Reaction, new details – NBC Boston

News that a 16-year-old girl in Acton, Massachusetts, was shot and killed by her stepfather after he kidnapped her Thursday afternoon has left her school district “heartbroken,” according to the superintendent of Acton-Boxborough Regional Schools.

Superintendent Peter Light did not disclose the girl’s identity, but noted that she attended high school.

“Our thoughts are with the students, their families, friends and our staff,” Light said in a statement, adding that counselors would be sent to schools to support students and staff.

“We understand that children and young people may need additional support to cope with difficult news or events. Our school mental health staff will provide ongoing support to anyone who needs it. Again, our sincere condolences go out to everyone affected by this tragic death,” the statement continued.

Investigators believe a man kidnapped and shot his 16-year-old stepdaughter before turning the gun on himself.

Authorities did not release the girl’s name Thursday night when they announced she was killed by Juliano Santana, her 49-year-old stepfather, in his car parked near their residence. Police had been called around 4 p.m. because they had been attacked by the man, who was awaiting trial on charges of repeatedly sexually abusing the girl, according to the Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office.

Resources for victims of sexual assault are available through the National Sexual Violence Resources Center and the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 800-656-4673and Massachusetts provides this list of statewide resources for victims of sexual assault.

The teen and Santana were found dead in his car. The victim had a restraining order against Santana and was wearing a GPS bracelet at the time of the shooting.

Malden police reports included in Santana’s court file shed new light on the sexual abuse allegations he was scheduled to face in Middlesex Superior Court in July of this year. He was charged with three counts of child rape and two counts of sexual assault and battery on a child under the age of 14.

Santana’s sexual assaults were reported on Sept. 7, 2021, by the girl’s mother and a sister — the girl, then under 14, told her sister she had been sexually assaulted five times, most recently about a month earlier, according to a Malden police report. They shared a journal in which the girl and her sister had written to each other, showing an Aug. 8 excerpt that referenced a sexual assault.

One of the women who spoke to police that day said she was “concerned that Juliano might find out that the police are now involved in this situation and that he would try to flee the area and possibly return to Brazil, where he is from.” The officer reported the allegations to the Ministry of Children and Families.

The next day, the girl told investigators from Malden police, the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office and the Department of Children and Families about the sexual assaults. After the first one, she recalled, Santana told her “not to be afraid and not to tell her mother,” a police report said. He added that the encounter was bad and if she told anyone, his relationship with her mother would end.

According to the police report, Santana was arrested later that day as he left a restaurant in Everett. In the report, an investigator noted that after Juliano was read his Miranda rights, he “stated without provocation that he believed he needed to speak with an attorney because he (believed) he had a medical condition related to what he was accused of.”

As he was being taken to his holding cell, Santana reportedly mentioned again that he “needed to be examined by a doctor regarding this matter and perhaps speak to a lawyer about his problem.”

Santana was released by Malden District Court on $30,000 bail, along with contact restrictions, and the case was eventually transferred to Superior Court.

Prosecutors said the shooting was still under investigation Friday, pending an official ruling on how the teenager and Santana died.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, call 988 or text the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or chat live at 988lifeline.orgYou can also visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/Resources for additional support.