Most students had taken off but Kristin had stayed on campus. The trial got underway with opening statements on July 18 in Monterey County Superior Court in Salinas. On July 21, Kristin Smarts parents and her brother, Matt, testified about how they had searched for her after her disappearance. So, they did not immediately get a warrant to search Susan Flores's home. IE 11 is not supported. 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's podcast caught the attention of millions of listeners and sparked new interest in the decades-old unsolved case of Kristin Smart. And when they did . 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. San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office, via Associated Press. On April 13, 2021, almost 25 years after Kristin Smart went missing, longtime suspect Paul Flores, 44, was arrested at his home in San Pedro, California, and charged with murder. 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. DAN DOW [press conference]: It is alleged that Mr. Flores caused the death of Kristen Smart while in the commission of or attempted rape. Cole also testified that on March 9, 2020, a witness reported some suspicious activity at the property. When Kristin Smart disappeared, Paul Flores's parents Susan and Ruben were separated and living apart. Back in May 1996, Kristin Smart was finishing her freshman year at California Polytechnic State University better known as Cal Poly. James Murphy: They're interested in seeing Paul Flores get convicted and Ruben Flores get held accountable. Smart was declared dead in 2002. There was no reaction until the dog reached Paul Flores's room. Jonathan Vigliotti: Was this case, given the evidence that was lost early on, doomed from the very beginning? Jonathan Vigliotti: You look at Kristin Smart every day. Paul Flores and defense attorney Robert Sanger in court on Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021. 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. It did produce some information that I believe was valuable, he said. Man charged with 1996 murder of college student Kristin Smart. and offers to help. Ian Parkinson: Yes. A missing-person report was filed with the campus police on May 28. Jonathan Vigliotti: And that phone call never comes. You wouldn't let any of your friends be drunk around him. 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. On Oct. 18, Paul Flores was found guilty of murdering Ms. Smart. The next month, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriffs Office took over from the Cal Poly police as the lead investigators. Det. James Murphy: They brought in the first dog and they'd had the dog go through the dorms. It encouraged the previously reluctant to come forward. This obviously gave law enforcement new leads to follow and connect with what they already were holding close.. The mother is washing her car in the driveway at one point. When authorities later confronted him with the two stories, Flores admitted lying and offered a new explanation. Chris Lambert: I didn't know the scale. By the time Cal Poly police began investigating, Kristin had been gone for four days. Early on, a small group of volunteers also looked for Kristin. She was declared legally dead in 2002. But you have to understand, she was a really independent free spirit. Cole said he has the admission on a digital tape recording. Lindsey Smart Stewart: I think they're, like, carrying boulders on their back. He promised the Smarts that solving Kristin's case would be a priority. 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. Ruben's attorney, Harold Mesick, dismissed the evidence against his client as "so minimal as to shock the conscience.". 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. 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. There was early mistakes made that you can't recover from when you're missing those vital pieces. Ann-Marie Christian: She was who she was because of her parents, for sure. Her books are available on Amazon. Denise Pearce: Kristin hasn't come home And we're not sure where she is We don't know anything. He wouldn't answer a single thing. The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time So had Margarita Campos, who lived in the next room in Muir Hall. Chris Lambert: Kristin became incredibly intoxicated, whether she was drugged or whether she just had a lot to drink in a short amount of time She ends up passed out on the lawn next door. They seized digital devices during the search and, in April 2020, executed another search on Paul Flores property in San Pedro. By the time they inspected Flores's room, Kristin had been gone for 16 days. Margarita Campos: Kristin was like, "come on, let's go, let's go." But cadaver dogs told a different story. I didn't know how many people were gonna listen. "Should he be allowed bail, it is a virtual certainty that he would use his freedom to continue his attempts to help Paul Flores thwart prosecution in this case and continue to hide her remains.. That warrant allowed them to dig up the backyard, but deputies chose not to excavate. Paul Flores was ordered held without bail Monday. James Murphy: There's no way to get evidence back once you've lost it. "48 Hours" looks back to their arrests and how the saga began. Authorities made clear that they plan to use Flores' alleged predatory behavior against him. 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. PAUL FLORES: On the advice of my attorney . Plans & Pricing . But Parkinson acknowledges it hasn't been easy. 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. Friday, May 24, 1996, was the start of the Memorial Day weekend. Authorities also uncovered fibers consistent with the color clothing Smart was last seen wearing. and I was like, "Noooo.". And so, she pulled me into this sort of like, "oh come on, let's socialize. I've got her. Just very involved with their children. Twenty-five years after Smart went missing, a prime suspect is charged with murder. And six months later, when Flores was deposed by James Murphy for the Smart's civil suit, he kept quiet. 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. 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. 7,781 days.. That is all it took. We want to hear it. SUSAN FLORES: [Long pause, grabs water bottle] Of course not. Ms. Smart, who was from Stockton, Calif., was a freshman at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. But I've seen it. Kristen was in her first year at Cal Poly when she vanished in 1996. Murphy and Sinclair promised the Smarts the billboard will stay until their daughter is found. Like so many freshmen, Kristin struggled. 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. Like what may have been discovered in March 2021 when investigators searched Ruben Flores' house using cadaver dogs and ground penetrating radar. James Murphy: The question for decades was "Well, where did the body go?". Mesick argued there were many innocent explanations why soil had previously been dug up in the yard. Margarita Campos: She was absolutely sober when I left her. And they told Lambert they weren't surprised when they heard about Flores's connection to Kristin's disappearance. And there are more horrifying allegations about what may have happened to Kristin after she was last seen with Paul Flores. 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. After a lengthy hearing, San Luis Obispo County Judge Craig B. It was first reported by The Tribune, and a reporter posted snippets of documents on Twitter. 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. It also expounds on several other alleged rapes as well as unwanted sexual advances. Please enter valid email address to continue. As of 2021, Kristen Modafferi's case remains unsolved. Chris Lambert: There was a man climbing her trellis and trying to get inside her balcony, very intoxicated and refusing to leave. The prosecution upholds the validity of these searches, including one of Flores dorm room that was done after he moved out. 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. He refused to answer questions during a deposition in November 1997, citing the Fifth Amendment. Missing-person posters and billboards offering rewards appeared along roads and in other public places. 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. The sheriff's office seized the trailer and Det. The 19-year-old, who is also from Charlotte and a . For more than two decades, her family, friends, and supporters searched for answers and for justice. It is every parent's worst nightmare. 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. Margarita Campos: To this day, like, I was like, why why did I just let her go by herself? For more than two decades, her family, friends, and supporters searched for answers and for justice. In June 1997, 18-year-old Kristen Modafferi arrived in San Francisco to take a photography class at UC Berkeley. Denise Pearce | Longtime family friend: Things were gonna get better and, you know, and and they did. Mary Lassiter says the earring she found in the driveway matched the necklace Kristin Smart is seen wearing on this billboard. They asked him not to use their names: PODCAST EPISODE 2 | WOMAN #1: Well his nickname was "Scary Paul.". It's just a motivator for me. every piece of evidence points directly at Paul Flores. In March, the Oakland Police Department released a statement saying that it had worked with the FBI and found no evidence indicating Durst was involved. Margarita Campos: I mean, she was gone. Book Author Jenn is a lawyer-turned-author and true crime writer. 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. 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. SHERIFF IAN PARKINSON [at press conference]: Forensic physical evidence was located. Weitere Informationen ber die Verwendung Ihrer personenbezogenen Daten finden Sie in unserer Datenschutzerklrung und unserer Cookie-Richtlinie. 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. 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. She left them only after he promised to take Kristin back to her dorm. 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. Kristen Modaferri Observer file Family and friends of a Charlotte woman who has been missing for nearly two decades are awaiting results after a possible break in the case came Thursday.. 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. 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. Meanwhile, the hearing is scheduled to conclude on Friday, when the judge will rule if prosecutors have probable cause to go to trial. A lot of women felt uncomfortable around him, Flemming says. Chris Lambert: And that's when they're told that earring has been misplaced. Copyright 2021 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Chris Lambert: I personally think that wherever Kristin went, Paul was there with her. Chris Lambert: He told those friends he just woke up with the black eye. 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. Convicted killer Scott Peterson is expected to be called to the witness stand at a pre-trial hearing in California involving the 25-year-old disappearance of co-ed Kristin Smart. PODCAST EPISODE 3: Something shiny catches her eye next to the front driver side tire. I don't know if Kristin knew anybody there. Margarita soon decided she'd had enough. Despite the fact that law enforcement had collected substantial evidence that Kristin Smart may have had reason not to return to her dorm room after leaving (fellow party-goers) Cheryl (Manzer) Anderson and Paul Flores and despite the fact that they had collected substantial evidence that there were multiple potential suspects who stalked, harassed or otherwise had conflicts with Kristin Smart, law enforcement made an early choice to change their focus to murder and to Paul Flores as the only suspect, Sanger wrote in a defense motion. And DNA evidence could not be found linking any other evidence to Kristin. Kristen Modafferi, Kristin Smart & Kent Jacobs. His father Ruben Flores charged with being an accessory after the factwas found not guilty. In April 2021, investigators finally put the pieces of the puzzle together and decided they had enough to charge the then-44-year-old Paul Flores with Kristin's murder, and his then-80-year-old father with being an accessory after the fact. 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. 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 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. Eighteen-year-old Kristen Modafferi was a college honor student from North Carolina spending her summer in San Francisco. James Murphy: That suggests that something bad happened in Paul Flores's dorm room. Jonathan Vigliotti: Is this a case that takes a miracle to solve? She said she didn't tell law enforcement about it until she talked to Det. A hundred percent that was happening. JAMES MURPHY: Does your son have any information as to where Kristin Smart's body is located? Jonathan Vigliotti | CBS News correspondent: You wanted to go home, and you were trying to find a way to break it to your friend. Um, wherever we can punch holes. Kristen has facial dimples. I'm going to go back to the dorms. Don Kelsen/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images. The lawsuit claims they were moving Kristin's remains. 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.
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