LOS ANGELES A California college student missing for nearly 25 years was once buried in the backyard of the home owned by the murder suspect's father, authorities said in a court document. He also said there was suspicious staining in the soil indicative of human remains. Missing-person posters and billboards offering rewards appeared along roads and in other public places. The Smart family filed a $40 million wrongful death lawsuit against Paul Flores in 1997, but he was not immediately charged criminally in the case. Ms. Smarts family declared her legally dead in 2002, but the search, and the investigation, continued. They seized digital devices during the search and, in April 2020, executed another search on Paul Flores property in San Pedro. Mesick declined to comment Tuesday, citing the gag order. Cole also testified that on March 9, 2020, a witness reported some suspicious activity at the property. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. We just, "do you know anything about it". The document presented summaries of why prosecutors didn't want either man to be released pending a trial that could be years away. The Mysterious Disappearance Of Kristen Modafferi - Grunge.com James Murphy: Every day. He later told investigators that he walked her as far as his dorm, where they parted ways. And for the first time clues about what may have happened to Kristin Smart. But now, 25 years later, a man sits in a San Luis Obispo County Jail cell, charged with her murder. Plans & Pricing . The Disappearance of Kristin Smart: What Happened and What's Next The authorities removed items from Paul Floress home in Los Angeles in February 2020. And then months and months later, they'd reach back out and say, can you get us in touch with this person again? UPDATE - San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Detective Clint Cole returned to the witness stand Wednesday in the preliminary hearing for Paul and Ruben Flores, testifying that searches of Ruben's home turned up evidence leading them to believe human remains had been buried there. Books from this author. Griffin Cherry was her close friend: Even more difficult to understand was why they waited two months to search the family home where Paul Flores was living with his father, Ruben. JAMES MURPHY: Would you state your full name for the record please. The unsealed documents include two claims from 2011 and 2017 that Flores raped two women while they were drunk in San Pedro. Chris Lambert: I personally think that wherever Kristin went, Paul was there with her. The sheriff's office still wasn't convinced they had enough evidence against Flores. so eventually he unlocked you know, the apartment door, and I left. I was afraid Id end up missing or buried someplace, she says. Paul Flores may have wanted a fresh start in Southern California, but Chris Lambert says, he could not seem to break old habits. 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. The Kristen Modafferi Mystery: 20 years later, private investigators Lourdes Aguiar is the senior producer. That's when Cole said Ruben asked why they would also be collecting DNA from Susan Flores and her boyfriend and Ruben told him, "They did not commit a felony, only I did.". 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. Everyone knew Paul (Flores) was creepy. 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. A missing-person report was filed with the campus police on May 28. Despite the fact that law enforcement had collected substantial evidence that Kristin Smart may have had reason not to return to her dorm room after leaving (fellow party-goers) Cheryl (Manzer) Anderson and Paul Flores and despite the fact that they had collected substantial evidence that there were multiple potential suspects who stalked, harassed or otherwise had conflicts with Kristin Smart, law enforcement made an early choice to change their focus to murder and to Paul Flores as the only suspect, Sanger wrote in a defense motion. But Paul Flores was never charged with any of these incidents. What happens next? When they reached the turnoff to Cheryl's dorm, she says Flores tried to hug and kiss her. Margarita Campos: they were, like, "are you sure she didn't go out of town?" And I was screaming. Recently unsealed court documents show the extent to which law enforcement has looked into Flores over the years: 48 search warrants involving wiretaps and GPS tracking, and a search of Flores former Cal Poly dorm room. A separate jury for Ruben Flores started deliberating on Oct. 5. PODCAST EPISODE 1: I googled Kristin Smart's name every few years. My job was to hunt them. By the time they inspected Flores's room, Kristin had been gone for 16 days. The Kristin Smart disappearance: After 26 years, Paul Flores is convicted of murder 20 photos. But remarkably, the same thing happened with three more dogs. Back in May 1996, Kristin Smart was finishing her freshman year at California Polytechnic State University better known as Cal Poly. Peterson may or may not have been at the party Smart disappeared after. Meanwhile, the hearing is scheduled to conclude on Friday, when the judge will rule if prosecutors have probable cause to go to trial. In a civil lawsuit, the Smarts' attorney claims that Kristin's remains were buried at one time on Paul Flores' father's property. Remember, Flores's room had been emptied and thoroughly cleaned. PODCAST EPISODE 2 | WOMAN #2: You wouldn't want to be alone in a room with him. Wenn Sie Ihre Auswahl anpassen mchten, klicken Sie auf Datenschutzeinstellungen verwalten. "YOUR OWN BACKYARD" PODCAST: EPISODE 1: It's a cold and cloudy winter afternoon in San Luis Obispo and I'm retracing missing Cal Poly student Kristin Smart's last known steps. James Murphy: They brought in the first dog and they'd had the dog go through the dorms. Anyone would have been terrified if they heard it.. Ms. Smart, who was from Stockton, Calif., was a freshman at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. Chris Lambert: They didn't bring cadaver dogs with them. Ann-Marie Christian: Her parents reminded me of my parents. That turned out to be college. Whatever happened in those early hours, one thing is indisputable: Kristin Smart has never been seen again. Sheriff Ian Parkinson was able to confirm that forensic physical evidence that authorities believe is linked to Kristin was located at, at least two homes. James Murphy: Well, the location where all this activity occurred is where they found the biological material. "48 Hours" looks back to their arrests and how the saga began. 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. James Murphy: That suggests that something bad happened in Paul Flores's dorm room. Copyright 2023 Penske Business Media, LLC. Like what may have been discovered in March 2021 when investigators searched Ruben Flores' house using cadaver dogs and ground penetrating radar. A Timeline of the Kristin Smart Case - The New York Times Susan's house was finally searched in March 1997 nine months after Kristin disappeared but nothing was found. D.A. She was never seen. James Murphy: If it was, in fact, a piece of jewelry that matched Kristin's jewelry, it would have been blockbuster evidence. 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. Detective in Kristin Smart case testifies human blood - KSBY In March 2021, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office served a search warrant at the Arroyo Grande home of Ruben Flores. But the investigation is ongoing. The trial got underway with opening statements on July 18 in Monterey County Superior Court in Salinas. 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. So, I said, "you better turn some lights on right now and let me out or I'm going to scream." I don't think she went back to her dorm at all. Kristen Modafferi was last seen on the afternoon of June 23, 1997, at the coffee shop where she was working in the Crocker Galleria Mall in San Francisco, California. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way. And the body's not there now. We want to especially thank the District Attorneys Office for their relentless efforts. That mother, Mary Lassiter, described it to Chris Lambert. Jonathan Vigliotti: And that phone call never comes. But Parkinson acknowledges it hasn't been easy. A trailer was reportedly parked at Ruben's residence at odd hours and Paul's mother, Susan Flores, and her boyfriend were there. Chris Lambert: Kristin's father would come down and hike every trail he could find on the Central Coast. Um, wherever we can punch holes. Mary Lassiter says the earring she found in the driveway matched the necklace Kristin Smart is seen wearing on this billboard. The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time Klicken Sie auf Alle ablehnen, wenn Sie nicht mchten, dass wir und unsere Partner Cookies und personenbezogene Daten fr diese zustzlichen Zwecke verwenden. Chris Lambert: They just have never given up and are never going to give up on their daughter. Paul Flores and defense attorney Robert Sanger in court on Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021. Kristin did not have a purse, money, her I.D. 3. For the next 25 years, I did whatever I could and looked for answers wherever I could, Denise Smart told the court, according to CBS 13, a local television station. Marital Status: Single Characteristics: Caucasian female with brown hair and eyes. The then eighteen-year-old . Ian Parkinson: Yes. The next month, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriffs Office took over from the Cal Poly police as the lead investigators. Today, we make the first move toward bringing justice to Kristin, her family, and the people of San Luis Obispo County.. On Monday, he questioned why investigators needed to keep searching for evidence after making arrests. No charges were filed, but Lambert discovered Flores's troubles started at a young age. James Murphy: Having a black eye doesn't make you guilty of anything but if the person you were with disappeared from the planet that's physical evidence. So had Margarita Campos, who lived in the next room in Muir Hall. It was first reported by The Tribune, and a reporter posted snippets of documents on Twitter. A hundred percent that was happening. They might have found evidence in those vehicles. 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. Eighteen-year-old Kristen Modafferi was a college honor student from North Carolina spending her summer in San Francisco. He refused to answer questions during a deposition in November 1997, citing the Fifth Amendment. She said she didn't tell law enforcement about it until she talked to Det. Paul Flores convicted of killing Kristin Smart after 26 years of Her books are available on Amazon. The day after the arrests, Dan Dow, the San Luis Obispo County district attorney, said that Paul Flores had caused the death of Ms. Smart while in the commission of, or attempted, rape. Ruben Flores helped to hide her remains, he said. Proof of the L.A. charges cant act as a substitute for the SLO case.. Mesick argued there were many innocent explanations why soil had previously been dug up in the yard. She and all who have worked so hard toward this day deserve nothing less.. Paul Flores, 44, has pleaded not guilty to a murder charge. The authorities began to describe Paul Flores as a prime suspect in the case. It worked. By the time Cal Poly police began investigating, Kristin had been gone for four days. Mike McHugh is the producer-editor. Produced by Lisa Freed. True crime podcasting is not something that particularly captivated me, Lambert told Rolling Stonelast year. He was not welcome.. It encouraged the previously reluctant to come forward. This obviously gave law enforcement new leads to follow and connect with what they already were holding close.. In one of Paul's police interviews he mentioned that he wanted to be let out of the interview because he needed to help clean up concrete at his mom's house So, what was being done in Susan Flores's backyard in the weeks after Kristin went missing? 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. But one of those friends told police Flores already had the black eye when he arrived. Cadaver dogs were sent into Paul Floress dorm room. Possible break in Kristen Modafferi case after 18 years PODCAST EPISODE 2 | WOMAN #1: I wasn't surprised, but there's also that shock value of kind of "oh my god, I knew it! James Murphy: It was just a sad phone call to have somebody say, our daughter disappeared and we think she's the victim of foul play and we'd like to pursue the guy that we think is responsible. 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 Five months after Kristin Smart disappeared, Paul Flores was brought before a grand jury but no charges were ever filed. Ruben Flores and his estranged wife Susan have always denied any role in Kristin Smart's disappearance. Cole testified about why investigators believe a crime was committed at Ruben's property on White Court in Arroyo Grande. Early on, a small group of volunteers also looked for Kristin. Flores defense team serves Your Own Backyard podcaster Chris Lambert with a subpoena to serve as a witness in San Luis Obispo Superior Court on August 30th, as he has interviewed several witnesses before they spoke to law enforcement. Kristin Smart case: Suspects Paul and Ruben Flores arrested in the Chris Lambert: And he says he got a black eye playing basketball with his friends. James Murphy and Garin Sinclair look at the billboard that has been in their front yard for more than two decades. And when they did . Like the rest of the family, Kristin was an athlete. He had a smirk when he said it, like it was a joke, she says. Witnesses said Smart was intoxicated, and Flores had said he would walk her home after an off-campus party. So before leaving, Margarita handed over her keys to get back into Muir Hall. Kristin Smarts family in 1999, three years after she was last seen walking home from a party in San Luis Obispo, Calif. Earthmovers were used in searches on and near the California Polytechnic State University campus in 2016. Chris Lambert: They did a significant amount of digging underneath the house. James Murphy: And it says wrongful death and then I put murder. or even her keys. Flores was first interviewed by Cal Poly police investigators near the end of May 1996, according to The San Luis Obispo Tribune, and the Cal Poly police didnt search his room until June 10th. November 01, 2017. So, when they were invited to a party that Friday night, Kristin was excited to go. 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. In high school he was known as a loner. Im not going to exclude a member of the media (for doing their job).. He promised the Smarts that solving Kristin's case would be a priority. Denise Pearce | Longtime family friend: Things were gonna get better and, you know, and and they did. But Mary Lassiter says the earring matched the necklace Kristin is seen wearing on the billboard. Kristen Modafferi - Unsolved Mysteries Like the Smart's civil case, theirs also has been on hold. After over 25 years, there is no evidence that Paul Flores committed the crimes for which there is no evidence.. Paul Flores was charged with murder and Ruben Flores with being an accessory after the fact, accused of helping to bury her remains. Denise Pearce: To be almost there. Chris Lambert: I didn't know the scale. On Monday, June 23rd, 1997, she arrived for work at the Crocker Galleria mall. It was on Memorial Day weekend 1996 that their 19-year-old daughter Kristin Smart disappeared. The two are charged in connection with the death of Cal Poly freshman Kristin Smart. Some of those women who did not want their real names used told Lambert about their encounters with him. Chris Lambert: He actually hit his eye on his steering wheel in the middle of the night while changing his stereo. Chris Lambert's podcast caught the attention of millions of listeners and sparked new interest in the decades-old unsolved case of Kristin Smart. You, youre the one that can tell me, a reference to Lamberts Your Own Backyard, the podcast about Smart and Flores that has brought new attention to the case. Paul Flores and his father both pleaded not guilty to all charges at their arraignment. Chris Lambert: It was never marked as evidence apparently. Chris Lambert and it worked. James Murphy: Somebody found an earring that they say was Kristin Smart's jewelry in the driveway. The search for Kristin Smart never ends for her family 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." His father was found not guilty of helping to hide her body. Kristen Deborah Modafferi (born June 1, 1979; disappeared June 23, 1997) is an American woman who, at the age of 18, in the early summer of 1997, disappeared in mysterious circumstances after leaving her work at the Crocker Galleria Mall in San Francisco, California. Flores wasn't talking. Chris Lambert was just 8 years old when Kristin Smart vanished on her way home from a college party in San Luis Obispo, California. Scott Peterson set to testify in Kristin Smart slay case - New York Post Jonathan Vigliotti | CBS News correspondent: You wanted to go home, and you were trying to find a way to break it to your friend. But I've seen it. Jonathan Vigliotti: What toll over time did this have on your parents? And might have connected Kristin to Susan Flores's house, says James Murphy. First published on November 28, 2020 / 11:10 PM. In October 2022,. Plans & Pricing ; Podcast Statistics; PowerPress Plugin . It had been the focus of widespread speculation for more than two decades especially her planter boxes. How are we not all talking about this every day until shes found?, Editors picks D.A. On April 13, 2021, almost 25 years after Kristin Smart went missing, longtime suspect Paul Flores, 44, was arrested at his home in San Pedro, California, and charged with murder. She was pushing herself out of her comfort zone. With them is a group of FBI evidence response team members and a search warrant. Just very involved with their children. Paul invoked the Fifth Amendment when the DAs office subpoenaed him to testify before a grand jury in 1996 and after the Smarts filed a $40 million wrongful-death lawsuit against him; during a 1997 deposition, he again pleaded the Fifth. 'Keep her memory alive': Organizer encourages community to spread Even worse they never sealed his dorm room. He has denied any involvement. An important tip came in after a February 2020 search of Paul, Susan and Ruben's properties. Devastating. Chris Lambert, who worked as a CBS News consultant, pieced together what he learned from people who were there that night. You just don't talk, and you get away with it. In his mug shot, a black eye can faintly been seen. October 22, 2022 / 10:10 PM Let's go." Four months after that futile search, Paul Flores was brought before a grand jury. That warrant allowed them to dig up the backyard, but deputies chose not to excavate. After apparently becoming intoxicated, Smart headed back to her dorm with fellow partiers Tim Davis and Cheryl Anderson. Murphy and Sinclair promised the Smarts the billboard will stay until their daughter is found. What's going on? Ann-Marie Christian: She was who she was because of her parents, for sure. Smart appeared to be under the influence of alcohol on Friday night. She was looking forward to hearing from Kristin that Sunday. 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. And while they did not rush to investigate Flores, Kristin's family says campus police were very quick to judge her. He built the home on White Court for Ruben and Susan Flores in 1991. On October 18, 2022, Paul Flores was found guilty of first-degree murder. They took in soil, I assume, for some kind of analysis. 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. The Smarts say they tried to file a missing person's report with the local police but were told it was too early, and the FBI told them Cal Poly police were in charge. The sheriff's office seized the trailer and Det. Murphy and his wife, Garin Sinclair, agreed to take the case pro bono promising to go after Paul Flores and put pressure on the sheriff's office. Cole said that Ruben then clarified that he meant he was the only one of the three to have been arrested. 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. Judge van Rooyen objects to this assertion, though: Just because (Lamberts) been served does not necessarily mean he should be excluded, he says. The Smart's attorney James Murphy, and his wife and office manager Garin Sinclair, have had Kristin's billboard in their front yard since late 1997. Lindsey Smart Stewart: I think they're, like, carrying boulders on their back. PODCAST EPISODE 1: Kristin broke down begging her mother to let her drop out and go somewhere else. San Luis Obispo Sheriff's Office personnel dig in an area in the backyard of the home of Ruben Flores, in Arroyo Grande, Calif., March 16, 2021. The arrests of the father and son came after investigators using ground-penetrating radar and cadaver dogs discovered evidence connected directly to Smarts death last month during a search at Ruben Flores home, authorities said. There's no question about it. So, she slowed down and walked with them. A lot of women felt uncomfortable around him, Flemming says. PODCAST EPISODE 4: And he had like a butter knife and he like held it to my neck. Prior to the arrests, in February 2020, Flores home, his parents home, and his sisters home were searched by police. Flores, 44, was arrested Tuesday at his home, nearly 25 years after Smart left a party near the Cal Poly campus and vanished on the way back to her campus dormitory. Smarts remains have never been found, but authorities recently said they believe they know where she was buried, though they havent disclosed the location. In April, Paul Flores, 44, was arrested on one count of murder in connection to the case, and his father, Ruben Flores, 80, was arrested as an accessory after the fact. Lindsey Smart Stewart: She had traveled the world before she even made it to college. Chris Lambert: And that's when they're told that earring has been misplaced. Van Rooyen rules that Flores will be tried for murder in the 1996 disappearance of Smart. JAMES MURPHY: Your husband have information as to where Kristin Smart's body is located? Please enter valid email address to continue. Book Author Jenn is a lawyer-turned-author and true crime writer. IE 11 is not supported. Nearly a week after their arrests, father and son both pleaded not guilty in San Luis Obispo County Superior Court. We feel like the stars aligned when the podcast aired, she told Rolling Stone. Also included is the result of a February 4th, 2020 search of Paul Flores San Pedro home, where San Luis Obispo County Sheriffs investigators seized electronic devices that featured videos showing Flores having sex with seemingly incapacitated women. Copyright 2021 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Most students had taken off but Kristin had stayed on campus. And there are more horrifying allegations about what may have happened to Kristin after she was last seen with Paul Flores. It's, like, she has nothing on her. Ms. Smarts family said they had faith in the justice system, comforted in the knowledge that Kristin has been held in the hearts of so many and that she has not been forgotten.. Jonathan Vigliotti: They thought she was off possibly having fun. Disappearance of Kristen Modafferi - Wikipedia Paul Flores did not have a car on campus, so Murphy surmises he had to have had help. Chris Lambert: It's hard to take too much credit But I was one piece of the puzzle that helped to make this all come together when it did. The judge rules that the DA cannot be disqualified for wearing purple clothing. 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. And yes, we believe it's linked to Kristin. Chadwell answered no. 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.
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