[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. Jonathan Vigliotti: She had just 40 yards to go and yet she vanished. The case recently reentered the public eye with the 2019 launch of the popular true-crime podcast, Your Own Backyard, hosted by musician Chris Lambert, who has spent his life haunted by a missing persons billboard featuring Smarts face. After a lengthy hearing, San Luis Obispo County Judge Craig B. He'd go through tunnels, under bridges, looking for his daughter and expecting best case scenario. Five months after Kristin Smart disappeared, Paul Flores was brought before a grand jury but no charges were ever filed. Margarita Campos: they were, like, "are you sure she didn't go out of town?" Margarita Campos: I was expecting her to knock on my door and be, like, "Oh, Margarita, you missed a rager. Even worse they never sealed his dorm room. And these girls are inviting us out. The Tribune said it got the public documents from the courthouse in the city 160 miles northwest of Los Angeles. I didn't know how many people were gonna listen. By then, the semester was over and the room had been cleaned out. Denise Pearce: The phone call never comes. Then, in 2011, Ian Parkinson was elected sheriff. And I was like, "nah, I have to study." 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 reporter for The Tribune of San Luis Obispo. JAMES MURPHY: What is your present residence address? My job was to hunt them. JAMES MURPHY: Your husband have information as to where Kristin Smart's body is located? JAMES MURPHY: What is the name of your father? But I've seen it. James Murphy: Somebody found an earring that they say was Kristin Smart's jewelry in the driveway. His father, Ruben, is charged as an accessory. Judge van Rooyen objects to this assertion, though: Just because (Lamberts) been served does not necessarily mean he should be excluded, he says. Flores and his parents have always maintained that he had nothing to do with Smarts disappearance. The lawsuit claims they were moving Kristin's remains. but I knew that I could try to do a small part. Today, we make the first move toward bringing justice to Kristin, her family, and the people of San Luis Obispo County.. It wasn't until Kristin's roommate returned to their dorm room, that Margarita realized Kristin never came home. Paul Flores did not have a car on campus, so Murphy surmises he had to have had help. PODCAST | EPISODE 1: At least once a day I asked myself what are you doing? Jonathan Vigliotti: They thought she was off possibly having fun. Im not going to exclude a member of the media (for doing their job).. The mother is washing her car in the driveway at one point. Kristin's mother, Denise Smart, spent Memorial Day weekend at a swim meet with her two younger kids. He later told investigators that he walked her as far as his dorm, where they parted ways. So now you've got three different stories about how he got that black eye. (Pool photo by Dave Minsky/Santa Maria Times). D.A. 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. 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. DAN DOW [press conference]: But the allegation that he was committing or attempting to commit a rape when he killed her, is the basis for which we are able to file first-degree felony murder charges. Other men cited by the defense either reportedly dated or pursued Smart. Plans & Pricing ; Podcast Statistics; PowerPress Plugin . Please enter valid email address to continue. Case Paul and Ruben Flores appear at the San Luis Obispo Superior Court for the first time, at which time Judge Craig van Rooyen denies Deputy District Attorney Christopher Peuvrelles request to add two rape charges against Paul, according to The Tribune of San Luis Obispo. It had been the focus of widespread speculation for more than two decades especially her planter boxes. No charges were filed, but Lambert discovered Flores's troubles started at a young age. 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. In March 2021, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office served a search warrant at the Arroyo Grande home of Ruben Flores. Kristin Smart went missing on May 25, 1996 while attending California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and has not been heard from since. She had taken a job at a coffee shop to pay for a photography course at U.C. Chris Lambert: He told those friends he just woke up with the black eye. Susan Flores and her boyfriend were never charged in the case. ", Although suspicion surrounded Flores almost from the beginning, any hopes for an arrest were dashed in May 1997 when then-Sheriff Ed Williams made an admission to the San Luis Obispo Telegraph: "We need Paul Flores to tell us what happened to Kristin Smart so absent something from Mr. Flores, I don't see us completing this case.". Axel Koester/Sygma via Getty Images The. Lambert began looking into what happened to Kristin, collecting articles and documents, chasing down leads and tracking down anyone with information. Cole said he has the admission on a digital tape recording. 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. The then eighteen-year-old . JAMES MURPHY: Do you have any information as to where Kristin Smart's body is located? 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. Paul Flores was charged with murder and Ruben Flores with being an accessory after the fact, accused of helping to bury her remains. Book Author Jenn is a lawyer-turned-author and true crime writer. They seized digital devices during the search and, in April 2020, executed another search on Paul Flores property in San Pedro. He has denied any involvement. Cole said this was done so Lambert would include the information in his podcast during the time of the wiretap. She and all who have worked so hard toward this day deserve nothing less.. Dennis Mahon's Podcast - Blubrry Podcasting Van Rooyen saying that his release could result in great bodily harm to the public. You can go." Chris Lambert, who worked as a CBS News consultant, pieced together what he learned from people who were there that night. But remarkably, the same thing happened with three more dogs. The next morning, Margarita waited to hear from Kristin. Chris Lambert says they're cautiously optimistic. And yes, we believe it's linked to Kristin. They were after Paul Flores for an outstanding DUI warrant. Kristen has never been found. Four months later, while attempting to reconcile, Susan rented out her house in Arroyo Grande. I was afraid Id end up missing or buried someplace, she says. He says "no.". The two are charged in connection with the death of Cal Poly freshman Kristin Smart. So before leaving, Margarita handed over her keys to get back into Muir Hall. Margarita Campos: Kristin was like, "come on, let's go, let's go." Man charged with 1996 murder of college student Kristin Smart. About 45 minutes after Kristen got off of work on the day she vanished, she was seen on the 2nd f. Disappearance of Kristen Modafferi - Wikipedia D.A. What happens next? Mary Lassiter says the earring she found in the driveway matched the necklace Kristin Smart is seen wearing on this billboard. Jonathan Vigliotti: And that phone call never comes. 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. But one of those friends told police Flores already had the black eye when he arrived. Like the rest of the family, Kristin was an athlete. But it's Susan Flores's concrete backyard that initially received a lot of attention. In his complaint, Murphy alleges, along with Ruben, there were two other unnamed individuals. 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. to California to search for Kristen Modafferi. 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. But every Sunday when she called her parents, they encouraged her to stick it out. Denise Pearce says that was a crushing blow for the Smart family. Kristin Smart 19, a freshman at California Polytechnic State University had gone to a party on Friday, May 24 , 1996 -- and has not been seen since. I've got her. Chris Lambert: I didn't know the scale. Whatever happened in those early hours, one thing is indisputable: Kristin Smart has never been seen again. Cole in 2019. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. At the time of the April 13 arrests, the sheriff said he believed that had enough evidence to win convictions. Det. But as Chris Lambert learned, Flores's pattern of behavior with women didn't stop. Kristen has facial dimples. His father Ruben Flores charged with being an accessory after the factwas found not guilty. James Murphy: There has been no other suspect. The documents also include several people the defense believes investigators should have looked into in addition to Flores, including convicted murderer and fellow then-student Scott Peterson, who was previously ruled out. Testimony is expected to continue Wednesday. 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. Margarita soon decided she'd had enough. Just weeks later, Kristin's frustrated parents contacted James Murphy, a local civil attorney. And might have connected Kristin to Susan Flores's house, says James Murphy. Joe Johnston/The Tribune (of San Luis Obispo), via Associated Press. 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. D.A. Two days after Kristin Smart vanished, Paul Flores went to the Arroyo Grande Police Department because of an outstanding DUI warrant. On April 19, father and son each pleaded not guilty, according to The Associated Press. Paul Flores is charged with first-degree murder and is accused of killing Smart while attempting to rape her. Soon after her disappearance, a sheriffs search party combed remote parts of the Cal Poly campus on horseback, archival video from KCRA-TV shows. But Margarita says, the police did not seem concerned. 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. most importantly they wanna find their daughter. Alex Murdaugh Found Guilty of Murdering Wife and Son James Murphy: There's no way to get evidence back once you've lost it. 'Keep her memory alive': Organizer encourages community to spread His father was found not guilty of helping to hide her body. The hearing began August 2 and is expected to last into at least next week. Murder of Kristin Smart - Wikipedia How 'Your Own Backyard' podcast led to arrests in Kristin Smart murder James Murphy: they let the dog in, the dog makes a beeline to the bed of Paul Flores. 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. I knocked on her door, and I thought she was just sleeping, or she went out and about, you know? Chris Lambert: As they describe it, Paul Flores just sort of appears out of nowhere. 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. The Smart family. Det. suddenly major pieces of evidence came forward. Police investigated whether Durst, 71, who lived in San Francisco at the time Modafferi went missing, was connected to her disappearance. Real Name: Kristen Deborah Modafferi Nicknames: No known nicknames Location: San Francisco, California Date: June 23, 1997 Bio Occupation: Student Date of Birth: June 1, 1979 Height: 5' 8" Weight: 140 lbs. The sheriff's office seized the trailer and Det. DAN DOW [press conference]: We don't have evidence sufficient to charge anyone else at this time. and offers to help. How are we not all talking about this every day until shes found?, Editors picks And when they did . Copyright 2021 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. A cemetery posted a personal ad for a goose whose mate died. And while they did not rush to investigate Flores, Kristin's family says campus police were very quick to judge her. Twenty-five years after Smart went missing, a prime suspect is charged with murder. 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. Peterson. Testimony resumes at the Kristin Smart hearing after a week off. 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.". What happened to Kristen Modafferi? - AdvertisingRow.com 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. 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. In October 2022,. D.A. 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. The elder Flores is charged with accessory after the fact to the crime of murder for allegedly helping Paul conceal Smarts body. A Timeline of the Kristin Smart Case - The New York Times Kristen Modafferi, Kristin Smart & Kent Jacobs. The evidentiary hearing is underway and witnesses are testifying in front of Superior Court Judge Craig van Rooyen about Flores interactions with Smart. He says Smart seemed uncomfortable but was too nice to ask the boy to leave. 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. She was last seen in the Lands End area of San Francisco, close to where Laci and Connor washed up. Chris Lambert: Paul worked with a number of women that he made incredibly uncomfortable girls who he tried to make a pass at sexually, girls that he tried to force to kiss him. 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PODCAST EPISODE 4: At 8 a.m. on June 19th, 2000, a team of sheriff's investigators knocks on the front door of Susan Flores's East Branch Street home. Kristin Smart, a bright, adventurous communication studies freshman at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, went missing May 25, 1996. 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. James Murphy: I'd love to do anything to end their suffering. 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. Denise Smart, Kristins mother, has also praised the show. In March 2021, investigators used cadaver dogs and ground-penetrating radar to search Ruben Floress property in Arroyo Grande, Calif. Paul Flores was taken into custody at his home in the San Pedro section of Los Angeles on April 13, 2021, and was charged with murder. Other witnesses are also questioned, but Flemmings testimony is noteworthy as he is the first to say he saw Flores and Smart together before the party. The 19-year-old, who is also from Charlotte and a . Remember, Flores's room had been emptied and thoroughly cleaned. 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.". Detective in Kristin Smart case testifies human blood - KSBY Margarita Campos: I mean, she was gone. For more than two decades, her family, friends, and supporters searched for answers and for justice. Chris Lambert: And he says he got a black eye playing basketball with his friends. 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. They told her Kristin had not been seen all weekend and asked if Kristin was with them. But on April 13, 2021, after an investigation that spanned nearly a quarter of a century, the authorities announced that two California men Paul Flores, now 45, and his father, Ruben Flores, 81 had been arrested in connection with her disappearance. Podcaster Lambert will not be called to the stand during the Kristin Smart murder hearing. Cole also testified that on March 9, 2020, a witness reported some suspicious activity at the property. Chris Lambert: It's mostly frat guys from the Kappa Chi fraternity. He also said that law enforcement leaked information to "Your Own Backyard" podcaster Chris Lambert. It was on Memorial Day weekend 1996 that their 19-year-old daughter Kristin Smart disappeared. They didn't bring a forensics team. Lindsey Smart Stewart: It just amazes me the amount of evidence that's available, yet nothing has happened. 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. Kristen Modafferi: Onuma and the Briefcase. Peterson may or may not have been at the party Smart disappeared after. James Murphy: The question for decades was "Well, where did the body go?". 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. JAMES MURPHY: Would you state your full name for the record please. 3. Jonathan Vigliotti [with Lambert outside of the the dorms]: Paul and Kristin then make their way here. IE 11 is not supported. 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. I did have guilt about that. 7,781 days.. That is all it took. Paul Flores, 44, has pleaded not guilty to a murder charge. People are watching Ruben Flores and Susan Flores and Paul Flores. 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. Because of the statute of limitations, Dow says, Paul Flores can't be charged with rape. He was required to wear an electronic ankle bracelet. Another frustration for the Smarts: at the time Kristin disappeared, investigators weren't aware that Paul Flores's parents were separated and living apart. "48 Hours" looks back to their arrests and how the saga began. James Murphy: Well, the location where all this activity occurred is where they found the biological material. The judge in the case has issued a gag order preventing lawyers, investigators, witnesses and others from speaking about the case or releasing documents. After over 25 years, there is no evidence that Paul Flores committed the crimes for which there is no evidence.. Four months after that futile search, Paul Flores was brought before a grand jury. I also brought them witnesses that they had no interest in whatsoever. 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 And he leaves her to walk up this walkway. He was not welcome.. And she was growing as an individual. So, when they were invited to a party that Friday night, Kristin was excited to go. His father, Ruben, will be tried as an accessory to the crime. so eventually he unlocked you know, the apartment door, and I left. Kristen was in her first year at Cal Poly when she vanished in 1996. Defense attorney Robert Sanger, in turn, tries to poke holes in Flemmings recollections. 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. 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. He says they are Ruben's ex-wife Susan and her boyfriend. The podcast, "Your Own Backyard,"has drawn millions of listeners and focused renewed attention on this decades old case. to find the next challenge. When they showed up, it was Paul Flores. 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. Anyone can read what you share. Chris Lambert was just 8 years old when Kristin Smart vanished on her way home from a college party in San Luis Obispo, California. Related Stories In the months after Kristin's disappearance, one truck was traded in and the other was reported stolen. 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? He has not been charged in those incidents. SUSAN FLORES: [Long pause, grabs water bottle] Of course not. November 01, 2017. And the body's not there now. Ann-Marie Christian: became friends with Kristin in elementary school. The search for Ms. Smart, who was nicknamed Roxy, took many forms. Ruben Flores was released on $50,000 bail to his ex-wife. Back in May 1996, Kristin Smart was finishing her freshman year at California Polytechnic State University better known as Cal Poly. They also did not focus on Paul Flores immediately, waiting six days to formally interview him. She was looking forward to hearing from Kristin that Sunday. 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. 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. Paul Flores was ordered held without bail Monday. James Murphy and Garin Sinclair look at the billboard that has been in their front yard for more than two decades. Jonathan Vigliotti: There was a lot of evidence that could have been gathered, that wasn't. 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. We want to especially thank the District Attorneys Office for their relentless efforts. When they reached the turnoff to Cheryl's dorm, she says Flores tried to hug and kiss her. They got to the parking lot of an apartment complex. He'd go anywhere. A very close-knit family. or even her keys. In the meantime, Paul Flores moved to Southern California, where he bounced from job to job. 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. All of Kristin's personal belongings including her purse, her money, her I.D. 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. Nineteen-year-old Kristin Smart disappeared Memorial Day weekend of 1996.
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