The mother is washing her car in the driveway at one point. Most students had taken off but Kristin had stayed on campus. Flores wasn't talking. Murphy alleges four nights later, strange activity was seen at Ruben's house. It was on Memorial Day weekend 1996 that their 19-year-old daughter Kristin Smart disappeared. Jonathan Vigliotti: Is there any doubt in your mind that Paul Flores is responsible for the disappearance of Kristin Smart? (Pool photo by Dave Minsky/Santa Maria Times). 2 men found drugged after leaving NYC gay bars were killed, medical examiner says. She was declared legally dead in 2002. Remember, Flores's room had been emptied and thoroughly cleaned. It had been the focus of widespread speculation for more than two decades especially her planter boxes. She withdrew money from the bank, a surveillance camera capturing what are . Denise Pearce: The investigation was completely botched by the campus police. SHERIFF IAN PARKINSON [at press conference]: Forensic physical evidence was located. Like the rest of the family, Kristin was an athlete. Podcaster Lambert will not be called to the stand during the Kristin Smart murder hearing. Jonathan Vigliotti: How significant was that? You can go." Other men cited by the defense either reportedly dated or pursued Smart. In the meantime, Paul Flores moved to Southern California, where he bounced from job to job. Meanwhile, the hearing is scheduled to conclude on Friday, when the judge will rule if prosecutors have probable cause to go to trial. And my roommate actually kicked down the door to make him stop. 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. Margarita Campos: But when we got to the house it was pretty dead too, it was really -- it was like a couple of roommates hanging out playing video games And Kristin was, like oh gosh, there has to be something better than this. She loved swimming and skiing. Anyone would have been terrified if they heard it.. 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After a lengthy hearing, San Luis Obispo County Judge Craig B. Her books are available on Amazon. Chris Lambert says they're cautiously optimistic. The Tribune said it got the public documents from the courthouse in the city 160 miles northwest of Los Angeles. D.A. PODCAST EPISODE 2 [LAMBERT READING REPORT] Smart does not have any close friends at Cal Poly. Cole said this was done so Lambert would include the information in his podcast during the time of the wiretap. But it's Susan Flores's concrete backyard that initially received a lot of attention. And for the first time clues about what may have happened to Kristin Smart. 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. DAN DOW [press conference]: The allegation against Ruben is that he helped to conceal Kristen's body after the murder was committed. Paul Flores is charged with first-degree murder and is accused of killing Smart while attempting to rape her. And here's your key." Just days after she disappeared, an incident report seemed to imply that Kristin's behavior contributed to her disappearance. Because of the statute of limitations, Dow says, Paul Flores can't be charged with rape. "Up and Vanished" led a man to confess to killing a . Ruben will be released on bail that he can afford. And I was like, "nah, I have to study." 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. She left around 2 a.m. and was accompanied by Paul Flores, who was also a student at Cal Poly. The elder Flores is charged with accessory after the fact to the crime of murder for allegedly helping Paul conceal Smarts body. Kristin Smart went missing on May 25, 1996 while attending California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and has not been heard from since. Margarita Campos: To this day, like, I was like, why why did I just let her go by herself? Margarita Campos: I was expecting her to knock on my door and be, like, "Oh, Margarita, you missed a rager. But was there evidence possibly placing Kristin Smart at his mother's home? 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. Denise Pearce: Kristin hasn't come home And we're not sure where she is We don't know anything. But Parkinson acknowledges it hasn't been easy. That witness initially came forward to Chris Lambert, who passed the information to the sheriff's office and Murphy. PODCAST EPISODE 1: Kristin broke down begging her mother to let her drop out and go somewhere else. For more than two decades, her family, friends, and supporters searched for answers and for justice. Please come with me." Two days after her daughter went missing, Denise Smart got a call from Cal Poly's campus police. Det. Denise Pearce says that was a crushing blow for the Smart family. Margarita Campos: Kristin was like, "come on, let's go, let's go." Ruben Flores was acquitted by a separate jury. And she's like, "please come with me. Copyright 2021 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Cole also talked about his interview with Jennifer Hudson in November 2019. Through the years, the Smarts have kept pressure on the Flores family. But one of those friends told police Flores already had the black eye when he arrived. So now you've got three different stories about how he got that black eye. Greg Fisher and Michelle Fanucci are the development producers. Alex Murdaugh Found Guilty of Murdering Wife and Son Ruben's attorney, Harold Mesick, dismissed the evidence against his client as "so minimal as to shock the conscience.". But as Chris Lambert learned, campus police did not act right away. 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. It is also what the Smarts have been waiting for for more than a quarter of a century. Kristen Modafferi: Onuma and the Briefcase. Lindsey Smart Stewart: I think they're, like, carrying boulders on their back. Chris Lambert: They're hopeful, but they've also been let down so many times before. JAMES MURPHY: Has your son ever told you that he did not kill Kristin Smart? Clockwise from left, Kristin, Denise, Stan, Matt and Lindsey. 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. What happens next? He'd go through tunnels, under bridges, looking for his daughter and expecting best case scenario. In October 2022, Paul Flores, the man long suspected in her disappearance, was found guilty of murder. 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. 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. But as Chris Lambert learned, Flores's pattern of behavior with women didn't stop. 1 of 47. True crime podcasting is not something that particularly captivated me, Lambert told Rolling Stonelast year. James Murphy and Garin Sinclair look at the billboard that has been in their front yard for more than two decades. to search on and near the Cal Poly campus. An earring that appeared to match the necklace Kristin is wearing on the billboard. The podcast, "Your Own Backyard,"has drawn millions of listeners and focused renewed attention on this decades old case. Nikki Rodriguez, a spokeswoman for the court, said the documents were not supposed to be public. Authorities also uncovered fibers consistent with the color clothing Smart was last seen wearing. School was over, so campus police found an empty room that had been sanitized by the university's cleaning crew. A very close-knit family. The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time That's when Denise Smart learned her daughter had not been seen all weekend, and all her belongings were still in her dorm room. 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. She was she was frantic I don't understand this, you know? People are watching Ruben Flores and Susan Flores and Paul Flores. On July 21, Kristin Smarts parents and her brother, Matt, testified about how they had searched for her after her disappearance. Her parents, Denise and Stan were both educators who encouraged their kids' passions. Jonathan Vigliotti: And that phone call never comes. Kristen Modafferi, Kristin Smart & Kent Jacobs. Jonathan Vigliotti: She had just 40 yards to go and yet she vanished. "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.. 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. 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. suddenly major pieces of evidence came forward. Like so many freshmen, Kristin struggled. Mesick declined to comment Tuesday, citing the gag order. 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 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. Lindsey Smart Stewart: "You should go to Cal Poly. Flores was also in possession of Tramadol and Flexeril, known as date rape drugs. I didnt understand why. The jury hearing Paul Floress case began deliberations after closing arguments on Oct. 4. 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. Attorney Harold Mesick said Monday that the evidence against the father was so minimal as to shock the conscience.. They described dropping her off at the party at an unofficial fraternity house, and said that when it was over, she needed support to walk as she was being accompanied home by Paul Flores. DAN DOW [press conference]: It is alleged that Mr. Flores caused the death of Kristen Smart while in the commission of or attempted rape. James Murphy: Somebody found an earring that they say was Kristin Smart's jewelry in the driveway. The Kristin Smart disappearance: After 26 years, Paul Flores is convicted of murder. 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. A hundred percent that was happening. By then, the semester was over and the room had been cleaned out. 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. But the Flores's have fought back, suing the Smarts for intentional infliction of emotional distress. And that's what I've been doing for a long, long time, along with a lot of other people. But remarkably, the same thing happened with three more dogs. The police searched her dorm room in Muir Hall, finding her wallet and reminders to turn in assignments. James Murphy: And it says wrongful death and then I put murder. "48 Hours" looks back to their arrests and how the saga began. During Tuesdays hearing, San Luis Obispo County Sheriffs Detective Clint Cole testified about a conversation he had with Ruben Flores at his Arroyo Grande home when Cole was there to obtain a DNA swab. "48 Hours" has learned these suspicions center around evidence found during that 2020 search of Paul Flores' home. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. He says "no.". . Chris Lambert: It was never marked as evidence apparently. D.A. Some of those women who did not want their real names used told Lambert about their encounters with him. James Murphy: To see them in custody was a feeling of great joy for me. His father Ruben Flores charged with being an accessory after the factwas found not guilty. Chris Lambert: I think that might have been the biggest misstep that investigators have made to this day. But Murphy says there were other incidents that should have raised alarm bells about him with law enforcement from the very beginning. They were soon joined by another partygoer, Paul Flores. JAMES MURPHY: What is the name of your father? By the time they inspected Flores's room, Kristin had been gone for 16 days. Judge van Rooyen objects to this assertion, though: Just because (Lamberts) been served does not necessarily mean he should be excluded, he says. 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. 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. When Kristin Smart disappeared, Paul Flores's parents Susan and Ruben were separated and living apart. So before leaving, Margarita handed over her keys to get back into Muir Hall. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. The trial got underway with opening statements on July 18 in Monterey County Superior Court in Salinas. Little is known since the proceedings are kept secret, but no charges were ever filed. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. 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. 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. 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. When asked about how he got the injury Flores told three different stories. But cadaver dogs told a different story. They havent revealed what was found but returned to the yard for additional digging after the arrests. 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. 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.

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