PLEASE HELP!
On behalf of my family, I'm asking for your help to keep the vicious murderer of my sister, Catina Rose Salarno, in prison.
In 1980, inmate Steve Burns was sentenced to life in prison for brutally murdering Catina, and my family believed that he would no longer be a threat to our family or society. Unfortunately, we soon learned that "life" does not mean "life" in California —and we now face our 12th parole hearing, as we continue to fight for justice for Catina.
But we can't do it alone — we need your help.
Inmate Burns deserves to stay exactly where he is. In fact, the California Supreme Court decision of In Re Win Lee cited Catina’s murder by Burns as one of the highest callous disregards for human suffering, noting that she was shot execution style, and left knowingly to die slowly, and alone, while Inmate Burns watched Monday Night Football within window's view of her body. It was noted at his sentencing that he has “shown no remorse of the taking of a human life." Forty-four years and twelve parole hearings later, he remains the same cold and remorseless murderer.
At his last parole hearing in 2019, he was given a 5-year denial — well beyond the minimum denial period. Despite Inmate Burn’s argument that he has maintained a near perfect performance record in prison and undergone 40 years of therapy, the panel found that he continues to lack significant insight into the causative factors of his crime, minimizing his culpability and that he remains a present danger to society.
It’s hard to describe the cruel and cold-hearted nature in which Catina was murdered, and there are no words to describe the torment and fear Inmate Burns continues to inflict on my family as he repeatedly denies full responsibility for Catina’s murder.
We breathed a sigh of relief in knowing that we had achieved at least five years of peace, only to have that shattered earlier this year when Inmate Burns’ hearing was advanced for no logical reason‚ once again subjecting my family to unspeakable trauma.
It is for this reason that I'm asking for your help to keep Inmate Burns behind bars. Please take a few moments to write a letter or email stating your opposition to the early release of this cold-blooded and remorseless murderer. Here is a sample letter you can use to make this process easier. Please note that all letters or emails must be received on or before June 13th, 2023.
Your correspondence should be addressed to:
Physical Address:
Board of Parole Hearings
P.O. Box 4036
Sacramento, CA 95812-4036
RE: Steve Burns, DCDC#C-20341
cc: The Law Office of Nina Salarno-Besselman
Attn: Jovonna
jovonna@crimevictimsunited.com
130 Maple Street, Ste. 100
Auburn, CA 95603
Email: Bph.correspondenceunit@cdcr.ca.gov
cc: nina@crimevictimsunited.com
jovonna@crimevictimsunited.com
Please be assured that all letters and emails are kept confidential. To assist in this, please specifically write the word "CONFIDENTIAL" on the outside of your letter or in the subject of your email. Your letter or email can be written on a letterhead or your personal stationery. I have included a sample letter. Please feel free to use any or all of it.
I would ask that you kindly send or email me a copy of your opposition letter, as we will be compiling our own packet to take with us to the parole hearing to ensure your voice is heard.
Once again, I am most grateful for your support and offer my sincere thanks on behalf of my entire family.
Sincerely,
Nina Salarno Besselman