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James Murphy: And it says wrongful death and then I put murder. JAMES MURPHY: Do you have any information as to where Kristin Smart's body is located? They're known for being a really safe school.". James Murphy: So why would Susan Flores, her boyfriend, and Ruben Flores be up all night long working under that deck. Three more witnesses are expected to take the stand on Thursday, including two cadaver dog handlers.___. Testimony is expected to continue Wednesday. 1 of 47. September 15, 2017. Denise Pearce: The investigation was completely botched by the campus police. I was afraid Id end up missing or buried someplace, she says. The authorities removed items from Paul Floress home in Los Angeles in February 2020. Prior to the arrests, in February 2020, Flores home, his parents home, and his sisters home were searched by police. Cole also talked about his interview with Jennifer Hudson in November 2019. Unsealed court documents in the Kristin Smart murder case include allegations of a discovery of human blood and witnesses who claim to have seen suspicious . And six months later, when Flores was deposed by James Murphy for the Smart's civil suit, he kept quiet. Produced by Lisa Freed. Kristin did not have a purse, money, her I.D. The defense claims the prosecution is wearing said color as a result of a Facebook request on the site Justice for Kristin Smart' to wear purple during a Memorial Day celebration. Everyone knew Paul (Flores) was creepy. Even though he'd never investigated anything before, Lambert quit his job to create a podcast about the case. He said a backhoe had excavated a trench to dump soil that was removed to lay a nearby foundation. And here's your key." It was on Memorial Day weekend 1996 that their 19-year-old daughter Kristin Smart disappeared. An important tip came in after a February 2020 search of Paul, Susan and Ruben's properties. Dozens of community members on Saturday evening gathered for a vigil at Santa Rosa Park in San Luis Obispo to light candles in the memory of Kristin Smart, the Cal No charges were filed, but Lambert discovered Flores's troubles started at a young age. But the investigation is ongoing. Peterson. The younger Flores has long been the only person of interest in Smarts disappearance; she was last seen on May 25th, 1996, after attending a party near campus. Kristen Modafferi was an 18-year-old college student who was about to start a summer photography course at UC Berkeley when she disappeared after leaving work at a San Francisco coffee shop. What Chris did was take a local story and turn it into an international story. And there are more horrifying allegations about what may have happened to Kristin after she was last seen with Paul Flores. Chris Lambert: The only thing he would confirm on tape is that his name is Paul Flores. Berkeley. James Murphy: If it was, in fact, a piece of jewelry that matched Kristin's jewelry, it would have been blockbuster evidence. every piece of evidence points directly at Paul Flores. [emotional] I will go outside at nighttime and I'll look up at the full moon and I'll think that that kid's buried somewhere real close. Testimony resumes at the Kristin Smart hearing after a week off. He says Smart seemed uncomfortable but was too nice to ask the boy to leave. Ken Blum is the editor. Ruben's attorney, Harold Mesick, dismissed the evidence against his client as "so minimal as to shock the conscience.". And she's like, "please come with me. But it's Susan Flores's concrete backyard that initially received a lot of attention. Los Angeles Times via Getty Images Nineteen-year-old Cal Poly student Kristin Smart went missing after a campus party 25. Today, we make the first move toward bringing justice to Kristin, her family, and the people of San Luis Obispo County.. In his mug shot, a black eye can faintly been seen. From the start, investigators. James Murphy: I'd love to do anything to end their suffering. Jonathan Vigliotti: How did you know she hadn't been back? Paul Flores and his father both pleaded not guilty to all charges at their arraignment. He says they are Ruben's ex-wife Susan and her boyfriend. The Tribune said it got the public documents from the courthouse in the city 160 miles northwest of Los Angeles. SHERIFF IAN PARKINSON [at press conference]: Forensic physical evidence was located. Margarita Campos: I was a little bit more introverted and inhibited and she was like, "no, we have to go out and we have to go like live life." Denise Pearce: To be almost there. Lindsey Smart Stewart: Right. Denise Pearce | Longtime family friend: Things were gonna get better and, you know, and and they did. On April 19, father and son each pleaded not guilty, according to The Associated Press. She spent a summer in London, was an exchange student in Venezuela, and a lifeguard at a camp in Hawaii. The trial got underway with opening statements on July 18 in Monterey County Superior Court in Salinas. Mesick argued there were many innocent explanations why soil had previously been dug up in the yard. Judge van Rooyen announced in April that the trial would be moved to Monterey County, about 140 miles north of San Luis Obispo, after the defense team requested the change of venue because of extensive publicity around the case. Kristen Modaferri Observer file Family and friends of a Charlotte woman who has been missing for nearly two decades are awaiting results after a possible break in the case came Thursday.. You wouldn't let any of your friends be drunk around him. Since Parkinson came on the scene, investigators have dug up hillsides; searched the homes and properties of all the Flores'; collected evidence; seized Paul Flores' computers; monitored his cell phone and text messages, and found new witnesses -- some with the help of Chris Lambert. But now, 25 years later, a man sits in a San Luis Obispo County Jail cell, charged with her murder. The body of Kristin Smart, which has never been found, was recently moved from the home of Ruben Flores, a prosecutor said, according to a document filed Monday and posted on social media by a. Kristin Smart went missing on May 25, 1996 while attending California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and has not been heard from since. Cole also testified that on March 9, 2020, a witness reported some suspicious activity at the property. He later argued that the biological evidence found under the deck was not conclusively human blood. Smart's body was recently moved from the home of Ruben Flores, a prosecutor said. In April 2021, investigators finally put the pieces of the puzzle together and decided they had enough to charge the then-44-year-old Paul Flores with Kristin's murder, and his then-80-year-old father with being an accessory after the fact. James Murphy: To see them in custody was a feeling of great joy for me. Ms. Smart, 19, was a freshman at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo when she disappeared in 1996. Chris Lambert: Kristin's father would come down and hike every trail he could find on the Central Coast. Wednesday, Superior Court Judge Craig van Rooyen rules that having the podcaster testify and release his records would have a chilling effect on the medias ability to do their job. During Tuesday's hearing, San Luis Obispo County. The day after my sister disappeared, Paul Flores had a black eye and scratches on him. Paul Flores and defense attorney Robert Sanger in court on Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021. There was early mistakes made that you can't recover from when you're missing those vital pieces. Kristen was in her first year at Cal Poly when she vanished in 1996. PODCAST EPISODE 3 | MARY LASSITER: It was like a red thing and it was like a smudge-like fingerprinted look on the back, just red, like maroon, like old looking and the smudge that it was like half a fingerprint. Due to the evidence gleaned from the excavation, it is reasonable to believe Ruben Flores currently knows the location of Kristin Smarts remains," Peuvrelle said. In high school he was known as a loner. Meanwhile, the hearing is scheduled to conclude on Friday, when the judge will rule if prosecutors have probable cause to go to trial. I told her I didn't I didn't want to go. James Murphy: They're interested in seeing Paul Flores get convicted and Ruben Flores get held accountable. Cole reportedly testified that Ruben asked why Susan Flores, who is Pauls mother, and her boyfriend were also being swabbed when he was the only one who committed a felony. In October 2022, Paul Flores, the man long suspected in her disappearance, was found guilty of murder. How are we not all talking about this every day until shes found?, Editors picks Smarts remains have never been found, but authorities recently said they believe they know where she was buried, though they havent disclosed the location. Her parents, Denise and Stan were both educators who encouraged their kids' passions. She writes about missing persons, unsolved murders, and human rights. Margarita Campos: I mean, she was gone. Our family has always known that this was going to be a long, difficult, and emotional journey. They went on trial in July 2022 in Monterey County, Calif. On Oct. 18, 2022, Paul Flores was found guilty of murdering Ms. Smart. He'd go anywhere. But Paul Flores was never charged with any of these incidents. Jonathan Vigliotti: And that weighs on you. On Oct. 18, Paul Flores was found guilty of murdering Ms. Smart. They had become close friends despite their differences. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way. Instead, on Monday, May 27, Denise Pearce says the Smarts got a call from Cal Poly's campus police asking if Kristin was with them. were in the room exactly where she had left them. A California jury has found Paul Flores, the man accused of the 1996 murder of Kristin Smart, guilty of first-degree murder, according to a news release from the San Luis Obispo County District. But was there evidence possibly placing Kristin Smart at his mother's home? Defense Attorney Sanger calls the move a stunning lack of objectivity.. He also said that law enforcement leaked information to "Your Own Backyard" podcaster Chris Lambert. He later told investigators that he walked her as far as his dorm, where they parted ways. Chris Lambert: So much was lost in those first few days where if that very first phone call was taken seriously answers might have been uncovered the first week. The podcast, "Your Own Backyard,"has drawn millions of listeners and focused renewed attention on this decades old case. Paul Flores did not have a car on campus, so Murphy surmises he had to have had help. Attorney Harold Mesick said Monday that the evidence against the father was so minimal as to shock the conscience.. Her books are available on Amazon. In a civil lawsuit, the Smarts' attorney claims that Kristin's remains were buried at one time on Paul Flores' father's property. First published on November 28, 2020 / 11:10 PM. It's, like, she has nothing on her. to search on and near the Cal Poly campus. A single woman's earring. PODCAST EPISODE 5: If you were making a film about a new law enforcer who's coming to a small town to save the day, you'd probably cast Parkinson. The unsealed documents include two claims from 2011 and 2017 that Flores raped two women while they were drunk in San Pedro. They were after Paul Flores for an outstanding DUI warrant. D.A. On July 21, Kristin Smarts parents and her brother, Matt, testified about how they had searched for her after her disappearance. We want to especially thank the District Attorneys Office for their relentless efforts. Like what may have been discovered in March 2021 when investigators searched Ruben Flores' house using cadaver dogs and ground penetrating radar. Margarita Campos: I was, like, "Kristin, I'm going to go back home. The hearing began August 2 and is expected to last into at least next week. Chris Lambert's podcast caught the attention of millions of listeners and sparked new interest in the decades-old unsolved case of Kristin Smart. PODCAST EPISODE 1: I googled Kristin Smart's name every few years. Ms. Smart, who was from Stockton, Calif., was a freshman at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. Five months after Kristin Smart disappeared, Paul Flores was brought before a grand jury but no charges were ever filed. Ian Parkinson: I committed to them that I was going to go back to the beginning and re-examine every piece of evidence that we had. Chris Lambert and it worked. After almost 25 years of suspicion, on April 13, 2021, San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Ian Parkinson announced the arrest ofPaul Flores in the disappearance of Kristin Smart. She had taken a job at a coffee shop to pay for a photography course at U.C. The 19-year-old, who is also from Charlotte and a . In the spring of 1996, Kristin Smart, a 19-year-old college student, left an off-campus party in San Luis Obispo, Calif., and walked home to her dormitory. Denise Pearce says that was a crushing blow for the Smart family. But a massive search did not happen until she'd been gone for more than a month. Margarita Campos: She was absolutely sober when I left her. Like the rest of the family, Kristin was an athlete. Peuvrelle, who said Ruben Flores has helped cover up the crime for nearly a quarter-century, would continue to do so if freed. She disappeared in 1996 after attending an off-campus party and while she was declared legally dead in 2002, her body has never been found. So, when they were invited to a party that Friday night, Kristin was excited to go. In fact, Cheryl Anderson, who trusted Flores to walk Kristin back to her dorm alone, told police that her friends called him "Chester the molester," because he was known for groping girls. Onuma was evicted from a Kaneohe, Hawaii residence after his connection to the Kristen Modafferi . This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. By the time they inspected Flores's room, Kristin had been gone for 16 days. The elder Flores is charged with accessory after the fact to the crime of murder for allegedly helping Paul conceal Smarts body. Smart appeared to be under the influence of alcohol on Friday night. Chris Lambert: I brought them a number of witnesses that they were very interested in. Mary Lassiter says the earring she found in the driveway matched the necklace Kristin Smart is seen wearing on this billboard. But Margarita says, the police did not seem concerned. Copyright 2021 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Ann-Marie Christian: She was who she was because of her parents, for sure. Kristen has never been found. Cole testified about why investigators believe a crime was committed at Ruben's property on White Court in Arroyo Grande. The investigation seemed to be hampered from the start by a series of missteps by campus police beginning with their assumption that Kristin was off having fun and ignoring worried friends who said she was missing. That young woman was Kristin Smart, and she hasn't been seen since. Just weeks later, Kristin's frustrated parents contacted James Murphy, a local civil attorney. His is the latest in a line of true-crime podcasts to play a role in an arrest, a court appeal or even an exoneration. Whatever happened in those early hours, one thing is indisputable: Kristin Smart has never been seen again. Denise Pearce: Kristin hasn't come home And we're not sure where she is We don't know anything. And I was screaming. Chris Lambert: Around the time Kristin disappeared, they cut out planter boxes in the backyard, so they cut out big chunks of concrete and filled it in with soil. D.A. In March 2021, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office served a search warrant at the Arroyo Grande home of Ruben Flores. He said a chemical called Bluestar, which detects bodily fluids, was used on the trailer and that there was a reaction on the right side of the trailer showing a stain that could be similar to a human being lying on its side. Chris Lambert: I personally think that wherever Kristin went, Paul was there with her. And she was growing as an individual. In 1997 when Paul Flores was deposed for the civil suit, the only thing he would confirm on tape was his name. In April 2021, investigators charged Paul Flores, left, with Kristin Smart's murder, and his then-80-year-old father Ruben, as an accessory after the fact. Jonathan Vigliotti: She had just 40 yards to go and yet she vanished. 2020 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. Most students had taken off but Kristin had stayed on campus. Witness Jennifer Hudson takes the stand, where she tells the court that, in 1996, when she was 17 years old, Flores laughingly told her he had taken care of Smart. After over 25 years, there is no evidence that Paul Flores committed the crimes for which there is no evidence.. Chris Lambert: He told those friends he just woke up with the black eye. DAN DOW [press conference]: It is alleged that Mr. Flores caused the death of Kristen Smart while in the commission of or attempted rape. So had Margarita Campos, who lived in the next room in Muir Hall. The sheriff's office seized the trailer and Det. What happens next? JAMES MURPHY: Your husband have information as to where Kristin Smart's body is located? Kristen has facial dimples. She and all who have worked so hard toward this day deserve nothing less.. Chris Lambert: And he says he got a black eye playing basketball with his friends. There was no reaction until the dog reached Paul Flores's room. JAMES MURPHY: In May of 96 were you a student at Cal Poly? Peterson may or may not have been at the party Smart disappeared after. Devastating. But it was a local story and the thing that stood out to me is that nobody was talking about it anymore. Margarita Campos: Kristin was like, "come on, let's go, let's go." D.A. And DNA evidence could not be found linking any other evidence to Kristin. He says "no.". Garin Sinclair: He never once turned to the Smart family and said, hey, we have an earring, we'd like to show it to you to see if it matches any of your daughter's jewelry. In February 2020, the authorities executed search warrants at four locations in California and Washington State and recovered what the San Luis Obispo County Sheriffs Office described as items of interest. One location was the Los Angeles home of Paul Flores, KCAL-TV reported. But the judge indicated he would set a reasonable bail amount Wednesday for the father, who has health problems is currently in the San Luis Obispo jail on $250,000 bail. Jonathan Vigliotti: How significant was that? Don Kelsen/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images. To think that you're going to finally get some resolution, and then it doesn't happen the way it's supposed to. Smart was talking with and socializing with several different males at the party. Paul Flores may have wanted a fresh start in Southern California, but Chris Lambert says, he could not seem to break old habits. A separate jury for Ruben Flores started deliberating on Oct. 5. Four months after that futile search, Paul Flores was brought before a grand jury. Oct. 18, 2022 In the spring of 1996, Kristin Smart, a 19-year-old college student, left an off-campus party in San Luis Obispo, Calif., and walked home to her dormitory. PODCAST | EPISODE 1: At least once a day I asked myself what are you doing? Maybe we cant. JAMES MURPHY: What is the name of your father? When authorities later confronted him with the two stories, Flores admitted lying and offered a new explanation. Det. When they showed up, it was Paul Flores. Cole said this was done so Lambert would include the information in his podcast during the time of the wiretap. Bei der Nutzung unserer Websites und Apps verwenden wir, unsere Websites und Apps fr Sie bereitzustellen, Nutzer zu authentifizieren, Sicherheitsmanahmen anzuwenden und Spam und Missbrauch zu verhindern, und, Ihre Nutzung unserer Websites und Apps zu messen, personalisierte Werbung und Inhalte auf der Grundlage von Interessenprofilen anzuzeigen, die Effektivitt von personalisierten Anzeigen und Inhalten zu messen, sowie, unsere Produkte und Dienstleistungen zu entwickeln und zu verbessern. Kristin Smart was a 19-year-old freshman at Cal Poly, California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, when she disappeared after a walk home from an off-campus party early in the. The two are charged in connection with the death of Cal Poly freshman Kristin Smart. It's fine. Griffin Cherry was her close friend: In a statement, the Smart family described a long wait for this bittersweet day.. But while campus police weren't doing much, Kristin's parents were doing whatever they could to find their daughter. It also expounds on several other alleged rapes as well as unwanted sexual advances. Alicia Tejada is the field producer and Addison Briley is the associate producer. And Murphy and Sinclair believe they can prove it. She was she was frantic I don't understand this, you know? Ms. Smarts acquaintances were interviewed. She was last seen in the Lands End area of San Francisco, close to where Laci and Connor washed up. Police investigated whether Durst, 71, who lived in San Francisco at the time Modafferi went missing, was connected to her disappearance. As of 2021, Kristen Modafferi's case remains unsolved. ORIGINAL STORY - Paul and Ruben Flores are back in court Wednesday for another day of their preliminary hearing. He's going to find her body, which is awful for a parent. Chris Lambert, who worked as a CBS News consultant, pieced together what he learned from people who were there that night. The jury hearing Paul Floress case began deliberations after closing arguments on Oct. 4. Ruben Flores was acquitted by a separate jury. 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Cadaver dogs were sent into Paul Floress dorm room. Chris Lambert: Everything else, he took the Fifth Amendment. Clockwise from left, Kristin, Denise, Stan, Matt and Lindsey. But Mary Lassiter says the earring matched the necklace Kristin is seen wearing on the billboard. On June 23, 1997, Kristen left the coffee shop where she worked, Spinelli's Coffee in San Francisco's Crocker Galleria. and offers to help. Kristen Modafferi, Kristin Smart & Kent Jacobs. The two girls walked to an area off campus where there were fraternities, sororities and residential housing for students. "48 Hours" looks back to their arrests and how the saga began. She feared for her life, so did not tell anyone at the time or for years after. I've got her. What's going on? But cadaver dogs told a different story. By the time Cal Poly police began investigating, Kristin had been gone for four days. When they were deposed by James Murphy, they also insisted their son was not involved. She was declared legally dead in 2002. Lindsey Smart Stewart: I think they're, like, carrying boulders on their back. Flores, who had been seen with Smart earlier in the evening he attempted to flirt with her and apparently fell on her at one point, according to witnesses joined the group and allegedly accompanied Smart home. Im not going to exclude a member of the media (for doing their job).. A cemetery posted a personal ad for a goose whose mate died. Books from this author. Paul Flores was charged with murder and Ruben Flores with being an accessory after the fact, accused of helping to bury her remains. Twenty-five years after Smart went missing, a prime suspect is charged with murder. They were soon joined by another partygoer, Paul Flores. PODCAST EPISODE 1: Kristin broke down begging her mother to let her drop out and go somewhere else. 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