Suvechha Sarkar
In September 1979, Catina Rose Salarno was full of dreams for her future as she enrolled at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California. However, the promising life of the 18-year-old came to an unexpected end when she was shot on her first day on campus. Tragically, she passed away shortly after being rushed to a medical facility. The heartbreaking case is revisited in CBS’ ’48 Hours: The Boy Across the Street.’ It carefully examines the circumstances surrounding her untimely demise, the investigation that revealed the killer, and her family’s fight to ensure the killer remained in prison. It also features interviews with her loved ones and officials involved in the case.
Catina Rose Salarno Passed Away Shortly After She Was Rushed to the Hospital
Catina Rose Salarno arrived as a bundle of joy in the lives of her parents, Michael Salvatore Salarno Jr., also known as Mike, and Harriet Salarno, on January 13, 1961. She grew up in a tight-knit middle-class household in San Francisco, California. As the oldest sibling, Catina was always protective of her sisters, Regina Salarno-Novello and Nina Salarno-Ashford. Regina described Catina as the life and soul of the family, who was also known for her kind nature. From the beginning, Catina was an exceptional student who attended Mercy High School and was also a National Merit Scholar. During the summer, she enjoyed spending time with her family at a cabin in the mountains.
In 1977, Catina met Steven John Burns, whose family moved across the street from her house. Both Catina and Steven were sophomores in high school when they began dating, which further led him to become closer to her family. Eventually, Steven began working part-time at Mike’s TV store, where he delivered TVs. By 1979, Catina had graduated from high school and had begun pursuing her dream of becoming a dentist. Hence, she received admission to the University of the Pacific (UOP) in Stockton, California, as an exceptional pre-med student. On September 3, 1979, Catina’s family dropped her off at her campus dorm on the first day of freshman year.
Around 9:45 pm on the same day, a freshman named Kevin Arlin was out for a walk when he noticed Catina lying on the sidewalk in a dark and secluded area of the campus with a pool of blood around her head. When the first responders rushed to the scene, they found Catina unconscious from a gunshot wound to the back of her head. Catina was rushed to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Stockton, but unfortunately, she succumbed to her injuries. She was reportedly pronounced dead a few minutes after midnight on September 4, 1979. The experts determined that Catina was shot from three or four feet away. Reports state authorities never found the murder weapon.
Statements From Catina’s Roommate and Family Led to the Arrest of Her Killer
Once the authorities began a homicide investigation, they first questioned Catina’s roommate, Joanne Marks. According to reports, Joanne told them that on September 3, 1979, Catina said she was meeting Steven for the last time, and she wasn’t happy about meeting him. She reportedly continued that around 7:45 pm, Steven came by Catina’s dorm to pick her up, and they left together. Court records suggest that when detectives spoke with Catina’s sisters, Nina and Regina, they revealed that around the end of Catina’s senior year, she wanted to break off her relationship with Steven. However, the news didn’t sit well with him, and he allegedly threatened to kill her, as per official reports.
Investigative reports indicate that Catina and her family were surprised on September 3 when they met Steven on the UOP campus while dropping Catina off. According to court records, her family found it odd because Steven was set to attend Santa Clara University. Upon speaking with Mike and Harriet, investigators reportedly learned that Catina had asked her parents for help so Steven would leave her alone. As per reports, Steven’s roommate, Les Serpa, told officials that when Steven returned to the dorm that evening, he began watching the Monday football game. When Steven was questioned, he claimed he didn’t meet Catina that evening and was allegedly in his room watching the game, according to reports. Furthermore, detectives were unable to find a weapon, although they did a thorough search of his room.
According to official records, two days after Catina’s murder, Steven confessed to shooting Catina with a gun that he had allegedly stolen from Mike’s store a few months prior. Ultimately, he was arrested and charged with the murder of Catina. Steven’s jury trial commenced about 6 months after Catina’s death. Court records specify that the authorities believed Steven met Catina on the fateful night with the intention to kill her if she refused to continue their relationship. Ultimately, he was convicted of second-degree murder and received a sentence of 17 years to life in prison around August 1980. In the years that followed, Steven has been denied parole 13 times, with the most recent being on January 9, 2025.
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