But further investigation of the Flores's two trucks seemed impossible. At the time of the April 13 arrests, the sheriff said he believed that had enough evidence to win convictions. Ruben Flores was acquitted by a separate jury. Cole said that Ruben then clarified that he meant he was the only one of the three to have been arrested. 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. It also expounds on several other alleged rapes as well as unwanted sexual advances. But was there evidence possibly placing Kristin Smart at his mother's home? And so, she pulled me into this sort of like, "oh come on, let's socialize. Lourdes Aguiar is the senior producer. Any evidence that might have been there was long gone. 7,781 days.. That is all it took. Kristen Modafferi, Kristin Smart & Kent Jacobs. And here's your key." And six months later, when Flores was deposed by James Murphy for the Smart's civil suit, he kept quiet. Her dorm entrance is right over here. "Up and Vanished" led a man to confess to killing a . Because of the statute of limitations, Dow says, Paul Flores can't be charged with rape. Jonathan Vigliotti: And that weighs on you. Kristin Denise Smart (born February 20, 1977 [1] [6] -declared legally dead May 25, 2002) was an American woman who was found to have been murdered by Paul Flores at the end of her freshman year on the campus of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly). Chris Lambert: They're hopeful, but they've also been let down so many times before. Susan Flores and her boyfriend were never charged in the case. putting murder on the lawsuit was sending a message to Paul Flores and his family, that we believe that he killed Kristin and that we're coming for him. 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.". It was first reported by The Tribune, and a reporter posted snippets of documents on Twitter. On Oct. 18, Paul Flores was found guilty of murdering Ms. Smart. Margarita Campos: I was expecting her to knock on my door and be, like, "Oh, Margarita, you missed a rager. Don Kelsen/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images. Margarita Campos: She was absolutely sober when I left her. It would be three more years before the property was searched again. He says they are Ruben's ex-wife Susan and her boyfriend. Sie knnen Ihre Einstellungen jederzeit ndern, indem Sie auf unseren Websites und Apps auf den Link Datenschutz-Dashboard klicken. Peterson may or may not have been at the party Smart disappeared after. Marital Status: Single Characteristics: Caucasian female with brown hair and eyes. She said she didn't tell law enforcement about it until she talked to Det. Paul Flores pleads not guilty to the murder and attempted rape of Smart. Also on the stand Tuesday were another cadaver dog handler, an expert in fiber evidence and a district attorney's office investigator. We want to especially thank the District Attorneys Office for their relentless efforts. They were after Paul Flores for an outstanding DUI warrant. And might have connected Kristin to Susan Flores's house, says James Murphy. She left them only after he promised to take Kristin back to her dorm. When they were deposed by James Murphy, they also insisted their son was not involved. No remains have been found. She didn't think that was OK. 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. First published on November 28, 2020 / 11:10 PM. Lindsey Smart Stewart: She definitely, like, took advantage of life, seized the day she was super ambitious and was determined you know, to find the next adventure. Specifically, that they had Paul's white Nissan pickup in their possession. Alex Murdaugh sentenced to life in prison for murders of wife and son, Biden had cancerous skin lesion removed last month, doctor says, White supremacist and Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes kicked out of CPAC, Tom Sizemore, actor known for "Saving Private Ryan" and "Heat," dies at 61, Biden team readies new advisory panel ahead of expected reelection bid, At least 10 dead after winter storm slams South, Midwest, House Democrats unhappy with White House handling of D.C.'s new criminal code. 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. Like the Smart's civil case, theirs also has been on hold. And he leaves her to walk up this walkway. They also did not focus on Paul Flores immediately, waiting six days to formally interview him. Chris Lambert: The only thing he would confirm on tape is that his name is Paul Flores. Chris Lambert: I didn't know the scale. I didnt understand why. Cole also testified that on March 9, 2020, a witness reported some suspicious activity at the property. On May 25, 1996, friends dropped her off at an off-campus party. So now you've got three different stories about how he got that black eye. SUSAN FLORES: [Long pause, grabs water bottle] Of course not. 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. 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. On day two, August 3rd, a close friend of Smarts from college, Steven Flemming, tells the court that Flores had interacted with Smart before the party they both attended prior to her disappearance. Chris Lambert: It was never marked as evidence apparently. On October 18, 2022, Paul Flores was found guilty of first-degree murder. and I was like, "Noooo.". She and all who have worked so hard toward this day deserve nothing less.. Testimony resumes at the Kristin Smart hearing after a week off. The evidentiary hearing is underway and witnesses are testifying in front of Superior Court Judge Craig van Rooyen about Flores interactions with Smart. The Kristin Smart disappearance: After 26 years, Paul Flores is convicted of murder. Helicopters were used to canvas the area. The search for Smart did not begin until a week after her disappearance, as campus police refused to take a missing persons report from a dorm mate; the hunt only began in earnest after the student called the police and the Smart family. DAN DOW [press conference]: It is alleged that Mr. Flores caused the death of Kristen Smart while in the commission of or attempted rape. That witness initially came forward to Chris Lambert, who passed the information to the sheriff's office and Murphy. James Murphy: And it says wrongful death and then I put murder. Jonathan Vigliotti: How did you know she hadn't been back? The Kristin Smart disappearance: After 26 years, Paul Flores is convicted of murder 20 photos. 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. DAN DOW [press conference]: The allegation against Ruben is that he helped to conceal Kristen's body after the murder was committed. She adds that Flores said he put Smart under a skateboard ramp in Arroyo Grande. I told her I didn't I didn't want to go. It's just a motivator for me. Greg Fisher and Michelle Fanucci are the development producers. Denise Smart, Kristins mother, has also praised the show. Devastating. Please come with me." 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. So had Margarita Campos, who lived in the next room in Muir Hall. I need you to listen to everything they say so we can punch holes in it. And that's what I've been doing for a long, long time, along with a lot of other people. On Monday, he questioned why investigators needed to keep searching for evidence after making arrests. Whatever happened in those early hours, one thing is indisputable: Kristin Smart has never been seen again. 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. For more than two decades, her family, friends, and supporters searched for answers and for justice. James Murphy: That suggests that something bad happened in Paul Flores's dorm room. James Murphy: And it's 2:30 and 3 o'clock in the morning at Cal Poly this is not a a location from which Paul alone could easily move a body without a vehicle. But I've seen it. I think they're just waiting to see what the outcome is going to be. The sheriff's office still wasn't convinced they had enough evidence against Flores. James Murphy: The podcast is out. Paul Flores talks to his attorneys Sara Sanger and Robert Sanger on Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021 in San Luis Obispo, Calif. had been arrested in connection with her disappearance, Paul Flores was found guilty of murdering Ms. Smart, while in the commission of, or attempted, rape. 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. Little is known since the proceedings are kept secret, but no charges were ever filed. The next morning, Margarita waited to hear from Kristin. It is also what the Smarts have been waiting for for more than a quarter of a century. James Murphy: They're interested in seeing Paul Flores get convicted and Ruben Flores get held accountable. Authorities also uncovered fibers consistent with the color clothing Smart was last seen wearing. 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. He later argued that the biological evidence found under the deck was not conclusively human blood. Van Rooyen saying that his release could result in great bodily harm to the public. 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. Jonathan Vigliotti: There was a lot of evidence that could have been gathered, that wasn't. 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. A missing-person report was filed with the campus police on May 28. Paul Flores is charged with the murder of Kristin Smart, who disappeared from Cal Poly in 1996. 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 Soon after her disappearance, a sheriffs search party combed remote parts of the Cal Poly campus on horseback, archival video from KCRA-TV shows. 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. Chris Lambert: It's mostly frat guys from the Kappa Chi fraternity. Cole said a search of it revealed "suspicious activity.". Chris Lambert: There was a man climbing her trellis and trying to get inside her balcony, very intoxicated and refusing to leave. Kristen has facial dimples. Van Rooyen rules that Flores will be tried for murder in the 1996 disappearance of Smart. D.A. When asked about how he got the injury Flores told three different stories. The Sheriffs Office investigators and forensic specialists assigned to Ms. Smarts case executed 18 search warrants, submitted 37 items that were collected in the early days of the case for DNA testing, recovered 140 new items of evidence and conducted 91 interviews from 2011 to 2020, the office said. The authorities removed items from Paul Floress home in Los Angeles in February 2020. Classes were difficult, she was trying to fit in, and she missed her family. Copyright 2021 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. He was required to wear an electronic ankle bracelet. About 45 minutes after Kristen got off of work on the day she vanished, she was seen on the 2nd f. So, when they were invited to a party that Friday night, Kristin was excited to go. Sources tell us investigators discovered videos and photographs on Flores' computer showing him engaged in sexual activity with at least 10 different women, apparently in various states of consciousness. 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. Just days after taking over the investigation, the San Luis Obispo Sheriff's Office brought several dogs trained to detect human remains, to the Cal Poly dorms. JAMES MURPHY: Do you have any information as to where Kristin Smart's body is located? And it was only 250 miles from Stockton, California, where she grew up with Lindsey and their brother Matt. Cole testified about why investigators believe a crime was committed at Ruben's property on White Court in Arroyo Grande. And they told Lambert they weren't surprised when they heard about Flores's connection to Kristin's disappearance. suddenly major pieces of evidence came forward. A very close-knit family. Kristen was in her first year at Cal Poly when she vanished in 1996. A lot of women felt uncomfortable around him, Flemming says. Her books are available on Amazon. The next month, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriffs Office took over from the Cal Poly police as the lead investigators. Also taking the witness stand on Wednesday was Edward Chadwell. There is no evidence of a murder and no evidence of a rape, Sanger added. You just don't talk, and you get away with it. PODCAST EPISODE 4: And he had like a butter knife and he like held it to my neck. DAN DOW [press conference]: We intend to use evidence of other sexual crimes in this prosecution to prove the facts necessary for the attempted rape in this case. And I was screaming. 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. 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. Smart was talking with and socializing with several different males at the party. 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. The defense questions Hudson about her drug use, but she says she was not doing drugs at the time. Jonathan Vigliotti: Was this case, given the evidence that was lost early on, doomed from the very beginning? They didn't look at the Flores family's vehicles. Lindsey Smart Stewart: It just amazes me the amount of evidence that's available, yet nothing has happened. They took in soil, I assume, for some kind of analysis. D.A. It worked. I've got her. She spent a summer in London, was an exchange student in Venezuela, and a lifeguard at a camp in Hawaii. Paul Flores, 44, has pleaded not guilty to a murder charge. Chris Lambert says they're cautiously optimistic. Previously sealed documents related to the case become available to the public that explain the rape charges Peurelle attempted to add against Paul Flores. The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time 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. He refused to answer questions during a deposition in November 1997, citing the Fifth Amendment. So, they did not immediately get a warrant to search Susan Flores's home. His father, Ruben, will be tried as an accessory to the crime. Chris Lambert: So, if you believe Paul's story, he goes into his dorm room here. D.A. So, I said, "you better turn some lights on right now and let me out or I'm going to scream." Murphy and Sinclair promised the Smarts the billboard will stay until their daughter is found. In October 2022, Paul Flores, the man long suspected in her disappearance, was found guilty of murder. James Murphy: There's no way to get evidence back once you've lost it. But a massive search did not happen until she'd been gone for more than a month. Cadaver dogs trained to detect human decomposition were deployed by the F.B.I. Jonathan Vigliotti: And that phone call never comes. Cadaver dogs were sent into Paul Floress dorm room. There's no question about it. He invoked the Fifth Amendment 27 times. Margarita Campos: I'll never forget her shadow against the building, this apartment complex, just standing like kind of cross-armed with the long leg And she was just kind of like looking at me like, [sighs] you're really walking away now, like you're really, you're leaving? 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. KSBY will have more on what takes place in court on KSBY.com and KSBY News at 5 and 6 p.m. James Murphy: An eyewitness actually documented the fact that throughout the night that there was activity in the area of the underside of that deck. JAMES MURPHY: What is the name of your father? James Murphy: Well, the location where all this activity occurred is where they found the biological material. James Murphy: Paul Flores had a reputation amongst the girls that knew him at Cal Poly as being a creeper that he was always trying to hit on women. The excavation below his deck showed damning evidence that a body had been buried in that location and then recently moved, prosecutor Christopher Peuvrelle said. When they showed up, it was Paul Flores. His father was found not guilty of helping to hide her body. Nineteen-year-old Kristin Smart disappeared Memorial Day weekend of 1996. Chris Lambert: As they describe it, Paul Flores just sort of appears out of nowhere. Kristen Modafferi, Kristin Smart & Kent Jacobs. 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. She loved swimming and skiing. The unsealed documents include two claims from 2011 and 2017 that Flores raped two women while they were drunk in San Pedro. That young woman was Kristin Smart, and she hasn't been seen since. 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! That turned out to be college. The document said investigators at the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Department had biological evidence indicating Smart was once buried under Ruben Flores' deck behind his home in nearby Arroyo Grande. James Murphy: He lied to the police about everything. to search on and near the Cal Poly campus. PODCAST EPISODE 3: Something shiny catches her eye next to the front driver side tire. Chris Lambert: Kristin's father would come down and hike every trail he could find on the Central Coast. Hudson previously testified during the preliminary hearing that while hanging out with a group of skateboarders in San Luis Obispo in 1996, she heard Paul Flores use a derogatory term to refer to Kristin Smart and say, "I'm done playing with her and I put her out underneath my ramp in Huasna.". Two days after Kristin Smart vanished, Paul Flores went to the Arroyo Grande Police Department because of an outstanding DUI warrant. And yes, we believe it's linked to Kristin. Attorney Harold Mesick said Monday that the evidence against the father was so minimal as to shock the conscience.. Chris Lambert: I remember seeing it on the news it was something scary and they were talking about it pretty regularly. He also said that law enforcement leaked information to "Your Own Backyard" podcaster Chris Lambert. (Pool photo by Dave Minsky/Santa Maria Times). Her younger sister Lindsey says their mother urged Kristin to go there. In addition, the documents include a phone tap from January 2020 in which Pauls mother, Susan, tells her son: The other thing I need you to do is to start listening to the podcast. In the crowd, taking it all in, was that podcaster, Chris Lambert. They were soon joined by another partygoer, Paul Flores. Joe Johnston/The Tribune (of San Luis Obispo), via Associated Press. And when they did . Jonathan Vigliotti | CBS News correspondent: You wanted to go home, and you were trying to find a way to break it to your friend. PODCAST | EPISODE 1: At least once a day I asked myself what are you doing? That's been our goal. James Murphy: There has been no other suspect. 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. In the late 1990s, the. And I was like, "nah, I have to study." Back in San Luis Obispo, the Smarts, feeling ignored by the sheriff's office, continued a relentless campaign to get them to do more to find their daughter. The day after my sister disappeared, Paul Flores had a black eye and scratches on him. Kristen was in her first year at Cal Poly when she vanished in 1996. Chadwell answered no. Clockwise from left, Kristin, Denise, Stan, Matt and Lindsey. Chris Lambert spoke with some women who knew Flores back then. "48 Hours" has learned these suspicions center around evidence found during that 2020 search of Paul Flores' home. Prior to the arrests, in February 2020, Flores home, his parents home, and his sisters home were searched by police. The Kristin Smart Scholarship has been established by her family to help other college bound women pursue their dreams. By then, the semester was over and the room had been cleaned out. Det. They havent revealed what was found but returned to the yard for additional digging after the arrests. PODCAST EPISODE 1: I googled Kristin Smart's name every few years. Axel Koester/Sygma via Getty Images The. He's going to find her body, which is awful for a parent. In 1997 when Paul Flores was deposed for the civil suit, the only thing he would confirm on tape was his name. There was no reaction until the dog reached Paul Flores's room. Paul Flores, a fellow freshman at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, was the last person seen with Smart on May 25, 1996. 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. He says Smart seemed uncomfortable but was too nice to ask the boy to leave. In March 2021, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office served a search warrant at the Arroyo Grande home of Ruben Flores. Through the years, the Smarts have kept pressure on the Flores family. September 15, 2017. Those were kind of unspoken things. Lindsey Smart Stewart: Right. They had become close friends despite their differences. D.A. Nic Coury / AP. On April 19, father and son each pleaded not guilty, according to The Associated Press. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way. 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. Plans & Pricing . Four months later, while attempting to reconcile, Susan rented out her house in Arroyo Grande. He later told investigators that he walked her as far as his dorm, where they parted ways. She withdrew money from the bank, a surveillance camera capturing what are . I didn't know how many people were gonna listen. But the Flores's have fought back, suing the Smarts for intentional infliction of emotional distress.
