?

[Stephen Burns]

I just remember the blood.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

That had to be heartbreaking.

[Stephen Burns]

Yeah, I knew it was tragic. I knew it was very serious, A very serious injury.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

While the two men waited for the ambulance to arrive, Stephen Burns returned to his dorm room where his roommate Les was watching Monday Night Football.

[Stephen Burns]

He went and laid on the bed, propped up a pillow and started watching the game.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

Did he seem nervous at all?

[Stephen Burns]

He was not nervous at all.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

The ambulance arrived around 10pm and rushed Katina to St Joseph's Hospital. She was still alive, barely years later, her family would learn she was not alone. Randy Haight, at the time, a young patrol officer who was at the crime scene, met his partner at the hospital.

[Stephen Burns]

I said, where's the family? And he says, she's a student at UoP from out of town. They're not here. I said, is anybody with her? He says, haven't seen anybody. It's just us.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

Katina Rose was pronounced dead at nine minutes after midnight.

[Stephen Burns]

We made the decision to sit with Katina until the coroners came. Even though she had passed, I just didn't feel right leaving her alone. I prayed. I said a prayer for her.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

By then, homicide detectives were at Katina's dorm talking to Joanne. I told the police that Katina had been picked up by Steve Burns. And I told them which dorm he was from. Les and Steven were in their room when there was a knock on the door.

[Stephen Burns]

I opened the door and you know, there's like five guys out there in suits. So I stepped out a little bit, say hello. And I could see at the end of each hall was full of police officers. And then they asked to search our room. They went through Everything. Every bag, every drawer, everything.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

What were they looking for?

[Stephen Burns]

I didn't know at the time, but later I learned they were looking for a weapon, for a gun.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

Steven Burns was pulled from the room and taken to the Stockton police station where he was fingerprinted and photographed. Officer Hape recalls seeing him there.

[Stephen Burns]

He did not appear to be upset in any way.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

Burns told the police he didn't meet Katina on campus that night and that he spent the evening in his dorm room watching Monday Night Football without the gun. It was never found. The police didn't have enough evidence to hold him. Stephen Burns was released. His father took him back to San Francisco. The police didn't publicly name a suspect, but Harriet Salerno didn't need a name. She already knew it.

[Harriet Salerno]

I just said to Mike, it's Steve. Mike, it's Steve. I don't know why. I just had that feeling.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

After talking to the family, the police learned that Steven had threatened to kill Katina if she broke up with him. Two days after the murder of Katina Rose Salerno, Stephen Burns was arrested at his home just across the street from where Katina grew up.

[Nina Salerno]

I remember sitting up in the window watching them walk him out in handcuffs and putting him in the patrol car. My whole world got taken from me and really the flash of a gun, I mean, everything was gone.

[Sponsor/Advertisement Voice]

True crime is full of unanswered questions.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

But earning your degree doesn't have to be a mystery. That's where Southern New Hampshire University comes in.

[Sponsor/Advertisement Voice]

SNHU offers more than 200 online degree

[Reporter/Interviewer]

programs with flexibility that puts you in the driver's seat and trusted support to keep you on track.

[Sponsor/Advertisement Voice]

Even when life takes an unexpected turn,

[Reporter/Interviewer]

Find the answers you're searching [e-mail] 48 hours. I'm Emma GRD, host of Aspire with Emma Greed, a podcast where I sit down with people who don't just dream big, they build big. From culture shaping voices like Mel Robbins, to leaders redefining success like Tracee Ellis Ross, to game changing entrepreneurs like Mark Cuban, Aspire is about mindset, ambition, and doing the work that actually moves the needle. If you're ready to raise your standards and take charge about the life and career you're building, Aspire is where you start, follow and listen to Aspire with with me, Emma Greed, an audacy podcast available wherever you get your podcasts.

[Sponsor/Advertisement Voice]

If you're an experienced pet owner, you already know that having a pet is 25% belly rubs, 25% yelling drop it. And 50% groaning at the bill. From every pet visit. Which is why Lemonade pet insurance is tailor made for your pet and can save you up to 90% on vet bills. It can help cover checkups, emergencies, diagnostics, basically all the stuff that makes your bank account get nervous. Claims are filed super easily through the Lemonade app and half get settled instantly. Get a'@lemonade.com pet and they'll help cover the vet bill for whatever your pet swallowed after you yelled drop it.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

Learning to live without their daughter has been a lifelong journey for Katina's parents. One crippled by what ifs, Mike Salarno never stopped blaming himself.

[Harriet Salerno]

He felt that as a father, he let her down.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

For decades, Katina's sisters have also grappled with regret, wishing they had told their parents about Stephen Burns threatening to kill Katina.

[Regina Salerno]

What if I had said something? What if we told them about the threat?

[Reporter/Interviewer]

You're living with guilt, too, and it

[Regina Salerno]

doesn't change after 40 years. It's the hole in my heart for missing my sister and what we could have had together.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

In the wake of the murder, each member of the family retreated into their own private grief.

[Harriet Salerno]

I didn't even care. I even lived. I wanted to join Katina.

[Regina Salerno]

I didn't know what to do anymore. My whole plan, my whole world, my whole bubble blew up.

[Nina Salerno]

I mean, I never felt that kind of hurt. I lost my entire family because they fell apart. It was painful enough that my sister had been murdered, but the person that I viewed as a brother and loved betrayed me by taking her life.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

The Salernos would learn that the young man they had trusted had stolen a gun from Mike's store weeks before Katina's murder. You believe he planned that murder?

[Harriet Salerno]

Oh, absolutely, yes.

[Nina Salerno]

The fact that he stole the gun prior, there was no reason for the stealing of the gun otherwise.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

They came to believe Stephen may have been planning to use that gun to kill Katina even before she left for college.

[Regina Salerno]

The night before we took her to uop, I heard this noise outside, and it was Steve Burns pacing in front of the bedroom window. He had a big white towel wrapped around his left hand.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

Regina says Burns tried to climb up the side of their house and enter through the window of the bedroom the girls shared. But Katina told him to leave,

[Regina Salerno]

and she said, no, I'm not opening the window. Go to bed, Steve. I'm going to school tomorrow. You know, stop. Just stop. Just stop.

[Nina Salerno]

Then there was a sound like he fell. And it was a very distinct sound of metal hitting metal.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

What do you think now when you look back on that, that sound of metal against metal.

[Nina Salerno]

I think if I had opened the window and he got in, there'd be three dead girls.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

You think he had a gun with him then?

[Nina Salerno]

Absolutely.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

Six months after Katina's death, 19 year old Stephen Burns went on trial for her murder. It was a bitter awakening for the Salarnos who say there was more concern for the defendant and his rights than there was for his victim. Neither of Katina's parents were allowed in the courtroom, not even while Nina, who was only 14 years old at the time, took the stand. She had to testify at the trial on her own without a victim's advocate to support her. What was that like on the stand?

[Harriet Salerno]

Ugh.

[Nina Salerno]

I think the best word was just awful. I was in a courtroom. The only person I knew in the courtroom was the guy that had murdered my sister.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

The prosecution argued that Burns met Katina that night carrying the stolen gun with the intention of killing her if she wouldn't continue their relationship. Still, the jury did not convict him of premeditated first degree murder. He was found guilty of second degree murder and was sentenced to 17 years to life with the possibility of parole.

[Nina Salerno]

We all thought 17 years to life meant life, that they would never let him out.

[Stephen Burns]

He should be in prison the rest of his life.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

They would learn they were wrong. Just 10 years into his sentence, Stephen Burns came up for parole. The Salarnos were outraged. I had no idea the parole system was so rotten. Here they are in 1990 talking to then 48 Hours correspondent Bernard Goldberg the night before the first parole hearing.

[Stephen Burns]

Okay. Stephen Burns was handed down a 17 to life sentence.

[Harriet Salerno]

That's right.

[Stephen Burns]

Here we are 10 years later.

[Harriet Salerno]

That's right.

[Stephen Burns]

But you don't want him out after 17 years, after 20 years, after 25. Is that fair?

[Reporter/Interviewer]

Oh, that's a very fair question.

[Nina Salerno]

Absolutely.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

I don't want him out, but I don't even want to go up there before 17 years because that's what I was told going into this hearing. They know there's a chance he could get out. On March 28, 1990, the Salernos and a bus full of supporters headed to Stephen Burns parole hearing.

[Stephen Burns]

That bus ride was the longest ride in my life. First hardest thing was when she died. This is the second.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

For the first time since Katina's murder, the Salarnos confronted the man

[Harriet Salerno]

they had

[Reporter/Interviewer]

once considered part of the family.

[Stephen Burns]

Steve sentenced my daughter to death forever. I ask for a fair trade. I ask you to sentence Steve to life in prison.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

Then it was Byrne's turn To speak.

[Stephen Burns]

It's hard to say in words how difficult it is to live day today about the feelings I have inside, about what I did. Regardless of what I do, I can't bring Katina back. But I know this, that I am deeply sorry for what I did. And I will work each day of

[Kevin Anderson]

my life, whether it be in prison

[Stephen Burns]

or out on outside to make up.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

He apologized, but the Salar knows noticed he never looked at them while he did it.

[Nina Salerno]

If you can't look at someone in the face and say you're sorry, then

[Reporter/Interviewer]

you know damn well no one's sorry. After an excruciating wait, the board is deliberating right now. We don't know what those commissioners are thinking. The parole board came back with a decision. Stephen Burns was found unsuitable for release. But he would get another chance at freedom in two years. Two years. We got two years. And I feel very, very drained.

[Harriet Salerno]

And I know my family's so, so worn out.

[Kevin Anderson]

Two years.

[Stephen Burns]

What about the Solano family?

[Nina Salerno]

We'll be back. We'll be back.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

And back they would come over and over again for the next 35 years. There is one thing you can count on with the Salaros every week for almost 46 years. All right, they've gone to the cemetery where Katina now rests.

[Nina Salerno]

I'm going to get the water out of the flowers.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

These days there's another grave to tend. Mike Salarno died in 2013 of cancer. There's something else you could be sure of. Every time Stephen Burns comes up for parole, they will be there.

[Nina Salerno]

Thank you for the strength that you on all of us. And as we face this next parole hearing, we all said we would be back. And we've continued to be back 12 times. Not just because he murdered Katina, but because he is a dangerous murderer that will kill or harm again. And that's just the bottom line.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

In January 2025, they were about to go to their 13th parole hearing.

[Nina Salerno]

Give this family the strength to continue to fight.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

That fight for victims rights has shaped all of their lives.

[Regina Salerno]

Was I going to be a nurse 40 years ago? No. And now I am. The reason why I did it is because I swore nobody would die alone.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

Nina was so traumatized by the trial, she vowed she would become a prosecutor. And so she did. She became a specialist in domestic violence cases.

[Nina Salerno]

I believed, like my sister, so many victims are either not heard, afraid to be heard, or just don't understand the magnitude of what's happening to them.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

She became the DA in Modoc county cowboy country. About as far north in California as you can get.

[Nina Salerno]

Being able to be out in the mountains or work on a cattle ranch to ride my horses and have that time is just. It's who I am.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

Harriet went on to start Crime Victims United, an organization that has changed hundreds of laws. Before Harriet Salerno, victims in California weren't allowed to give impact statements at sentencing. Now they are parents, even if witnesses can now attend a trial. And children, unlike Nina, must now be accompanied by a support person when testifying.

[Nina Salerno]

She's my hero. I mean, absolute hero. And it's just so significant to see how she supports people and just really fights for what's right.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

I have a passion for Harriet that has meant fighting to keep Stephen Burns behind bars.

[Harriet Salerno]

Been doing it for 45 years, and I will continue to do it as long as I'm alive and as long as he's in prison.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

Steven Burns has been in prison for 45 years, but the Salarnos are convinced he hasn't changed.

[Nina Salerno]

He still has yet time to the facts of the crime.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

Steven Byrne's story, says Deputy District Attorney Robert Himmelblau, has changed at least 12 times over the years.

[Stephen Burns]

He had said repeatedly that Katina pulled the gun, that Katina was the one who had the revolver, ignoring the fact that we knew that he had stolen Katina's father's revolver. Sometimes she shot him, sometimes they struggled over the gun, and it accidentally went off.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

In 2016, 37 years after the murder, Stephen finally stopped lying about Katina's actions, says Nina. He told the commissioners, quote, I became very, very angry, and I pulled out a gun and shot Katina. But Stephen continued to deny that he stalked her to uop to kill her if she didn't get back together with him.

[Nina Salerno]

The shooting of the gun murdered my sister. But the behaviors and the need for his power and control and the obsessiveness is what makes him dangerous.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

And according to a complaint brought up at the last parole hearing, he has shown those same obsessive behaviors inside prison. A professor who taught incarcerated students report that Byrne's behavior towards her was, quote, disturbing and manipulating.

[Nina Salerno]

He was relentless towards her because she would not allow him into a class. He focused on her and was not going to stop till he got what he wanted.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

Do you think that if Stephen Burns is released, he could hurt someone?

[Nina Salerno]

Yes.

[Stephen Burns]

The next woman he goes out with who says no.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

But there are some who believe that Stephen Burns deserves a second chance. Kevin Anderson, once a respected pediatrician, got to know Burns when he was incarcerated, also for murder. After 24 years in prison. Kevin was released on parole in 2023. He started working as a counselor. We first spoke to him the day before Stephen's 2025 parole hearing. Do you think that Stephen Burns is a danger to society?

[Kevin Anderson]

I can't say 100%, but I do think that Stephen Burns has done a lot of the work to get to that point where you're no longer a danger to society.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

Stephen has earned a college degree and has worked with hospice patients. He has participated in numerous anger management and rehabilitation programs, some alongside Kevin.

[Kevin Anderson]

I think that he has the tools now that he didn't have before.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

Kevin worked with Steve in mock hearing sessions to help him prepare for the upcoming parole hearing.

[Kevin Anderson]

We had to push him, and once we got him to get off of the denial on certain issues where the real honesty had to come out, now he's able to talk about it in the honest terms that maybe he wasn't able to do 10 years ago, 15 years ago.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

Kevin says Stephen told him he's still. When Katina rejected him, she said, I

[Kevin Anderson]

want you to stay away from me and my family. And he said, at that point, I just lost it. And as he was describing this, he was crying because now he realizes where he was going with this and what this was leading to.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

And Katina saw it too, says Kevin.

[Kevin Anderson]

He described to me her body language, what her eyes were doing, how they had. She's grown really big. I said, what else? And he said, her voice was shaking. And I said, and what did that mean to you? And he would say it meant she was scared to death.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

But it didn't stop him. Stephen Burns shot the woman he claimed to love in the back of the head and walked away, leaving her to slowly bleed to death. Did he say why he left and didn't get help for?

[Kevin Anderson]

He did say that what he did afterwards was a very cowardly act.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

Stephen Burns is about to get another chance to convince commissioners that the same man who left Catena to die that night is a change man. And this time, the Salernos fear the odds are in his favor.

[Regina Salerno]

It scares the living daylights out of me, having him come out.

[Stephen Burns]

Evening. Buyer's remorse. Buy a new car. I'll be moving in. Let's get started.

[Sponsor/Advertisement Voice]

Sorry, I think there's been a mistake. I bought it from Carvana.

[Stephen Burns]

You what?

[Reporter/Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Sponsor/Advertisement Voice]

Great price. I even have seven days to love it or return it.

[Stephen Burns]

So there's no.

[Sponsor/Advertisement Voice]

No, no buyer's remorse. More like buyers rejoice.

[Stephen Burns]

I guess I'll let myself out. Congratulations.

[Sponsor/Advertisement Voice]

I mean, IT buyers rejoice. Buy your car today on Carvana. Limitations and exclusions may apply. See our seven day return [e-mail] I've always dreamed of being able to order my coffee in Italian like a local, instead of just pointing at the menu and hoping for the best. There's something about speaking another language with real confidence that opens up a whole new world of experiences. That's why I'm so excited about Rosetta Stone Sapphire. It's their biggest launch in over a decade. It takes that research backed method we all know and trust and adds fresh, cutting edge features that make it easier than ever to go from knowing a few phrases to speaking naturally about the topics you actually care about. What I love is that you aren't just memorizing vocabulary lists, you learn entirely in your new language through visuals and audio just like you did as a kid. One of my favorite new features is chat missions. It turns conversation practice into a game, putting you in real world scenarios like ordering at a restaurant or asking for directions and giving you missions to complete. You get real time feedback along the way so you build that confidence before you ever have to use your skills in the real world. If you want to take your language skills to the next level, don't wait to try Rosetta Stone Sapphire Listeners of this podcast can get 20% off their Rosetta Stone Sapphire subscription sign up today. This gets you access to Rosetta stone sapphire in 25 languages. Visit Rosetta stone.com Rs10 to redeem your 20% off. That's RosettaStone.com Rs10.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

As Harriet Salerno counts down the days to the 2025 hearing, she does what she's done for the past four decades. She goes to work at 92. Harriet still goes to the office at Crime Victims United every day.

[Nina Salerno]

We're going to use these at the parole hearing.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

Harriet and Nina are picking out photos to show the commissioners at the parole hearing.

[Nina Salerno]

Here's Katina. I think that's her 16th. It's important that they understand that she was a beautiful human being, her dog was very important to her and her life was taken for no reason.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

Nina has been preparing for this hearing

[Nina Salerno]

for months and in here I keep everything from the trial to all those subsequent parole hearings.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

Nina the prosecutor is leaving nothing to chance.

[Nina Salerno]

Like here's transcripts for the 2010 hearing.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

But Nina the protector is calling on Katina and her dad to help the things she can't control. As a da, Nina knows his chances of getting out are better than ever. Keith Whatley is founder of Uncommon Law, an organization that helps encourage incarcerated people navigate the parole process.

[Stephen Burns]

From what I've seen so far on paper, in terms of the time he's done, the program that he's put together for himself, and how well he's performed there, he does seem like somebody who, under the law, should be granted parole.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

Whatley, who has never met Stephen but has reviewed his last two parole transcripts, says Stephen has two other important things going for him. His age. He was only 18 when he committed the crime.

[Stephen Burns]

California has passed laws to say that we have to consider someone's youth at the time of the crime. None of us are fully developed in the brain before we're age 25.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

And his age at the time of the hearing, 63. Whatley says he's eligible for special consideration under the elderly parole program. He says people simply age out of crime, especially violent crime. But in Stephen Burns case, isn't there a possibility that if he gets out, he gets involved with someone and they leave him, he'll do the same thing?

[Stephen Burns]

It's a great question. It's an important question. The science and the statistics say no. They say that people who come home from a life sentence are among the least likely to recidivate. That's just true.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

But sometimes statistics are no match for the human spirit. When the family comes consistently to these parole hearings, especially a family like the Salernos, doesn't that make it much more difficult for someone like Stephen Burns to get a chance at parole?

[Stephen Burns]

I would say yes. Yes, it does have an impact on the process.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

The Salernos are praying they'll make an impact again this time.

[Nina Salerno]

Thank you for allowing us to be able to be a voice for Katina.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

Harriet, Nina, her daughter Lexi and a group of loyal friends head to the DA's office in Stockton, California, where they will attend the parole hearing via video. The post Covid new normal. But won't hearing all this today make you relive everything?

[Harriet Salerno]

It does. It really does. I am shaky, Very shaky. You are right now, yes. I'm afraid of him being released. I just afraid that he'll come after us.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

Harriet braces herself as she heads into the conference room, knowing she will have to again see the man who put her daughter in a grave.

[Harriet Salerno]

Looking at Steve Burns when he walked in, he just looks dangerous. He acts dangerous, and what he says is dangerous.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

48 hours was not allowed to record video or audio during the hearing, but I was able to sit with the family and friends to observe Stephen Burns. His affect flat, his voice monotone. Once again, Denied. He planned to kill Katina that night. This audio was recorded by the parole board. But you didn't plan to kill her?

[Nina Salerno]

No.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

And you deny that you threatened to

[Nina Salerno]

kill her previously, correct?

[Harriet Salerno]

Yes.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

Do you understand why previous panels have

[Nina Salerno]

found that you minimize what you did and your intentions based on that?

[Harriet Salerno]

Yes.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

After almost four hours, the commissioners retreated to make their decision. Is this the hardest part?

[Harriet Salerno]

Just waiting to see this is the most difficult part.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

Twenty minutes later, the family was called back into the conference room. The decision was in.

[Nina Salerno]

Even after 45 years in prison, we see very little change on those issues. That led you to murder Katina, that led you to do things in prison that offended others. We see very little change.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

Stephen Burns was found unsuitable for parole.

[Nina Salerno]

I don't know. I go home in circles.

[Harriet Salerno]

Really sweet tonight.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

This is the first real smile I've seen on your face.

[Nina Salerno]

You did a great job, Mom. I'm very proud of you.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

When Kevin Anderson, Stephen's friend from prison, read the transcript of the hearing, he was stunned. He sent 48 hours an email, some of which I read to him when we spoke again after the hearing. Reading this transcript is hurting my head, heart and soul. This man is absolutely not ready to be released.

[Kevin Anderson]

No. The way he came across in that hearing, he was absolutely not ready. All the work he has done, I didn't see it showing up there at all.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

Four days after the hearing, Nina and Harriet went to deliver the news.

[Nina Salerno]

We got a five year denial, dad. So I'm still holding strong to my promise to you.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

It was Catholic Katina's 64th birthday.

[Nina Salerno]

Katina, it's the best birthday present I think we can give you. Was that denial. So thank you for watching over mom and watching over everyone.

[Harriet Salerno]

Happy birthday, Katina. I love you both so much and miss you.

[Stephen Burns]

Stephen Burns is expected to go before the parole board again in 2030.

[Narrator/Host]

Join me Tuesday for postmortem from 48 hours, where we'll dive even deeper into today's episode and answer your questions about the case.

[Stephen Burns]

Paw Patrol is coming to theaters and it's bigger than ever.

[Nina Salerno]

Welcome to Dino Island.

[Stephen Burns]

Run to get tickets.

[Nina Salerno]

I'm a boat up.

[Stephen Burns]

This is as fast as I can go. Paw Patrol, the Dino movie, Only in theaters August 14th. Rated PG.