ACTON, MA – The entire school district of Acton, Massachusetts, is reeling from the shock of losing a 16-year-old female student who was brutally killed by her 49-year-old stepfather, Juliano Santana. Although the teen victim’s name was not released, authorities have verified that Santana, who at that time was facing trial for continuously sexually assaulting the young girl, shot her in his car close to her home. Police also found Santana dead alongside the teen inside of his vehicle.
The victim had a restraining order in place against Santana, who, despite being tracked via a GPS device, committed the horrifying act. Malden police’s confidential documents elucidate the specifics of the sexual assault charges, revealing that Santana was facing multiple accusations, including child rape. These allegations were brought to light by the victim’s mother and sister in the fall of 2021, indicating that the victim had endured five instances of sexual assault. Moreover, the two siblings maintained a mutual diary, which disclosed an incident of sexual assault in an entry dated August 8.
After reporting the sexual assaults, someone close to the victim voiced her concern over Santana’s potential response to the police involvement. She feared that Santana might escape to Brazil, his native country. The victim recollected to the investigators her traumatic encounters with Santana, who was subsequently arrested.
Santana was shockingly freed upon posting a $30,000 bail. Many local residents found it disturbing that a man accused of such heinous crimes was granted bail. Currently, investigations are being conducted to determine the sequence of events leading up to the grim incident.
Peter Light, the Superintendent of Acton-Boxborough Regional Schools shared that the teenage girl’s death has caused considerable distress in the community and that professional help in the form of counselors would be made available in schools to aid students and staff in navigating through this tragedy.