On her first day at the University of the Pacific in 1979, 18-year-old Catina Rose Salarno met her ex-boyfriend, Steven Burns, who fatally shot her after she refused to reconcile. Despite a troubled relationship marked by threats, Catina believed she could handle the situation, leading to her tragic death. Her sister, Nina Salarno, became a prosecutor specializing in domestic violence, emphasizing the dangers of leaving an abuser and the importance of making a clean break to prevent similar tragedies.
