The Boy Across the Street | Post Mortem | Forensic Files

[Music] Welcome back to Postmortem. I'm your host Ann Marie Green and today we are
speaking with 48 Hours correspondent Aaron Morardi about the case of Kina Rose Serno. In 1979, Katina was shot on
campus at the University of the Pacific in California. It was the first day of her freshman year and the asalent was
her high school boyfriend Steven Burns. Kina was just 18 years old at the time. Now Burns was convicted of secondderee
murder in 1980 and he's been in prison for four decades. Kina's family wants to keep it that way. They have attended
every single parole board hearing, 13 in total, to advocate against his release.
So Aaron is joining us now. Erin, thank you so much. Well, I'm very happy to be here. Thank you, Amory. Because this
case, as you're going to hear, was eyeopening on so many different levels. I've seen it all, but I hadn't seen
this, and so I want to talk about it. Yeah, we don't talk often about this sort of component of the criminal
justice system, the parole system. Um, so I'm looking forward to digging into it. I do want to remind everyone that if
you haven't already listened to this episode of 48 Hours, you can find it in your podcast stream just above this one.
Go ahead, go listen and then come on back. Kina Solano and Steven Burns, they were high school sweethearts. Uh they
lived across the street from each other, but when Kina tried to break up with him, Burns threatened to kill her.
She left and she went to college and she was absolutely shocked when he turned up
at the same college as her. They had discussed this before and he was supposed to be going to another college.
They go off to their separate dorms to settle in, but he asks to speak with her and she agrees to do so. She tells her
roommate, "I'll be back." She never comes back. So, what I found just as a journalist very very impressive is the
sheer number of people you all were able to track down from decades ago. Um, we're talking about Kina's roommate, um,
the the then young student who stumbled upon Kina fighting for her life in the middle of campus. um the patrol officer
who stayed in her hospital room because he did not want her to be alone. Talk to
me about how you all managed to get in contact with all of these people and convince them to participate. It it
wasn't me. I'm I'm as impressed as you are. we have these amazing producers um people who were willing to dig and and
as you point out they had to go back 45 years um and they managed to find so many people um from that time and what
that allowed us to do with this story was bring the past alive in a way that is remarkable but also heartbreaking and
as you mentioned Randy Hate who was the patrol officer young back then 45 years ago. And it's so moving to hear, you
know, when he gets to the hospital, he's wondering why no one in the family is there. But that's because they're in San
Francisco. She's a student at the college and her parents can't get there yet. And so he doesn't leave her. He and
another officer stay there until she dies and until the corner gets there. And it's so moving. He's still friends
with the family and even went to the very last parole hearing. Wow. Um, and then to be able to talk to these now
grownup roommates of both Kina and Stephven Burns. And I think what really hit me
was that event so struck Stephven Burns roommate Les who really only knew him for a day realized this was the first
day of college really. And he comes back with two really interesting stories. is
one of course is that Steven had already come into that room and set up a shrine
to Kina. And so I had asked him and I said, "Well, did he happen to mention that she had broken up with him?" And he
goes, "No." He said, "I saw more pictures than I'd ever seen." And also I was struck by the fact that Les had told
us that he had been watching Monday Night Football when Stephen came back, but Stephen told the police he had been
there all night. So that gives you a real sense right away from the beginning who Steven Burns was. Absolutely. The
other thing that kind of was really brought home to me by seeing all these people is the amount of time that has
passed and like who Kina could have been, you know, cuz like here they are, they're all grown up. They've lived
whole lives, whole careers. like wow who would she have been if she had been allowed to sort of live these next four
decades you know right but Emory there is something really special even though she never got a chance to live her life
she lives on in in these people's lives what was so interesting to me is they hadn't forgotten her that one act by
Steven Burns wasn't just didn't mean just the end of her life or affect her family it affected so many people's
lives and Les was talking as if it had happened yesterday. Um, and Randy Hate, the officer who sat there, is still, you
could see him thinking back to that night. So, she never got a chance to live her life, but she certainly made an
impact. Indeed. So, this is not the first time that 48 hours has actually covered this case, and I I love it when
we can kind of go into the archives. Um, the first report on the case was done in
1990 by correspondent Bernard Goldberg. Yes, it was. Uh, Bernard Goldberg was the very first correspondent with 48
Hours, and I've been around long enough to remember Bernard Goldberg. Um, and I actually joined as a full-time
correspondent three years later, but he was the very first um, and really was a terrific correspondent at the time. And
that was a time when 48 hours where we got the name was we would spend 48 hours or more on a story. And so you really
see it even when you see Bernard talking to the family during our hour of how much time he was spending with them. Uh
because he was spending a lot of time with them on the fly as they were going to the very first parole hearing. Yeah.
I mean he's he's sort of talking very comfortably. Yeah. We would go everywhere with people till we we would
joke that they would get be so tired of us and I could tell when someone I was interviewing would say yes Aaron because
I've been there for 48 hours. So Bernard Goldberg spent a lot of time with his family to um see what would happen at
that very first parole hearing. So then why did 48 Hours decide to update viewers on this case? Um, was it
because there was another parole hearing coming up? I mean, who I guess who would
have thought that there would have been so many parole hearings between then and
now? Emory, we stay on stories for a long time. And yes, it was because there was the 13th parole hearing. And I I
have to tell you, remember I said this was eyeopening. In my mind, he was finally going to get out. I mean, I
didn't realize all the elements that really go in to determine whether someone should get parole or not. I
thought it was really good that you explored that idea, you know, asking, listen, like what is justice? What is
the system for? Are you sure that you're in the pursuit of justice or is this just like a personal thing? Because, you
know, it's it's hard to get over someone taking someone you loved. I I thought you the way you explored it was just was
delicate but direct. Well, and the California law does allow for parole when somebody is judged to be suitable
for parole. Uh so you had to wonder what was the motive behind the family keeping
him in. And so I did think we had to raise it. But they said he stalked her and he would never admit at these parole
hearings that he had stalked her. And so their concern was that if he was ever out, he could still hurt somebody by
stalking or controlling behavior even if he didn't kill someone. I didn't understand that until I worked on this
story. We're going to dig in a little bit more to that, but I just want to ask you um something about the court case,
which was really surprising to me. I know it was back in 1980, but Kina's two sisters, Regina and Nina, they testified
in Burns's trial, but Nenah was just 14 years old, and she had to testify without her parents in the courtroom.
They were not allowed. Why? She was a minor. Well, it's really interesting. And the Solano said that when they first
went to this trial, they thought that there was more attention and more concern for the defendants's rights than
victim's rights. Harriet and Michael were not allowed into the trial because they were on the witness list. And back
then, that was the thought that if you're going to testify at a trial, you can't be at the trial um because it
could affect your own testimony. Nah, who was only 14, had to testify against Stephven Burns, uh the young man who had
been her friend. She saw him as a brother. No one else was allowed to go in with her. Her parents weren't in the
court. And so, they did not want to have other victims go through what they did.
So, Harriet made it her life's work to help other victims. And uh so now because of Harriet's group um now a a
young person who has to testify goes in with a a support person. So they've made
a difference for other victims. Welcome back. In 1980, Steven Burns was found guilty of seconddegree
murder and he was sentenced to 17 years to life with the possibility of parole. The Solaros have attended 13 parole
hearings for Burns since that time. Aaron, I don't think I knew exactly how the parole system works, but
13 sounds like a lot. Why was he up for parole so many times? Well, every state is different, but um what happens is at
a parole hearing, the commissioners don't just decide whether you are suitable or unsuitable for parole. They
also decide how much time they're going to give you to clean up your act. And so
it could be 2 years, it could be five years. And that's what happened. And so the Solaros, I mean, they didn't have to
come back each time, but they did come back every single time. So this is really interesting because you
interviewed Kevin Anderson, who was once a uh pediatrician and formerly incarcerated with Burns. uh he now
counsels or he's a counselor and he worked with Burns in mock hearing sessions to prep him for his last parole
hearing. Very interesting. Kevin told you that he felt that Burns did deserve to be released. How did you connect to
Kevin and how does he feel now? So, of course, we asked Steven Burns to speak with us. Um and I was hopeful he might,
but he did not. What he did instead was suggest that we talk to Kevin Anderson. And Kevin Anderson did give us a lot of
insight into Stephen Burns. And when I first met him, which was right before the 13th parole hearing, um he said that
he had worked with him while he was still in prison. He he had gotten out on parole and and thought that Steven Burns
had finally come to accept the behaviors that had led to the shooting. He even described what Steven had told him about
how he had looked at Kina and seen the fear in her eyes. And and another big question in this which is almost as
troubling is the fact that he shot his girlfriend. She didn't die immediately. He didn't call 911. So it wasn't just
that he shot her. He let her die. He goes back to his dorm and starts watching Monday Night Football and never
says a word. When I talked to Les, Les said he didn't even look nervous. So at Kevin Anderson said to us this time he
actually admitted what a coward he had been. So Kevin thought this is what he's going to tell the parole board this 13th
parole board and that he's finally going to admit to the behaviors that led to him thinking it was okay to kill his
girlfriend if she didn't want to be with him anymore. But he didn't. No, he did not. So, how does Kevin feel about him
now? I've got to give a lot of credit to Kevin Anderson. I was very impressed with him because when he read the
transcript from that 13th parole hearing, he was shocked. And so, he wrote Liza Finley, who was the producer
of this this show, and and God bless him. He said, "Oh my gosh, I was wrong. This guy is not ready for parole." Can
you believe this? That, you know, Kevin Anderson said, and so I had to be back in San Francisco anyway, which is where
Kevin Anderson is. And I went back to have him explain. And he's the one who said to me, you know, he might never
shoot someone again, but he has not come to terms with his controlling behavior.
And he could still hurt somebody without killing them. He could still cause damage.
M I want to talk a little bit about filming the day um of that most recent parole hearing. Um this is in 2025. Um
there's this really sort of tender moment with you Aaron that you're driving in in the back seat. You're with
uh Harriet who's Kina's mom and you sort of reach out to touch her hand. Can you
tell me about you know what was happening in that moment? Well, we all know, Emory, that we're not supposed to
ever become part of a story. And I try really hard not to, but I've worked at 48 hours for such a long time, and you
spend so much time with people. It wasn't that I just reached out to touch her. She said to me that she was
shaking. She's a 92year-old woman who was going to her 13th parole hearing, was very worried that the man who killed
her daughter could get out and hurt someone else. and I just put my hand on hers and she was shaking and um that it
was just the right thing to do at that moment. But it really lets you know that it never gets easier. You would think by
13 you would I don't know know exactly what to expect, know exactly what you want the board members to hear, but it's
still like this emotional upheaval to yet to go there again. Yes. This was, she said, as tough almost as the first
one. Yeah. Wow. Wow. Um, in fact, you sat with Harriet and the family in the conference room and watched the parole
hearing. We 48 hours couldn't bring cameras in there, so it was just kind of you in there with the family. But tell
me what that was like. Well, I felt very blessed to be able to sit in there because we were not allowed to record
any of it, but they did. commissioners allowed me to sit in. And so, of course, I was dying of curiosity to get a sense
of who Stephven Burns was. You know, there were other people that he had encountered during prison. According to
a complaint brought up at previous parole hearings, a couple of instructors said that he made them uncomfortable.
Were the Were they women? The instructors? Women. Women. Yes. Both instructors. Sorry. Both instructors
were women. one when she wouldn't uh allow him into a class that he wanted to get into and another when he did not
think he got the grade he deserved. M and what it wasn't so much that that he said something to them that wasn't the
problem but that he the way he said it and the way he felt entitled and I think you could hear it from the commissioner
that uh the commissioners believe the same thing that he just he could not hear himself he could not see his own
behavior as troubling as it was and so they found him unsuitable. It just he has not
acknowledged accepted what he did back then. That's what the family is concerned about. Yeah. You know, just as
an aside, this is a family who opened their doors and their heart to a young man and like to that level of betrayal
to welcome him into your home. Um cuz Kina's father sort of took him a little bit under his wing, right? Oh my gosh.
Yes. And Nenah, Nenah saw him as, you know, the sports, the athlete. She was an athlete. And so he was like a brother
and she trusted him. And uh the girls felt so betrayed by the guy across the street that took
away their big sister and changed their lives forever. Right. It it it was a betrayal to every person in that family.
And you had mentioned a little bit earlier that like that it kind of changed the trajectory of their lives in
certain ways. I again I that was eye opening to me too um just how much this one act affected this family forever.
Harriet with her victim's group where she helped change the law and still goes to work every day at age 92. And then
you have Nina who had to testify by herself and that because of that awful experience became a prosecutor focusing
on victims of abuse so that other people don't have to go through that and then Regina um who remembering that her
sister died in a hospital became a nurse. So, it was an awful thing that this family went through, but every
member of that family made their their tragedy better for other people. Absolutely. You know, Erin, like every
once in a while, people will ask me, um, isn't it sort of depressing to work on these sort of stories? And I always say,
no, because for every story there's heroes. And here you have a a entire family that are heroic in their efforts
to make sure that no one else becomes a victim the way that their loved one became. You know, Amory, I'm just like
you. People say, "How can you deal with this after all these years, Erin?" And I
go, "Because I don't think about the horror. I think about the heroes." I love that. I absolutely love that. Um
Erin, another great hour. Um, it was really an interesting way to sort of delve into the story. We don't talk
enough about the parole system. Uh, what's great about it, but also what's really challenging about it, especially
for the families of the victims. So, thank you so much. Thank you, Emory. I'll be back as you know. I know you
will. And if you like this series, Postmortem, please rate and review 48 hours on Apple Podcasts and follow 48
hours wherever you get your podcasts. And you can also listen adree with a 48 hours plus subscription on Apple
podcast. Thanks for listening.

Watch "The Boy Across the Street " and then join "Post Mortem" host Anne-Marie Green and "48 Hours" correspondent Erin Moriarty as they discuss the 1979 murder of Catina Rose Salarno, who was shot by her ex-boyfriend, Steven Burns, and her family's ongoing fight to keep him in prison. Erin shares how her producers tracked down witnesses more than four decades later, how attending the recent parole hearing changed her opinion on the case, and the lasting impact Salarno's death has had on her family.

Crime. Social justice. Impact. "48 Hours" investigates the most intriguing crime and justice cases that touch on all areas of the human experience including greed and passion. "48 Hours," which premiered in 1988, has developed a rich history of original reporting and impact journalism that has helped exonerate wrongly convicted people, caused cold cases to be reopened and solved, and along the way changed lives.

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Brief Summary

Kina Rose Serno was murdered by her boyfriend; her family fights against his parole after 13 hearings.

Key points

The Tragic Case of Kina Serno. Kina was shot by her high school boyfriend on her first day of college.
The Impact of a Single Act. Kina's murder affected not just her family but many lives around her.
The Parole System Explained. The Solaros have attended 13 parole hearings, raising questions about justice and safety.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

She never comes back.

Kina tells her roommate she'll be back after speaking with Steven Burns.

1:56WatchMay 11, 2025

Tension

75/ 100High tension

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