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The county sheriffs office searched his room once more during the weekend of June 29th, when a team of cadaver dogs signaled the smell of human decay. 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! The sheriff's office seized the trailer and Det. Paul Flores isnt granted bail, with Judge Craig B. She feared for her life, so did not tell anyone at the time or for years after. After over 25 years, there is no evidence that Paul Flores committed the crimes for which there is no evidence.. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Two days after Kristin Smart vanished, Paul Flores went to the Arroyo Grande Police Department because of an outstanding DUI warrant. Chris Lambert: So, if you believe Paul's story, he goes into his dorm room here. 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. But as Chris Lambert learned, campus police did not act right away. It is every parent's worst nightmare. But it was a local story and the thing that stood out to me is that nobody was talking about it anymore. 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. These charges mark a major milestone, Dow says in a statement. So, she slowed down and walked with them. Susan's house was finally searched in March 1997 nine months after Kristin disappeared but nothing was found. Smart's body was recently moved from the home of Ruben Flores, a prosecutor said. 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. Paul Flores was ordered held without bail Monday. In his mug shot, a black eye can faintly been seen. He promised the Smarts that solving Kristin's case would be a priority. 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.". Ruben Flores, 80, has pleaded not guilty to a charge of accessory after the murder for hiding Smart's body after his son allegedly killed her. 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. Mike McHugh is the producer-editor. Murphy immediately filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Flores in civil court. Like the Smart's civil case, theirs also has been on hold. Any evidence that might have been there was long gone. He'd go anywhere. 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. It was turned over to a detective with the San Luis Obispo Sheriff's Office, but Garin Sinclair says, the Smarts never knew it existed until the Lassiters were deposed in January 1997. Chris Lambert: He told those friends he just woke up with the black eye. 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. The Kristin Smart disappearance: After 26 years, Paul Flores is convicted of murder 20 photos. For more than two decades, her family, friends, and supporters searched for answers and for justice. ", 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.". SUSAN FLORES: [Long pause, grabs water bottle] Of course not. A separate jury for Ruben Flores started deliberating on Oct. 5. 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. IE 11 is not supported. Judge van Rooyen objects to this assertion, though: Just because (Lamberts) been served does not necessarily mean he should be excluded, he says. According to a county probation bail report obtained by the San Luis Obispo Tribune, "biological evidence" was found under Ruben's deck. But it's Susan Flores's concrete backyard that initially received a lot of attention. He had a smirk when he said it, like it was a joke, she says. 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Mary Lassiter says the earring she found in the driveway matched the necklace Kristin Smart is seen wearing on this billboard. Members of the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Department and FBI searched the grounds of Susan Flores's home in Arroyo Grande on June 19, 2000, for any evidence that might shed light on the disappearance of Cal Poly student Kristin Smart. 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. I've got her. The mother is washing her car in the driveway at one point. Cole went to his White Court home to collect it on May 19, 2021. Denise Pearce | Longtime family friend: Things were gonna get better and, you know, and and they did. The court document was filed before bail arguments Monday in San Luis Obispo Superior Court when the father and son were arraigned. 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. That mother, Mary Lassiter, described it to Chris Lambert. Authorities made clear that they plan to use Flores' alleged predatory behavior against him. 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. Chris Lambert: So much was lost in those first few days where if that very first phone call was taken seriously answers might have been uncovered the first week. Mesick declined to comment Tuesday, citing the gag order. 2 men found drugged after leaving NYC gay bars were killed, medical examiner says. His father, Ruben Flores, pleads not guilty to being an accessory to the crime after the fact. Smart appeared to be under the influence of alcohol on Friday night. 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. But the investigation is ongoing. The jury hearing Paul Floress case began deliberations after closing arguments on Oct. 4. Lindsey Smart Stewart: She had traveled the world before she even made it to college. 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. Kristin Smart, a bright, adventurous communication studies freshman at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, went missing May 25, 1996. I think they're just waiting to see what the outcome is going to be. And these girls are inviting us out. Once, he says, Flores was lurking in the lobby of Smarts dorm at 1 a.m.; another time, he says he saw the man in Smarts dorm room. She and all who have worked so hard toward this day deserve nothing less.. Margarita Campos: I was, like, "Kristin, I'm going to go back home. KSBY will have more on what takes place in court on KSBY.com and KSBY News at 5 and 6 p.m. 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. Testimony is expected to continue Wednesday. Chris Lambert's podcast caught the attention of millions of listeners and sparked new interest in the decades-old unsolved case of Kristin Smart. Below, Rolling Stone outlines where the Smart case is now: San Luis Obispo District Attorney Dan Dow announces chargesagainst Paul Flores and his father Ruben in connection with what he calls the 1996 homicide of Cal Poly student Kristin Smart. James Murphy: There's no way to get evidence back once you've lost it. Garin Sinclair: He never once turned to the Smart family and said, hey, we have an earring, we'd like to show it to you to see if it matches any of your daughter's jewelry. On Oct. 18, Paul Flores was found guilty of murdering Ms. Smart. Axel Koester/Sygma via Getty Images The. The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time By herself, which is pretty amazing. She left them only after he promised to take Kristin back to her dorm. to search on and near the Cal Poly campus. Ruben will be released on bail that he can afford. And might have connected Kristin to Susan Flores's house, says James Murphy. But Paul Flores remained behind bars help without bail. Paul Flores, 44, has pleaded not guilty to a murder charge. I knocked on her door, and I thought she was just sleeping, or she went out and about, you know? 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 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. Margarita soon decided she'd had enough. "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. PODCAST EPISODE 4: And he had like a butter knife and he like held it to my neck. James Murphy: I'd love to do anything to end their suffering. Chris Lambert: He actually hit his eye on his steering wheel in the middle of the night while changing his stereo. In his complaint, Murphy alleges, along with Ruben, there were two other unnamed individuals. They got to the parking lot of an apartment complex. It also expounds on several other alleged rapes as well as unwanted sexual advances. Jonathan Vigliotti [with Lambert outside of the the dorms]: Paul and Kristin then make their way here. And so, she pulled me into this sort of like, "oh come on, let's socialize. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The sheriff's office still wasn't convinced they had enough evidence against Flores. 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. The prosecution upholds the validity of these searches, including one of Flores dorm room that was done after he moved out. What Chris did was take a local story and turn it into an international story. / CBS News, (This story previously aired on May 8, 2021. And I was like, "nah, I have to study." JAMES MURPHY: Has your son ever told you that he did not kill Kristin Smart? His father Ruben Flores charged with being an accessory after the factwas found not guilty. Everyone knew Paul (Flores) was creepy. Cole testified that Hudson told him about Paul's statement and that she'd also seen Paul with his white pickup truck at the skateboard ramp in Huasna. Attorney Harold Mesick said Monday that the evidence against the father was so minimal as to shock the conscience.. Paul Flores pleads not guilty to the murder and attempted rape of Smart. 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. Wenn Sie Ihre Auswahl anpassen mchten, klicken Sie auf Datenschutzeinstellungen verwalten. It was on Memorial Day weekend 1996 that their 19-year-old daughter Kristin Smart disappeared. Lindsey Smart Stewart: I think they're, like, carrying boulders on their back. Devastating. James Murphy: He lied to the police about everything. 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. The next morning, Margarita waited to hear from Kristin. https://www.nytimes.com/article/kristin-smart-case-timeline.html. Alex Murdaugh Found Guilty of Murdering Wife and Son Books from this author. Anyone can read what you share. I don't know if Kristin knew anybody there. So now you've got three different stories about how he got that black eye. People are watching Ruben Flores and Susan Flores and Paul Flores. And she's like, "please come with me. 7,781 days.. That is all it took. PODCAST EPISODE 1: I googled Kristin Smart's name every few years. Soon after her disappearance, a sheriffs search party combed remote parts of the Cal Poly campus on horseback, archival video from KCRA-TV shows. It is also what the Smarts have been waiting for for more than a quarter of a century. Det. Kristin Smart: Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong calls the Smarts. 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. Nineteen-year-old Cal Poly student Kristin Smart went missing after a campus party 25 years ago, and, this summer, her case is finally getting its day in court. 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. He has denied any involvement. He also said that law enforcement leaked information to "Your Own Backyard" podcaster Chris Lambert. Also on the stand Tuesday were another cadaver dog handler, an expert in fiber evidence and a district attorney's office investigator. The lawsuit claims they were moving Kristin's remains. A hundred percent that was happening. 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. Cadaver dogs were sent into Paul Floress dorm room. "48 Hours" has learned these suspicions center around evidence found during that 2020 search of Paul Flores' home. The defense questions Hudson about her drug use, but she says she was not doing drugs at the time. But every Sunday when she called her parents, they encouraged her to stick it out. Her parents, Denise and Stan were both educators who encouraged their kids' passions. The hearing began August 2 and is expected to last into at least next week. Like what may have been discovered in March 2021 when investigators searched Ruben Flores' house using cadaver dogs and ground penetrating radar. Margarita Campos: I was expecting her to knock on my door and be, like, "Oh, Margarita, you missed a rager. Nikki Rodriguez, a spokeswoman for the court, said the documents were not supposed to be public. Just five months before Kristin disappeared, San Luis Obispo Police received a call from a student living off campus. DAN DOW [press conference]: We don't have evidence sufficient to charge anyone else at this time. When Kristin Smart disappeared, Paul Flores's parents Susan and Ruben were separated and living apart. But remarkably, the same thing happened with three more dogs. PODCAST EPISODE 2 [LAMBERT READING REPORT] Smart does not have any close friends at Cal Poly. Peterson may or may not have been at the party Smart disappeared after. But a massive search did not happen until she'd been gone for more than a month. JAMES MURPHY: In May of 96 were you a student at Cal Poly? PODCAST EPISODE 2 | WOMAN #2: You wouldn't want to be alone in a room with him. 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. He said a backhoe had excavated a trench to dump soil that was removed to lay a nearby foundation. Just very involved with their children. November 01, 2017. That witness initially came forward to Chris Lambert, who passed the information to the sheriff's office and Murphy. or even her keys. In October 2022,. I told her I didn't I didn't want to go. So, I said, "you better turn some lights on right now and let me out or I'm going to scream." James Murphy: To see them in custody was a feeling of great joy for me. They havent revealed what was found but returned to the yard for additional digging after the arrests. 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. Murphy alleges four nights later, strange activity was seen at Ruben's house. An earring that appeared to match the necklace Kristin is wearing on the billboard. Chris Lambert: I wish I knew why. He wouldn't answer a single thing. suddenly major pieces of evidence came forward. Cole said investigators checked out the skateboard ramp location but did not find a body. But as Chris Lambert learned, Flores's pattern of behavior with women didn't stop. I don't think she went back to her dorm at all. Kristen has never been found. The two are charged in connection with the death of Cal Poly freshman Kristin Smart. Kristen Modafferi, Kristin Smart & Kent Jacobs. 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. Paul Flores and his father both pleaded not guilty to all charges at their arraignment. By then, the semester was over and the room had been cleaned out. October 22, 2022 / 10:10 PM Maybe we cant. Like so many freshmen, Kristin struggled. And it was only 250 miles from Stockton, California, where she grew up with Lindsey and their brother Matt. Remember, Flores's room had been emptied and thoroughly cleaned. Kristen Modafferi. Weitere Informationen ber die Verwendung Ihrer personenbezogenen Daten finden Sie in unserer Datenschutzerklrung und unserer Cookie-Richtlinie. In March 2021, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office served a search warrant at the Arroyo Grande home of Ruben Flores. Lambert says Kristin could not stand on her own, so fellow student Cheryl Anderson who was also at the party began helping her back to campus. But Lindsey says her sister was happiest when she was traveling. Why? Cole said a search of it revealed "suspicious activity.". They took in soil, I assume, for some kind of analysis. Jonathan Vigliotti: What toll over time did this have on your parents? Det. JAMES MURPHY: What is the name of your father? Ruben Flores and his estranged wife Susan have always denied any role in Kristin Smart's disappearance. Chris Lambert: Kristin's father would come down and hike every trail he could find on the Central Coast. Prior to the arrests, in February 2020, Flores home, his parents home, and his sisters home were searched by police. Ms. Smart, who was from Stockton, Calif., was a freshman at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. The defense wants to suppress some of these searches, though, claiming that they were done illegally or without warrants. 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. Paul Flores was charged with murder and Ruben Flores with being an accessory after the fact, accused of helping to bury her remains. She was never seen. I didnt understand why. 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. 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". Send us a tip using our anonymous form. The 100 Best Albums of 2022. 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. Related Stories A trailer was reportedly parked at Ruben's residence at odd hours and Paul's mother, Susan Flores, and her boyfriend were there. 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. 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. Ann-Marie Christian: She was who she was because of her parents, for sure. He never expected it would be a hit, but his podcast caught the attention of millions of listeners and sparked new interest in this decades-old unsolved case. In 2011, the Smarts hoped those boulders would become a little lighter when Ian Parkinson became the . She said she didn't tell law enforcement about it until she talked to Det. Kristen Modafferi, Kristin Smart & Kent Jacobs. 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. Ms. Smarts acquaintances were interviewed. Smarts remains have never been found, but authorities recently said they believe they know where she was buried, though they havent disclosed the location. After a lengthy hearing, San Luis Obispo County Judge Craig B. Testimony resumes at the Kristin Smart hearing after a week off. 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. Alicia Tejada is the field producer and Addison Briley is the associate producer. 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.". It's fine. No remains have been found. That warrant allowed them to dig up the backyard, but deputies chose not to excavate. Witness Jennifer Hudson takes the stand, where she tells the court that, in 1996, when she was 17 years old, Flores laughingly told her he had taken care of Smart. Lambert also interviewed a woman who dated Flores until, she says, he became physically and verbally abusive. On June 23, 1997, Kristen left the coffee shop where she worked, Spinelli's Coffee in San Francisco's Crocker Galleria. And for the first time clues about what may have happened to Kristin Smart. 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. Also taking the witness stand on Wednesday was Edward Chadwell. [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. The police searched her dorm room in Muir Hall, finding her wallet and reminders to turn in assignments. SHERIFF IAN PARKINSON [at press conference]: Forensic physical evidence was located. Jonathan Vigliotti: She had just 40 yards to go and yet she vanished. On Monday, he questioned why investigators needed to keep searching for evidence after making arrests. Chris Lambert and it worked. Chris Lambert: It was never marked as evidence apparently. With them is a group of FBI evidence response team members and a search warrant. Classes were difficult, she was trying to fit in, and she missed her family. PODCAST EPISODE 1: Kristin broke down begging her mother to let her drop out and go somewhere else.