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How a California family's battle for justice for slain teen has impacted victims' rights

How a California family's battle for justice for slain teen has impacted victims' rights

Wakala News04-05-2025

It shook the entire campus at the University of the Pacific. A freshman on her first day of college in 1979 was found unconscious, bleeding from her head, in a remote area of the school. Her name was Catina 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 Salarno: I said … 'what's wrong?' … he says, Catina has been shot and she's in the emergency room.
The Salarnos' two younger daughters, Regina and Nina, rushed to their side. Then the phone rang again.
Harriet Salarno: And they said, 'your daughter passed away.'
Nina Salarno: 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 core.
Regina Salarno-Novello: And life just stopped. … I literally … life stopped, completely stopped.'
'48 Hours' first met the Salarno family in 1990. Harriet and Mike were making their weekly visit to Catina's resting place.
MIKE SALARNO (1990): I think coming out here and being able to talk to Catina gives me a peace of mind. Also that I can still communicate with my daughter, that it isn't, um, the final end.
At the time, Catina had been gone for 10 years, and her family was just embarking on a decades-long journey to keep her killer behind bars.
MIKE SALARNO (to reporters outside 1990 parole hearing): 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.
Erin Moriarty: Harriet, did you and Michael really have kind of a — the perfect life as parents, three kids?
Harriet Salarno: 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.
Nina Salarno: 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.
They spent blissful summer days at the cabin in the mountains. Three carefree sisters with Catina leading the pack, says Regina, younger by 18 months.
Regina Salarno-Novello: She was the heart and soul of the family. … She had such a good heart. She loved being the older sister.
Nina Salarno: (I) think the best way to describe Catina is she is that person every person should meet in their life. She just brought an air of kindness.
CATINA SALARNO MEETS THE BOY ACROSS THE STREET
When Catina was 14, a new family, the Burns, moved in across the street in San Francisco. There were four children: a girl and three boys – all about the same age as the Salarno sisters.
Regina Salarno-Novello: 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 'em a batch of homemade cookies.
Soon, the friendship between the oldest Salarno sister and the second oldest Burns brother blossomed into a young love. Catina and Steven Burns started dating in the tenth grade.
Erin Moriarty: How would you describe Steven Burns?
Regina Salarno-Novello: 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.
Burns, 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 Salarno: I loved Steve. I idolized him. … He was a great athlete. He coached my teams … He would help me with my shot, and he took the time to do that.
Mike took Burns, who had a difficult relationship with his own dad, under his wing. He not only mentored him, but he also gave him a job at his TV store delivering TVs.
Regina Salarno-Novello: And my dad …who embraces everybody, brought him in and treated him as a son.
Mike trusted him completely says Regina. They all did.
Erin Moriarty: Did you ever see anything that between Steve and Catina that worried you?
Harriet Salarno: 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 Salarno: You sometimes are close to people, you don't always see little signs or you ignore them.
But with hindsight, the sisters say, there were signs. In her senior year, Catina who'd been accepted to the University of the Pacific, wanted to break up with Steve. But he wasn't having it, says Regina. He started threatening her.
Regina Salarno-Novello: She said that Steve said that if I broke up with him, he would kill me …
But at the time, neither sister took him seriously.
Erin Moriarty: Neither one of you told your parents.
Regina Salarno-Novello: 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 the family. Why would he destroy a family that he loved?
Mike and Harriet never heard about that incident; never imagined the life they knew would come to an end.
Harriet Salarno: We thought we were doing good and everything would be fine and never thought the boy across the street would murder our daughter.
ONE LAST ENCOUNTER
When Catina Salarno arrived at the University of the Pacific in September 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 Salarno-Novello: She knew she was gonna become a dentist. … She knew exactly what she was gonna do. It was planned for her. That was her goal, her dream.
But Catina's excitement was cut short soon after the Salarnos got to campus.
Regina Salarno-Novello: 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 were like, 'what are you doing here?' And he says, well, I'm going to UOP.
Nina Salarno: That's really, the first time I heard a lot of panic in her voice, uh, because that just caught her off guard.
For the first time, Catina turned to her father for help.
Regina Salarno-Novello: My dad walked up to him and said, OK, Steve. … Leave Catina 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.
The Salarnos headed back to San Francisco and Catina and Burns each moved into their respective dorm rooms on opposite sides of the campus.
Burns' new roommate, Les Serpa, remembers walking in the room and seeing Catina's picture everywhere.
Les Serpa: He said his girlfriend, uh, was at Pacific as well … there were pictures of her and him together … more pictures than I'd ever seen before, but they were everywhere on his desk.
Erin Moriarty: He didn't mention that she had wanted to break up?
Les Serpa: Not at all. It was all very positive. Everything was great.
Across campus, Catina was settling in with her new roommate, Joanne Marks. Then came a knock on the door. It was Steve Burns.
Joanne Marks: After he left, uh, Catina told me that he wanted to meet with her later in the evening for the last time.
Joanne Marks: 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.
Marks says Burns came by to pick up Catina about 7:45 that evening.
Joanne Marks: I said something like, you know, have a good evening, and he just grunted.
Catina told Joanne she would see her later; but that later never came.
A freshman out for a walk named Kevin Arlin would be the one to discover why. It was around 9:45 p.m. when he saw something on the sidewalk. Arlin, unnerved by what he saw, rushed back to his dorm and got a resident advisor. They both ran back to the scene.
Kevin Arlin: And … we got up to — to her and it was … a young lady that, uh, was laying on the ground and she was still alive … she was unconscious, but there was a big pool of blood around her head.
Arlin would later find out it was 18-year-old Catina Rose Salarno. She had been shot in the back of the head.
Kevin Arlin: Her arms … were twisted in a way that I never thought the human body could twist.
Kevin Arlin: I — I — I just remember the blood.
Erin Moriarty: That had to be heartbreaking.
Kevin Arlin: Yeah. I knew it was tragic or I knew it was, uh, it was very serious, a very serious injury.
While the two men waited for the ambulance to arrive, Steven Burns returned to his dorm room, where his roommate Les was watching 'Monday Night Football.'
Les Serpa: He went and laid on the bed, propped up a pillow and started watching the game.
Les Serpa: He was not nervous at all.
The ambulance arrived around 10 p.m. and rushed Catina 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.
Randy Haight: 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.
Catina Rose was pronounced dead at 9 minutes after midnight.
Randy Haight: We made the decision to sit with Catina 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.
By then, homicide detectives were at Catina's dorm talking to Marks.
Joanne Marks: I told the police that, uh, Catina had been picked up by Steve Burns and I told them which dorm he was from.
Serpa and Burns were in their room when there was a knock at the door.
Les Serpa: I opened the door and, uh, I — you know, there's like five guys out there in suits. … And 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.
Les Serpa: I didn't know at the time … but later I learned they were looking … for a weapon, for a gun.
Steven Burns was pulled from the room and taken to the Stockton police station, where he was fingerprinted and photographed. Officer Haight recalls seeing him there.
Randy Haight: He did not appear to be upset in any way. …
Burns told the police he didn't meet Catina 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. Steven Burns was released. His father took him back to San Francisco.
The police didn't publicly name a suspect. But Harriet Salarno didn't need a name. She already knew it.
Harriet Salarno: I just said to Mike,' it's Steve, Mike, it's Steve.' I — I — I don't know why … I just had that feeling.
After talking to the family, the police learned that Steven had threatened to kill Catina if she broke up with him. Two days after the murder of Catina Rose Salarno, Steven Burns was arrested at his home just across the street from where Catina grew up.
Nina Salarno: 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, in the flash of a gun. I mean, everything was gone.
A MURDER AND A BETRAYAL
Learning to live without their daughter has been a lifelong journey for Catina's parents — one crippled by what ifs. Mike Salarno never stopped blaming himself.
Harriet Salarno: He felt that as a father, he let her down.
For decades, Catina's sisters have also grappled with regret, wishing they had told their parents about Steven Burns threatening to kill Catina.
Regina Salarno-Novello: What if I had said something? What if we told them about the threat?
Erin Moriarty: You're living with guilt, too.
Regina Salarno-Novello: And it doesn't change after 40 years. … it's the hole in my heart from missing my sister and what we could have had together.
In the wake of the murder, each member of the family retreated into their own private grief.
Harriet Salarno: I didn't even care if I even lived. I wanted to join Catina.
Regina Salarno Novello: I didn't know what to do anymore. My whole plan, my whole world, my whole bubble blew up.
Nina Salarno: 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.
The Salarnos would learn that the young man they had trusted had stolen a gun from Mike's store weeks before Catina's murder.
Erin Moriarty: You believe he planned that murder?
Harriet Salarno: Yes.
Nina Salarno: Oh, absolutely. … the fact that he stole the gun prior. There was no reason for the stealing of the gun, otherwise.
They came to believe Burns may have been planning to use that gun to kill Catina even before she left for college.
Regina Salarno-Novello: 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.
Regina says Burns tried to climb up the side of their house and enter through the window of the bedroom the girls shared, but Catina told him to leave.
Regina Salarno-Novello: She said, 'No, I'm not opening the window, go to bed, Steve. Go — you're — I'm going to school tomorrow.' You know, 'stop, just stop, just stop.'
Nina Salarno: Then there was a sound like he fell, and it was a very distinct sound of metal hitting metal.
Erin Moriarty: What do you think now, when you look back on that, that sound of metal against metal?
Nina Salarno: I think if I had opened the window and he got in, there'd be three dead girls.
Erin Moriarty: You think he had a gun with him then?
Nina Salarno: Absolutely.
Six months after Catina's death, 19-year-old Steven 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 Catina'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.
Erin Moriarty: What was that like on the stand?
Nina Salarno: Ugh. … 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.
The prosecution argued that Burns met Catina 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 Salarno: We all thought 17 years to life meant life – that they would never let him out.
They would learn they were wrong. Just 10 years into his sentence, Steven Burns came up for parole. The Salarnos were outraged. In 1990, they talked to then-'48 Hours' correspondent Bernard Goldberg the night before the first parole hearing:
HARRIET SALARNO: I had no idea the parole system was so rotten.
BERNARD GOLDBERG: OK, Steven Burns was handed down a 17-to-life sentence.
HARRIET SALARNO: That's right.
HARRIET SALARNO: That's right.
BERNARD GOLDBERG: But you — you don't want him out after 17 years, after 20 years, after 25, you — is that fair?
HARRIET SALARNO: Oh, that's a very fair question. Absolutely, I don't want him out, but I don't even wanna 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 Salarnos and a bus full of supporters headed to Steven Burns' parole hearing.
MIKE SALARNO (to Goldberg): That bus ride was the longest ride in my life. The first hardest thing was when she died, this is the second.
For the first time since Catina's murder, the Salarnos confronted the man they had once considered part of the family.
MIKE SALARNO (parole hearing): Steve sentenced my daughter to death forever. I ask for a fair trade. I ask you to sentence Steve to life in prison.
Then it was Burns' turn to speak.
STEVEN BURNS (parole hearing): It's hard to say the words how difficult it is to live day to day about the feelings I have inside about what I did. Regardless of what I do, I can't bring Catina back. … But I know this that I am deeply sorry for what I did. And I will work each day of my life, whether it be in prison or out — outside to make up.
He apologized, but the Salarnos noticed he never looked at them while he did it.
NINA SALARNO: If you can't look at someone in the face and say you're sorry, then you know damn well you're not sorry.
After an excruciating wait, the parole board came back with a decision. Steven Burns was found unsuitable for release, but he would get another chance at freedom in just two years.
HARRIET SALARNO (1990): Two years, we got two years. And I feel very, very drained, and I know my family's so worn out.
NINA SALARNO: We'll be here.
HARRIET SALARNO: We'll be back.
MIKE SALARNO: We'll be back. We'll be back.
And back they would come over and over again for the next 35 years.
FIGHTING FOR VICTIMS' RIGHTS
There is one thing you can count on with the Salarnos. Every week for almost 46 years, they have gone to the cemetery where Catina now rests.
These days there's another grave to tend. Mike Salarno died in 2013 of cancer.
There's something else you can be sure of. Every time Steven Burns comes up for parole, they will be there.
Nina Salarno: We all said we would be back and we've continued to be back 12 times, not just because he murdered Catina, but because he is a dangerous murderer that will kill or harm again. And that's just the bottom line.
In January 2025, they were about to go to their 13th parole hearing.
NINA SALARNO (praying at gravesite): Give this family the strength to continue to fight.
That fight for victim's rights has shaped all their lives.
Regina Salarno-Novello: Was I gonna 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.
Nina says she 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 Salarno: 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.
She became the DA in Modoc County – cowboy country – about as far north in California as you can get.
Nina Salarno: Being able to be out in the mountains and/or, um, work on a cattle ranch or ride my horses and have that time is just — it's who I am.
Harriet went on to start Crime Victims United, an organization that has changed hundreds of laws. Before Harriet Salarno, victims in California weren't allowed to give impact statements at sentencing. Now they are. Parents – even if witnesses – can now attend the trial. And children, unlike Nina, must now be accompanied by a support person when testifying.
Nina Salarno: She's my hero. … my absolute hero. … it's just so significant to see … how she supports people and just really fights for what's right.
Harriet Salarno: I have a passion.
For Harriet that has meant fighting to keep Steven Burns behind bars.
Harriet Salarno: I've 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.
Burns has been in prison for 45 years. But the Salarnos are convinced he hasn't changed.
Nina Salarno: He still has yet to admit to … the facts of the crime.
Burns' story, says Deputy District Attorney Robert Himelblau, has changed at least 12 times over the years.
Robert Himelblau: He had said repeatedly that Catina pulled the gun, that Catina was the one who had the revolver, ignoring the fact that we knew that he had stolen Catina's father's revolver. … sometimes she shot him, sometimes they struggled over the gun and it accidentally went off.
In 2016 – 37 years after the murder – Burns finally stopped lying about Catina's actions, says Nina. He told the commissioners, 'I became very, very angry … and I pulled out a gun and shot Catina.' But Burns continued to deny that he stalked her to UOP to kill her if she didn't get back together with him.
Nina Salarno: 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.
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 reported that Burns' behavior towards her was quote disturbing and manipulating.
Nina Salarno: 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.
Erin Moriarty: Do you think that if Steven Burns is released, he could hurt someone?
Robert Himelblau: Yes. The next woman he goes out with who says no.
But there are some who believe that 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, Anderson was released on parole in 2023. He started working as a counselor.
'48 Hours' first spoke to him the day before Burns' 2025 parole hearing.
Erin Moriarty: Do you think that Steven Burns is a danger to society?
Kevin Anderson: I can't say 100 percent … But I do think that Steven Burns has done a lot of the work … to get to that point where you're no longer a danger to society.
Burns has earned a college degree and has worked with hospice patients. He has participated in numerous anger management and rehabilitation programs, some alongside Anderson.
Kevin Anderson: I think that … he has the tools now that he didn't have before.
Anderson worked with Burns 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.
Anderson says Steven told him he snapped when Catina rejected him.
Kevin Anderson: She said, I 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. … 'cause now he realizes where he was going with this, and what this was leading to.
And Catina saw it too, says Anderson.
Kevin Anderson: He described to me her body language, what her eyes were doing, how they had just 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.
But it didn't stop him. Steven Burns shot the woman he claimed to love in the back of the head and walked away, leaving her to slowly bleed to death.
Erin Moriarty: Did he say why he left and didn't get help for her?
Kevin Anderson: He did say that what he did afterwards was a very cowardly act.
Steven Burns is about to get another chance to convince commissioners that the same man who left Catina to die that night, is a changed man. And this time, the Salarnos fear the odds are in his favor.
Regina Salarno-Novello: It scares the living daylights outta me, having him come out.
STEVEN BURNS' 13th PAROLE HEARING
As Harriet Salarno counts down the days to the 2025 hearing, she does what she has done for the past four decades; she goes to work.
At 92, Harriet still goes to the office at Crime Victims United every day.
Harriet and Nina are picking out photos to show the commissioners at the parole hearing.
Nina Salarno: It's important that they understand that she was a beautiful human being … and her life was taken for no reason
Nina has been preparing for this hearing for month.s.
Nina Salarno (showing file cabinet): And in here, I keep everything from the trial, everything from the trial to all those subsequent parole hearings.
Nina, the prosecutor, is leaving nothing to chance.
Nina Salarno (holding binder): Here's transcripts from the 2010 hearing.
But Nina, the protector, is calling on Catina and her dad to help the things she can't control.
As a DA, Nina knows Burns' chances of getting out are better than ever.
Keith Wattley is founder of UnCommon Law, an organization that helps incarcerated people navigate the parole process.
Keith Wattley: 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.
Wattley, who has never met Burns, but has reviewed his last two parole transcripts, says Steven has two other important things going for him: his age — he was only 18 — when he committed the crime.
Keith Wattley: 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 by — before we're age 25.
And his age at the time of the hearing — 63. Wattley says Burns is eligible for special consideration under the elderly parole program. He says people simply age out of crime, especially violent crime.
Erin Moriarty: But in Steven 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?
Keith Wattley: 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.
But sometimes statistics are no match for the human spirit.
Erin Moriarty: When the family comes consistently to these parole hearings, especially a family like the Salarnos, doesn't that make it much more difficult for someone like Steven Burns to get a chance at parole?
Keith Wattley: I would say yes. Yes, it does … have an impact on the process.
The Salarnos are praying they'll make an impact again this time. Harriet, Nine, her daughter Lexy, 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.
Harriet Salarno: It does. It really does. I am shaky, very shaky.
Erin Moriarty: You are right now?
Harriet Salarno: Yeah. Sad thing. But I'm — I'm afraid of him being released, Erin. … I — just afraid that he'll come after us.
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 Salarno: Looking at Steve Burns when he walked in … he just looks dangerous. He acts dangerous. And what he says is dangerous.
'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.
Steven Burns — his affect flat, his voice monotone — once again denied he planned to kill Catina that night. Audio was recorded by the parole board:
COMMISSIONER: You didn't plan to kill her?
STEVEN BURNS: No.
COMMISSIONER: And you deny that you've threatened to kill her at — previously, correct?
STEVEN BURNS: Yes.
COMMISSIONER: Do you understand why previous panels … have found that you minimize what you did and — and your intentions?
STEVEN BURNS: Based on that, yes.
After almost four hours, the commissioners retreated to make their decision.
Erin Moriarty: Is this the hardest part? Just waiting — to see?
Harriet Salarno: Waiting. This is the most difficult part.
Twenty minutes later, the family was called back into the conference room. The decision was in.
COMMISSIONER: Even after 45 years in prison … we see very little change on those issues that led you to murder Catina, that led you to do things in prison that offended others … We see very little change.
Steven Burns was found unsuitable for parole.
Harriet Salarno: We can go home and really sleep tonight!
Erin Moriarty: This is the first real smile I've really seen on your face.
Nina Salarno (to her mother): I'm very proud of you.
When Kevin Anderson, Burns' 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.
Erin Moriarty (reading email): '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.
Four days after the hearing, Nina and Harriet went to the gravesite to deliver the news.
Nina Salarno: We got a five-year-denial, dad. So I'm still holding strong to my promise to you.
It was Catina's 64th birthday.
Nina Salarno: Catina, I think that's the best birthday present we could give you was that denial. So thank you for watching over mom and watching over everyone
Harriet Salarno: Happy birthday Catina … I love you both so much and miss you.
Steven Burns is expected to go before the parole board again in 2030.
Produced by Liza Finley and Gabriella Demirdjian. Cindy Cesare and Greg Fisher are the development producers. Lauren Turner Dunn is the associate producer. Doreen Schechter, Gregory F. McLaughlin, Chris Crater and Michael Vele are the editors. Patti Aronofsky is the senior producer. Nancy Kramer is the executive story editor. Judy Tygard is the executive producer.

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Hundreds of people stormed a World Food Programme (WFP) warehouse in Deir al-Balah Governorate on Wednesday night to seize food provisions after distribution of the little aid that has entered the strip in the last week has been marked by chaotic and often violent outbursts due to Israel's restrictions on how it makes its way to people. Two eyewitnesses of Wednesday night's raid who spoke to Mada described an hours-long struggle between hungry crowds and security personnel stationed to protect the warehouse. At least two people were killed in the incident, according to a statement published by the United Nations program, which said the raid took place amid 'spiralling' humanitarian conditions following over 80 days of a complete blockade on the strip. The ongoing siege imposed by Israel's occupation has stretched dwindling resources in the coastal enclave to their limit, caused widespread sickness, that has led to a rash of deaths from malnutrition, and prompted a rapid breakdown in social order. At the same time, Israel has sought to install a securitized aid-distribution scheme in isolation from independent humanitarian organizations. Alongside the American and Swiss-registered Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, the Israeli military has established distribution centers policed by its own military, while restricting humanitarian organizations' access to deliver and distribute supplies to families in need, which WFP has called 'the most effective way to prevent widespread starvation.' Those that have made their way to those centers, the first of which opened earlier this week, have faced humiliating conditions and, for some, arrest. When chaos broke out at the center in Rafah earlier this week, Israeli forces opened fire to try to restore order, several of the thousands of people who had gathered at the distribution point were killed and wounded. Israel's induced starvation has prompted a spike in incidents of armed theft across Gaza in recent weeks. An eyewitness to the raid on the WFP's Ghafari warehouse on Wednesday evening told Mada Masr that they were aware before the incident that large quantities of flour were being held in the warehouse. Israel allowed the delivery of sacks of flour to the WFP for the first time in over 80 days last week. However, they prohibited the UN agency from resorting to the previous distribution method, which had seen flour given directly to families. Due to Israel's prohibition, the UN had to resort to distributing the flour to bakeries, which would then make bread and sell it to citizens. Bakeries, however, were unable to manage the crowds of people who had been without sufficient food for over two months. Abu Talal Awwad, the owner of Zadna bakery in Deir al-Balah, told Mada Masr earlier this week that armed groups had stormed several bakeries in the central governorates of Gaza, including the Banna bakery in Deir al-Balah and Hajj bakery in Nuseirat, with assailants threatening to destroy equipment and assaulting staff. An eyewitness to the storming of a bakery told Mada Masr on condition of anonymity th at while waiting in line at a bakery in Nuseirat camp to collect a bundle of loaves, a group of masked men wielding bladed weapons suddenly appeared, seized large quantities of bread, and fled the scene. The bakery subsequently shut down, leaving the eyewitness and tens of thousands of others without access to even a single loaf. Eyewitness Nael Khattab was waiting outside Deir al-Balah's Banna bakery on Saturday to collect a bundle of bread for his family. There was a large crowd and people began pushing, he told Mada Masr. The situation escalated further when some individuals broke down the barriers set up in front of the bakery entrance. The owners had no choice but to open the gates. 'Chaos broke out,' he continued. 'Groups carrying bladed weapons stormed the bakery, stole bread, and loaded it into [tuktuks] waiting outside.' Resident Amal al-Hattou urged for flour to be distributed directly to citizens rather than forcing them to wait for hours at bakeries with no guarantee they'll walk away with any bread. 'We're ready to prepare the bread ourselves,' she said. 'But we don't want to go through this humiliation outside bakeries again just to get some bread.' While some may accept the current bakery-based system in hopes of securing a daily supply of bread, it fails to meet the needs of Gaza's large families, as the allocated quantities are insufficient. Susan Bashir, another resident, said that her household includes 20 people, yet they are only permitted one bundle containing 18 small loaves. She asked how these few loaves are supposed to feed such a large family, adding that if flour were distributed directly, families could bake according to their actual needs. Eyewitness Oday Hemeida called the mechanism ineffective and unjust to hundreds of thousands of residents. There is also no system to manage crowds at bakeries, he said, leading to mass congestion and countless thefts. Many bakeries have refused to participate in the new system, Abdel Nasser al-Ajrami, the head of the Gaza Bakery Owners Association, told Mada Masr, arguing that it fails to meet residents' needs and puts bakeries at risk amid the rise of groups stealing bread. He also described thefts, and said that some of the stolen bread was reappearing in markets at extortionate prices. The stocks positioned at the Ghafari warehouse that was raided on Wednesday were pre-positioned there for distribution, the WFP said on Wednesday night. One of the eyewitnesses who spoke to Mada Masr about the raid said they joined the crowd at the Ghafari warehouse hoping they could get a sack of flour for themselves and their family, who they said had not eaten bread for weeks. Armed individuals outside the warehouse initially attempted to defend it, opening fire on some of those who attempted to approach, the eyewitness said. They noted that several people were injured in the fracas over the course of several hours. A second eyewitness also saw armed security personnel outside, who ultimately withdrew as hundreds of people forced their way into the building. Once the crowd was inside, they emptied the warehouse of all its contents, the first eyewitness said, while the second confirmed that the warehouse had been stocked with large amounts of flour. The raid on the warehouse and the failed attempt to have bakeries manage bread distribution may be enough for the WFP to be able to secure the ability to revert to its previous distribution method. Two civil society representatives in the Gaza Strip told Mada Masr on Wednesday that the WFP is expected to begin distributing flour to families instead of bakeries over the coming days. Bakers Owners Association in Gaza head Abdel Nasser al-Ajrami told Mada Masr that after meetings to determine a better mechanism, the WFP informed the association that Israel has finally approved the delivery of flour to the Gaza Strip week for direct distribution to residents, including its northern governorates, starting early next week. Nahed Shehaibar, the head of the Private Transport Association in Gaza, confirmed the information. Ajrami noted that contacts have been made with the Israeli side to request the reopening of the Zikim crossing, on Israel's border with the northern Gaza Strip, to allow flour and food aid to enter the northern governorates. However, he added that Israel is yet to respond to the request. Ultimately, any change in the distribution method will be in Israel's hands, as it controls all the entrance and exit points of Gaza. Approximately 1,000 tons of flour remain at the Karm Abu Salem crossing, awaiting Israeli approval to allow it into the strip in the coming days, Ajrami said. An Egyptian official also told Mada Masr in recent days that authorities have trucks full of material stationed in North Sinai waiting to enter the strip. 'We want to operate the Rafah border,' the official said, 'but Israel doesn't want to get out.'

9 martyrs among 60 injured by Israeli fire in Rafah
9 martyrs among 60 injured by Israeli fire in Rafah

See - Sada Elbalad

time2 days ago

  • See - Sada Elbalad

9 martyrs among 60 injured by Israeli fire in Rafah

Amir Hagag The Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip announced a short while ago that nine people were killed and more than 60 injured. This occurred over the past 48 hours as a result of Israeli army fire near the American aid centers in Rafah, Palestine. This came according to a breaking news report by Cairo News Channel a short while ago. read more Gold prices rise, 21 Karat at EGP 3685 NATO's Role in Israeli-Palestinian Conflict US Expresses 'Strong Opposition' to New Turkish Military Operation in Syria Shoukry Meets Director-General of FAO Lavrov: confrontation bet. nuclear powers must be avoided News Iran Summons French Ambassador over Foreign Minister Remarks News Aboul Gheit Condemns Israeli Escalation in West Bank News Greek PM: Athens Plays Key Role in Improving Energy Security in Region News One Person Injured in Explosion at Ukrainian Embassy in Madrid News Egypt confirms denial of airspace access to US B-52 bombers News Ayat Khaddoura's Final Video Captures Bombardment of Beit Lahia News Australia Fines Telegram $600,000 Over Terrorism, Child Abuse Content Arts & Culture Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban's $4.7M LA Home Burglarized Sports Former Al Zamalek Player Ibrahim Shika Passes away after Long Battle with Cancer Sports Neymar Announced for Brazil's Preliminary List for 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers News Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly Inaugurates Two Indian Companies Arts & Culture New Archaeological Discovery from 26th Dynasty Uncovered in Karnak Temple Business Fear & Greed Index Plummets to Lowest Level Ever Recorded amid Global Trade War Arts & Culture Zahi Hawass: Claims of Columns Beneath the Pyramid of Khafre Are Lies

American charged with plot to throw Molotov cocktails at US embassy office in Israel
American charged with plot to throw Molotov cocktails at US embassy office in Israel

Egypt Independent

time5 days ago

  • Egypt Independent

American charged with plot to throw Molotov cocktails at US embassy office in Israel

CNN — An American man was arrested Sunday after allegedly plotting to throw Molotov cocktails at a branch office of the US embassy in Israel, according to the US Justice Department. Officials arrested the man, 28 year-old Joseph Neumayer, at John F. Kennedy airport in New York after being deported from Israel to the US, according to a Justice Department news release. The DOJ says Neumayer, who is also a German citizen, had allegedly arrived at the US embassy office in Tel Aviv on May 19 and spat on an embassy guard without provocation. Neumeyer managed to break free as the guard attempted to detain him, leaving behind his backpack, the DOJ said, citing a complaint. Guards found three Molotov cocktails in the backpack, the department said. Law enforcement tracked down Neumeyer to his hotel in Israel, where he was arrested. Authorities searched Neumayer's social media, which allegedly included a post from earlier that day that said 'join me as I burn down the embassy in Tel Aviv.' His page also allegedly included the phrases, 'Death to America, death to Americans' and threats to assassinate US President Donald Trump. 'This defendant is charged with planning a devastating attack targeting our embassy in Israel, threatening death to Americans, and President Trump's life,' said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. FBI Director Kash Patel said: 'This despicable and violent behavior will not be tolerated at home or abroad, and the FBI, working with our partners, will bring him to face justice for his dangerous actions.' Neumeyer had allegedly arrived in Israel last month. If convicted, he faces a maximum of 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000, according to the Justice Department. The revelation of Neumayer's charges comes shortly after the fatal shooting of two Israeli Embassy staffers in Washington, DC. The killings are being investigated as an act of terrorism after the man suspected of carrying out the shooting yelled 'Free Palestine' and told law enforcement he 'did it for Gaza,' according to police. US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is in Israel today meeting with senior government officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in the wake of the shooting.

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