On February 20, 2014, 23-year-old Solanlly Paulino was found deceased in her Peabody, Massachusetts, apartment at the Eaves Avalon complex. Police discovered her on a couch, face down, having sustained a single gunshot wound to the head. There were also strangulation marks on her neck, and the scene showed signs of a struggle, including an overturned lamp and a hole in the wall.
A spent shell casing was recovered from the floor next to the loveseat where her body was found.
The investigation quickly centered on her 43-year-old boyfriend, Franklin Castano. On the morning of Paulino's discovery, Castano had gone to the Lynn Police Station at the urging of a friend and confessed to killing his girlfriend. This confession launched the homicide investigation at the apartment he shared with Paulino. The relationship had a history of violence, with a previous assault charge against Castano in 2010 involving Paulino. In the days leading up to her death, Paulino had been attempting to end the abusive relationship and had packed Castano's belongings in suitcases.
Family members stated they had tried to help her leave Castano, describing him as obsessive and controlling. Paulino was a student at Salem State University, pursuing degrees in social work and early childhood education, and also worked as a nanny. In September 2015, a jury convicted Franklin Castano of first-degree murder and unlicensed possession of a firearm. He received a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
