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 An Unavoidable PainOne Family's Journey Through a Parole Hearing Reveals How a Convincted Murderer Can Haunt Victims for Years to Comeby Perry Speth, CCPOA State Secretary As a pre-med student in 1979, Catina Rose Salarno was excited to be embarking on a new life at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California. For the last couple of years, Catina had been dating Steven Burns, a close family friend and neighbor. However, she had decided to move on to focus on her education, choosing to leave the Bay Area to attend college in Stockton. She broke up with Steven, who had planned to attend another college. What she didn't know was that Steven Burns instead followed her to Stockton, enrolled in UOP and moved into the dorms. On the evening before their first day of classes, Sept. 3, 1979, a scorned Burns shot Catina in the head and left her to die. He then returned to his room to watch football with a roommate. Outside his window, just 150 yards away, Catina clung to life for several hours, trying in vain to crawl to safety. Burns was convicted of her murder, sentenced to 12 years to life in prison, and is now housed at Pleasant Valley State Prison. But that isn't the end of the story, by any means. It isn't the end of the pain and suffering, and in many ways for the surviving family members, it is only the beginning of a kind of hell no parent should ever experience. The general, unaffected public hears about the horrendous crime, the subsequent court room drama, and the eventual sentencing of the offender. For the family members left behind to endure the trial, a sentence such as the one handed down to Burns simply means they will have to relive the horrors over and over again if they choose to participate in the parole hearings.  Catina's parents, Mike and Harriet Salarno also have two other daughters, Nina and Regina. If their names sound familiar, it is because for the last 15 years, Harriet has served as chairperson for Crime Victims United, a group she founded with a little help from her new friends at CCPOA, and Nina is a local attorney who once worked for the state attorney general's office, and as a deputy district attorney.In November 2006, the Salarnos attended the seventh parole hearing for Inmate Burns. Though they are not new to this procedure, I must admit that after 22 years with the Department of Corrections, I have never attended a parole hearing-until now. On November 8, a chartered bus took the Salarno family and various friends and supporters-including me-from Sacramento to the Coalinga institution to attend the hearing. Before the hearing even began, I witnessed the entire Salarno family visibly shaken. I have had many opportunities over the years in my role as CCPOA state secretary to attend events benefiting victims groups, and because of that I've spent many hours and days with this family. I've stood in awe as they took turns speaking to the press, or addressing large groups at various rallies. They all speak with a passion and conviction, and by all appearances seem to be rocks of strength. But now, for the first time, I saw in their eyes something I had never seen in them before: Fear. Speaking to the press, they were able to muster the courage and strength necessary to command attention from the crowd. But this day, when the prison officials announced it was time to proceed into the hearing, it hurt me to see this elderly couple, anticipating the heartbreak to come, trying to hold back tears as their daughters and their families clung to them as they walked toward the hearing. It looked as if they were once again attending Catina's funeral, moving slowly in procession as if following her casket. I realized at that moment that the anguish of losing a child was something they had to relive every time they attended one of these parole hearings. That if they wanted to make a difference, and do all they could to make certain the killer would not be released, and could not hurt anyone else, they had to relive the nightmare and all its details over and over again. As the immediate Salarno family moved into the hearing room, the large group of supporters were escorted into an institution training room so they could observe the proceedings through closed-circuit television. Several volunteers from the prison staff prepared and served lunch to the attendees. When the television monitors came on, the room grew quiet as everyone watched the preparation of the hearing.  As the Salarnos were seated, you could see the anxiety on their faces. They rummaged through their prepared statements, as well as photo albums they brought to clearly identify Catina, the victim of this horrific crime. When the proceedings began, the Salarnos were informed that Inmate Steven Burns would not be in attendance. I was filled with mixed feelings as I heard that announcement. I was happy that the family would not have to sit across the table from this man who had taken their daughter's life, yet I was also angered that after working to get his hearing set a year earlier than originally scheduled, he chose instead to sit it out in his cell. During the hearing, the Salarnos offered details and stories of Catina's life and her relationship with Burns. They also spoke of their belief that Burns is attempting to portray himself as a victim, because he lost his girlfriend and feels the Salarno family should sympathize with him for his loss. As testimony went on, it became clear to me what a dreadful and sickening ordeal it must be for this family to endure every two or three or four years. Sadly, they are victimized by this offender each and every time they travel to parole hearings, to state reasons why he should not be allowed the same freedoms enjoyed by a law-abiding society. But what if they chose not to attend the hearings, to not put themselves through this gruesome task? What then? If no family members show up to give their testimony, it could impact the inmate's chances for parole. Victim Impact Statements are a necessary, vital component of parole hearings. It is the voice granted by the system to those no longer able to speak for themselves; it is the family's opportunity, if they so choose, to fight on behalf of a loved one silenced by a violent crime. Some families choose to endure the pain; others choose not to. After several hours of testimony from the family, the board took a recess to review and consider both sides of the issue: the state psychologist's report, written support from others in favor of Burns' release, and the testimony from the Salarnos. Finally, the board announced their decision to deny parole to Steven Burns. The crowd in the training room went wild. The board then announced that the next date for reconsideration of parole for Inmate Burns would be in four years. I was hoping for the maximum of five years, but I knew that four years was more realistic. I was relieved to know that the Salarno family would have a little bit more time to return some normalcy to their lives without the worry of a parole hearing looming in their path. But I also know how fast four years will pass, and how the ripple effect of a violent crime can alter the lives of so many for so long.  Print This PageBack to Volume 24, Issue 1 Back to PEACEKeeper Main Page |
