48 Hours - The Boy Across The Street

Episode Date: January 11, 2026

A college student is killed by her boyfriend who lived right across the street. Her family’s long battle to keep him in prison. Erin Moriarty reports. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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. Katina Salarno was only 18 years old when she was shot in the head and killed by her boyfriend. With the flash of a gun, my whole world just got turned upside down. Stephen Burns was convicted of murdering Katina Salerno in 1979. He just looks dangerous. It's like a killer face. 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 Catina. 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. As a father, I closed her casket and buried my 18-year-old child who was murdered by this animal. This is a body bag of my daughter. This is what you did to her, Steve.

46 years since Katina's death has not diminished one ounce of that pain. Where are we going? We are heading to the San Joaquin County District Attorney's Office. I am shaky. Very shaky. You are right now? How many parole hearings have you attended? This will be number 13.

You've been at every single one of the years? Yes. Every single one. Asdy Burns heads into his 13th parole hearing. What are you thinking? I'm thinking that he's no longer a risk to convince. the kind of crime he committed coming into prison. I've known Steve Burns for over two decades.

You don't think he's a danger. I don't think he's a serious danger if he were to be released. If somebody looked at this and said, it's been 45 years, is this now just about vengeance? No, it's not, keeping Steve in jail is not about vengeance. For me, it's fear. fear for my family. I think he has a very good chance of being found suitable.

Isn't it likely at one of these hearings, he's gonna get out? That's my biggest fear is him getting out. Erin Moriarty reports, The Boy Across the Street. It shook the entire campus at the University of the Pacific. A freshman on her first day of Carole. college in 1979, found unconscious, bleeding from her head in a remote area of the school.

Her name was Katina Salerno. Harriet and Mike Salerno were getting ready for bed when the phone rang at their San Francisco home. Mike answered it. His tone signaled the news. And I said, what's wrong? He says, Katina's been shot. and she's in the emergency room.

The Salarno's two younger daughters, Regina and Nina, rushed to their side. Then the phone rang again. And they said, your daughter passed away. I don't think it can be described in words, what it's like to watch your mom collapse crying. My dad, a very, very strong man, but you could tell he was shaken to the core.

And life just stopped. I literally, life stopped. Completely stopped. You got the keys to the car? Yeah. 48 hours first met the Salarno family in 1990. Harriet and Mike were making their weekly visit to Katina's resting place. I think coming out here and being able to talk to Katina

gives me a piece of mind also that I can still communicate with my daughter, that it isn't the final end. 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. It's the first skirmish in a long, long battle that this we started today. It was not a journey they had ever expected to make. Harriet, did you and Michael really have kind of a

the perfect life as parents, three kids. Yes. To answer you, yes, we were so blessed. Both Mike and Harriet were juvenile commissioners assigned by the city of San Francisco to mentor boys and girls. Their arms and home were always open, says Nina, the youngest daughter.

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