Classes were difficult, she was trying to fit in, and she missed her family. But it's Susan Flores's concrete backyard that initially received a lot of attention. Chris Lambert: Kristin's father would come down and hike every trail he could find on the Central Coast. Chris Lambert: It's mostly frat guys from the Kappa Chi fraternity. Kristen Modafferi, Kristin Smart & Kent Jacobs. The Kristin Smart Scholarship has been established by her family to help other college bound women pursue their dreams. Witnesses said Smart was intoxicated, and Flores had said he would walk her home after an off-campus party. PAUL FLORES: On the advice of my attorney . The police searched her dorm room in Muir Hall, finding her wallet and reminders to turn in assignments. Flores and his parents have always maintained that he had nothing to do with Smarts disappearance. James Murphy: They brought in the first dog and they'd had the dog go through the dorms. James Murphy: they let the dog in, the dog makes a beeline to the bed of Paul Flores. 3. 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And Murphy and Sinclair believe they can prove it. Denise Pearce: The phone call never comes. For more than two decades, her family, friends, and supporters searched for answers and for justice. Mary Lassiter says the earring she found in the driveway matched the necklace Kristin Smart is seen wearing on this billboard. But remarkably, the same thing happened with three more dogs. I didnt understand why. 2 men found drugged after leaving NYC gay bars were killed, medical examiner says. Um, wherever we can punch holes. By the time they called the Cal Poly campus police, Kristin had been missing for more than 48 hours. Cadaver dogs were sent into Paul Floress dorm room. PODCAST | EPISODE 1: At least once a day I asked myself what are you doing? Sie knnen Ihre Einstellungen jederzeit ndern, indem Sie auf unseren Websites und Apps auf den Link Datenschutz-Dashboard klicken. Little is known since the proceedings are kept secret, but no charges were ever filed. JAMES MURPHY: Does your son have any information as to where Kristin Smart's body is located? Ruben Flores was acquitted by a separate jury. And it was only 250 miles from Stockton, California, where she grew up with Lindsey and their brother Matt. They believe they can prove Paul Flores is responsible for the disappearance of Kristin Smart. Susan Flores and her boyfriend were never charged in the case. Because of the statute of limitations, Dow says, Paul Flores can't be charged with rape. Like the rest of the family, Kristin was an athlete. Kristin Smart, a bright, adventurous communication studies freshman at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, went missing May 25, 1996. Kristen Modafferi: Onuma and the Briefcase. People are watching Ruben Flores and Susan Flores and Paul Flores. She was pushing herself out of her comfort zone. And six months later, when Flores was deposed by James Murphy for the Smart's civil suit, he kept quiet. As of 2021, Kristen Modafferi's case remains unsolved. Four months later, while attempting to reconcile, Susan rented out her house in Arroyo Grande. He says they are Ruben's ex-wife Susan and her boyfriend. Paul Flores is charged with the murder of Kristin Smart, who disappeared from Cal Poly in 1996. Peterson may or may not have been at the party Smart disappeared after. 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. There's no question about it. Kristen was in her first year at Cal Poly when she vanished in 1996. 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. were in the room exactly where she had left them. 1 of 47. Prosecutor Chris Peuvrelle asked him if he found the remains of any monkeys or ferrets or any human bodies on the property. Like so many freshmen, Kristin struggled. So, I said, "you better turn some lights on right now and let me out or I'm going to scream." Van Rooyen rules that Flores will be tried for murder in the 1996 disappearance of Smart. He also said that law enforcement leaked information to "Your Own Backyard" podcaster Chris Lambert. They did an interview with the Cal Poly Mustang Daily and explained that they didn't think there was any evidence that a crime had taken place. Jonathan Vigliotti: And that phone call never comes. In high school he was known as a loner. The two men made their first courtroom appearance on July 14 in San Luis Obispo Superior Court, where Judge Craig B. van Rooyen denied the district attorneys motion to add two rape charges against Paul Flores, The Tribune of San Luis Obispo reported. Also on the stand Tuesday were another cadaver dog handler, an expert in fiber evidence and a district attorney's office investigator. Like his black eye, seen faintly in a mug shot taken by the Arroyo Grande Police just by chance two days after Kristin vanished. But a massive search did not happen until she'd been gone for more than a month. And for the first time clues about what may have happened to Kristin Smart. James Murphy: I'd love to do anything to end their suffering. She withdrew money from the bank, a surveillance camera capturing what are . (Pool photo by Dave Minsky/Santa Maria Times). 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. He'd go anywhere. He had a smirk when he said it, like it was a joke, she says. Cole said this was done so Lambert would include the information in his podcast during the time of the wiretap. Chris Lambert: There was a man climbing her trellis and trying to get inside her balcony, very intoxicated and refusing to leave. What's going on? 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. Marital Status: Single Characteristics: Caucasian female with brown hair and eyes. So many people have played such important roles over the past 25 years, and we are humbled by the amazing support and generosity we have received. Kristin did not have a purse, money, her I.D. Det. Ruben Flores and his estranged wife Susan have always denied any role in Kristin Smart's disappearance. I've got her. 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. "48 Hours" has learned these suspicions center around evidence found during that 2020 search of Paul Flores' home. As they soon learned, she had ended up at a party at an off-campus house. 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. 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. Chris Lambert spoke with some women who knew Flores back then. Ken Blum is the editor. They went on trial in July 2022 in Monterey County, Calif. On Oct. 18, 2022, Paul Flores was found guilty of murdering Ms. Smart. Smart's body was recently moved from the home of Ruben Flores, a prosecutor said. But Lindsey says her sister was happiest when she was traveling. Kristin's mother, Denise Smart, spent Memorial Day weekend at a swim meet with her two younger kids. 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. He later argued that the biological evidence found under the deck was not conclusively human blood. The authorities removed items from Paul Floress home in Los Angeles in February 2020. 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. And I was, like, "uh OK, fine.". Podcaster Lambert will not be called to the stand during the Kristin Smart murder hearing. Maybe we cant. Peuvrelle, who said Ruben Flores has helped cover up the crime for nearly a quarter-century, would continue to do so if freed. Defense attorney Robert Sanger, in turn, tries to poke holes in Flemmings recollections. PODCAST EPISODE 2: So, with Cheryl's account alone, we have an unsettling picture of Paul . In his mug shot, a black eye can faintly been seen. But Margarita says, the police did not seem concerned. But every Sunday when she called her parents, they encouraged her to stick it out. 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. When asked about how he got the injury Flores told three different stories. 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. Paul Flores and his father both pleaded not guilty to all charges at their arraignment. Nineteen-year-old Kristin Smart disappeared Memorial Day weekend of 1996. In 1997 when Paul Flores was deposed for the civil suit, the only thing he would confirm on tape was his name. Jonathan Vigliotti: There was a lot of focus on how Kristin was drinking what sounded a lot like victim shaming. A jury acquitted Ruben Flores of the charge of being an accessory after the fact. We want to especially thank the District Attorneys Office for their relentless efforts. By the time they inspected Flores's room, Kristin had been gone for 16 days. I don't think she went back to her dorm at all. Some of those women who did not want their real names used told Lambert about their encounters with him. Jonathan Vigliotti: Is this a case that takes a miracle to solve? By then, the semester was over and the room had been cleaned out. I told her I didn't I didn't want to go. But to fully understand Chris Lambert's contribution, you have to go back to the beginning. 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. Lindsey Smart Stewart: I think they're, like, carrying boulders on their back. DAN DOW [press conference]: The allegation against Ruben is that he helped to conceal Kristen's body after the murder was committed. Lambert began looking into what happened to Kristin, collecting articles and documents, chasing down leads and tracking down anyone with information. so eventually he unlocked you know, the apartment door, and I left. Authorities also uncovered fibers consistent with the color clothing Smart was last seen wearing. Plans & Pricing ; Podcast Statistics; PowerPress Plugin . Jonathan Vigliotti: How significant was that? When Kristin Smart disappeared, Paul Flores's parents Susan and Ruben were separated and living apart. D.A. And the complaint has some explosive claims about what led investigators to focus under Ruben's deck in the first place. D.A. There was early mistakes made that you can't recover from when you're missing those vital pieces. What Chris did was take a local story and turn it into an international story. Lourdes Aguiar is the senior producer. PODCAST EPISODE 4: So, I walk him up to his sister's apartment, and all of a sudden, he just like picked me up, carried me inside, turned around and shut the apartment door, and locked it. Denise Pearce: Kristin hasn't come home And we're not sure where she is We don't know anything. Chris Lambert: I didn't know the scale. Specifically, that they had Paul's white Nissan pickup in their possession. James Murphy: So why would Susan Flores, her boyfriend, and Ruben Flores be up all night long working under that deck. Testimony is expected to continue Wednesday. 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. . The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time Chris Lambert says, two days after that, when Flores was interviewed by campus police, they asked how he got his black eye as well as scratches on his hands and knees. But now, 25 years later, a man sits in a San Luis Obispo County Jail cell, charged with her murder. Eighteen-year-old Kristen Modafferi was a college honor student from North Carolina spending her summer in San Francisco. The evidentiary hearing is underway and witnesses are testifying in front of Superior Court Judge Craig van Rooyen about Flores interactions with Smart. 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. It's just a motivator for me. It also expounds on several other alleged rapes as well as unwanted sexual advances. The next month, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriffs Office took over from the Cal Poly police as the lead investigators. Jonathan Vigliotti: And that weighs on you. JAMES MURPHY: What is the name of your father? Chris Lambert: That's the upsetting part about it, isn't it? Jonathan Vigliotti: You look at Kristin Smart every day. Just very involved with their children. 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. JAMES MURPHY: Do you have any information as to where Kristin Smart's body is located? A hundred percent that was happening. On October 18, 2022, Paul Flores was found guilty of first-degree murder. Greg Fisher and Michelle Fanucci are the development producers. Proof of the L.A. charges cant act as a substitute for the SLO case.. Nikki Rodriguez, a spokeswoman for the court, said the documents were not supposed to be public. He built the home on White Court for Ruben and Susan Flores in 1991. 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. In October 2022,. After a lengthy hearing, San Luis Obispo County Judge Craig B. Additionally, the documents include information about a March 15th, 2021 search by the San Luis Obispo County Sheriffs Office of Ruben Flores Arroyo Grande property that included ground-penetrating radar. He invoked the Fifth Amendment 27 times. And so, she pulled me into this sort of like, "oh come on, let's socialize. 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. JAMES MURPHY: Would you state your full name for the record please. She adds that Flores said he put Smart under a skateboard ramp in Arroyo Grande. All Rights reserved. James Murphy: Somebody found an earring that they say was Kristin Smart's jewelry in the driveway. Chris Lambert: He actually hit his eye on his steering wheel in the middle of the night while changing his stereo. Chris Lambert: I wish I knew why. D.A. PODCAST EPISODE 1: Kristin broke down begging her mother to let her drop out and go somewhere else. Weitere Informationen ber die Verwendung Ihrer personenbezogenen Daten finden Sie in unserer Datenschutzerklrung und unserer Cookie-Richtlinie. Cole testified about why investigators believe a crime was committed at Ruben's property on White Court in Arroyo Grande. "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. At the time of the April 13 arrests, the sheriff said he believed that had enough evidence to win convictions. So, when they were invited to a party that Friday night, Kristin was excited to go. To think that you're going to finally get some resolution, and then it doesn't happen the way it's supposed to. On May 25, 1996, friends dropped her off at an off-campus party. 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. There was no reaction until the dog reached Paul Flores's room. Our family has always known that this was going to be a long, difficult, and emotional journey. In the meantime, Paul Flores moved to Southern California, where he bounced from job to job. Chris Lambert: As they describe it, Paul Flores just sort of appears out of nowhere. But you have to understand, she was a really independent free spirit. Paul Flores, lower left, remained in jail without bail while Ruben Flores, upper right, was able to post bail after a judge agreed to lower the bail amount from $250,000 to $50,000, San Luis Obispo County Superior Court/Zoom, How a tragic boating crash is connected to the family of Alex Murdaugh, Five deaths with a connection to Alex Murdaugh's family investigated, Chilling details revealed in JJ Vallow and Tylee Ryan deaths, Mother at center of international manhunt speaks out to "48 Hours". I didn't know how many people were gonna listen. Nineteen-year-old Kristin Smart disappeared Memorial Day weekend of 1996. Twenty-five years after Smart went missing, a prime suspect is charged with murder. A separate jury for Ruben Flores started deliberating on Oct. 5. Alicia Tejada is the field producer and Addison Briley is the associate producer. 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. Denise Pearce | Longtime family friend: Things were gonna get better and, you know, and and they did. On Monday, June 23rd, 1997, she arrived for work at the Crocker Galleria mall. Previously sealed documents related to the case become available to the public that explain the rape charges Peurelle attempted to add against Paul Flores. PODCAST EPISODE 3: Something shiny catches her eye next to the front driver side tire. DAN DOW [press conference]: We have evidence that we do believe there are other people that are not yet identified that have had some kind of a criminal act perpetrated on them by Mr. Flores. He later told investigators that he walked her as far as his dorm, where they parted ways. 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. But Murphy says there were other incidents that should have raised alarm bells about him with law enforcement from the very beginning. The document presented summaries of why prosecutors didn't want either man to be released pending a trial that could be years away. most importantly they wanna find their daughter. The then eighteen-year-old . That technology uncovered a soil disturbance under the deck as well as four soil samples that tested positive for human blood; an April evacuation also tested positive for blood. When they were deposed by James Murphy, they also insisted their son was not involved. 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. Cole in 2019. Margarita Campos: they were, like, "are you sure she didn't go out of town?" Flores defense team moves to recuse the San Luis Obispo County District Attorneys Office from the Smart case because prosecutor Peuvrelle and others have been seen wearing purple clothing, Smarts favorite color. Margarita soon decided she'd had enough. RUBEN FLORES: [long pause] We never asked that question. In the late 1990s, the. Testimony resumes at the Kristin Smart hearing after a week off. Then, in 2011, Ian Parkinson was elected sheriff. He says Smart seemed uncomfortable but was too nice to ask the boy to leave. How are we not all talking about this every day until shes found?, Editors picks The elder Flores is charged with accessory after the fact to the crime of murder for allegedly helping Paul conceal Smarts body. An important tip came in after a February 2020 search of Paul, Susan and Ruben's properties. 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. Like the Smart's civil case, theirs also has been on hold. The 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time He discussed some of the evidence that was collected during searches of the property, including anomalies in the backyard and a 4-foot deep hole under the deck containing fibers and human blood. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. His father, Ruben, will be tried as an accessory to the crime. The Smart family. 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. She had taken a job at a coffee shop to pay for a photography course at U.C. First published on November 28, 2020 / 11:10 PM. Jonathan Vigliotti: They thought she was off possibly having fun. Paul Flores was identified as a person of interest early in the case. Smarts family issues a statement following the news about Flores going to trial: Yesterday was a very good day and we want to take this opportunity to thank all of Kristins supporters in San Luis Obispo and beyond. Billie Eilish Explains Her Complicated Relationship With Social Media: 'I Don't Look at It Anymore', Theres no evidence of a sex crime in the charged crime (the murder case) itself, van Rooyen says. From the start, investigators. Margarita Campos: I mean, she was gone. 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. Most students had taken off but Kristin had stayed on campus. Man charged with 1996 murder of college student Kristin Smart. She was looking forward to hearing from Kristin that Sunday. So before leaving, Margarita handed over her keys to get back into Muir Hall. 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.
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