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Nineteen-year-old Kristin Smart disappeared Memorial Day weekend of 1996. KSBY will have more on what takes place in court on KSBY.com and KSBY News at 5 and 6 p.m. The next month, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriffs Office took over from the Cal Poly police as the lead investigators. After Paul and Rubens arrests, Sheriff Ian Parkinson revealed that Lamberts podcast helped move the investigation forward. Judge denies multiple unusual requests in Kristin Smart hearing But one of those friends told police Flores already had the black eye when he arrived. Twenty-five years after Smart went missing, a prime suspect is charged with murder. PODCAST EPISODE 2: So, with Cheryl's account alone, we have an unsettling picture of Paul . 1 of 47. The two are charged in connection with the death of Cal Poly freshman Kristin Smart. Ruben will be released on bail that he can afford. Prosecutor Chris Peuvrelle asked him if he found the remains of any monkeys or ferrets or any human bodies on the property. He wouldn't answer a single thing. SUSAN FLORES: [Long pause, grabs water bottle] Of course not. Through the years, the Smarts have kept pressure on the Flores family. The unsealed documents include two claims from 2011 and 2017 that Flores raped two women while they were drunk in San Pedro. Book Author Jenn is a lawyer-turned-author and true crime writer. 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 jury acquitted Ruben Flores of the charge of being an accessory after the fact. He says Smart seemed uncomfortable but was too nice to ask the boy to leave. Whatever happened in those early hours, one thing is indisputable: Kristin Smart has never been seen again. He was not welcome.. He later told investigators that he walked her as far as his dorm, where they parted ways. She was never seen again. 7,781 days.. That is all it took. Flores, 44, was arrested Tuesday at his home, nearly 25 years after Smart left a party near the Cal Poly campus and vanished on the way back to her campus dormitory. 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. On June 23, 1997, Kristen left the coffee shop where she worked, Spinelli's Coffee in San Francisco's Crocker Galleria. She was never seen again and her body has not been located. Ruben Flores was released on $50,000 bail to his ex-wife. 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. Margarita Campos: I'll never forget her shadow against the building, this apartment complex, just standing like kind of cross-armed with the long leg And she was just kind of like looking at me like, [sighs] you're really walking away now, like you're really, you're leaving? Murphy alleges four nights later, strange activity was seen at Ruben's house. The last person to see her alive,. The Tribune said it got the public documents from the courthouse in the city 160 miles northwest of Los Angeles. Chris Lambert: There was a man climbing her trellis and trying to get inside her balcony, very intoxicated and refusing to leave. And here's your key." With them is a group of FBI evidence response team members and a search warrant. And might have connected Kristin to Susan Flores's house, says James Murphy. All of Kristin's personal belongings including her purse, her money, her I.D. Chris Lambert: They did a significant amount of digging underneath the house. 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. It did produce some information that I believe was valuable, he said. James Murphy: If it was, in fact, a piece of jewelry that matched Kristin's jewelry, it would have been blockbuster evidence. 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.. Chris Lambert says they're cautiously optimistic. His father Ruben Flores charged with being an accessory after the factwas found not guilty. JAMES MURPHY: Has your son ever told you that he did not kill Kristin Smart? Paul Flores did not have a car on campus, so Murphy surmises he had to have had help. Chris Lambert: So, if you believe Paul's story, he goes into his dorm room here. On May 25, 1996, friends dropped her off at an off-campus party. Scott Peterson set to testify in Kristin Smart slay case - New York Post They believe they can prove Paul Flores is responsible for the disappearance of Kristin Smart. 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. 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. PODCAST EPISODE 5: If you were making a film about a new law enforcer who's coming to a small town to save the day, you'd probably cast Parkinson. What's going on? 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. Kristen Modafferi, Kristin Smart & Kent Jacobs. In June 1997, 18-year-old Kristen Modafferi arrived in San Francisco to take a photography class at UC Berkeley. How 'Your Own Backyard' podcast led to arrests in Kristin Smart murder But Paul Flores was never charged with any of these incidents. They didn't look at the Flores family's vehicles. Chris Lambert was just 8 years old when Kristin Smart vanished on her way home from a college party in San Luis Obispo, California. She was last seen in the Lands End area of San Francisco, close to where Laci and Connor washed up. were in the room exactly where she had left them. A trailer was reportedly parked at Ruben's residence at odd hours and Paul's mother, Susan Flores, and her boyfriend were there. 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. IE 11 is not supported. She had taken a job at a coffee shop to pay for a photography course at U.C. Maybe we cant. Kristen Modafferi | Unsolved Mysteries Wiki | Fandom All Rights reserved. By the time they called the Cal Poly campus police, Kristin had been missing for more than 48 hours. Smarts remains have never been found, but authorities recently said they believe they know where she was buried, though they havent disclosed the location. Van Rooyen saying that his release could result in great bodily harm to the public. 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. An earring that appeared to match the necklace Kristin is wearing on the billboard. Copyright 2021 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Defense attorney Robert Sanger, in turn, tries to poke holes in Flemmings recollections. Chris Lambert: I didn't know the scale. Three more witnesses are expected to take the stand on Thursday, including two cadaver dog handlers.___. Denise Pearce: She was becoming more and more alarmed, you know? Lourdes Aguiar is the senior producer. 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.. But it was a local story and the thing that stood out to me is that nobody was talking about it anymore. Human Remains Possibly Found In Home Of Missing Woman Kristen Modafferi Previously sealed documents related to the case become available to the public that explain the rape charges Peurelle attempted to add against Paul Flores. Paul Flores killed Kristin Smart in dorm room during attempted rape, DA Even worse they never sealed his dorm room. For more than two decades, her family, friends, and supporters searched for answers and for justice. After almost 25 years of suspicion, on April 13, 2021, San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Ian Parkinson announced the arrest ofPaul Flores in the disappearance of Kristin Smart. Margarita Campos: I mean, she was gone. Like the Smart's civil case, theirs also has been on hold. A hundred percent that was happening. Kristen Modafferi - Unsolved Mysteries Copyright 2023 Penske Business Media, LLC. Chris Lambert: They just have never given up and are never going to give up on their daughter. Other men cited by the defense either reportedly dated or pursued Smart. The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time 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. We feel like the stars aligned when the podcast aired, she told Rolling Stone. Please come with me." 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. Chris Lambert: I brought them a number of witnesses that they were very interested in. In the meantime, Paul Flores moved to Southern California, where he bounced from job to job. The elder Flores is charged with accessory after the fact to the crime of murder for allegedly helping Paul conceal Smarts body. . Helicopters were used to canvas the area. Four months later, while attempting to reconcile, Susan rented out her house in Arroyo Grande. PODCAST EPISODE 2 | WOMAN #2: You wouldn't want to be alone in a room with him. So, she slowed down and walked with them. The Smart family. D.A. Nikki Rodriguez, a spokeswoman for the court, said the documents were not supposed to be public. PAUL FLORES: On the advice of my attorney, I refuse to answer that question based on the fifth amendment of the United States Constitution. September 15, 2017. And then months and months later, they'd reach back out and say, can you get us in touch with this person again? "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. They seized digital devices during the search and, in April 2020, executed another search on Paul Flores property in San Pedro. Um, wherever we can punch holes. The then eighteen-year-old . D.A. I told her I didn't I didn't want to go. Some of those women who did not want their real names used told Lambert about their encounters with him. Three other women missing: Did Lac's husband kill before? Because of the statute of limitations, Dow says, Paul Flores can't be charged with rape. When they showed up, it was Paul Flores. Kristin Smart case: Suspects Paul and Ruben Flores arrested in the Ian Parkinson: Yes. Kristin Smart: 25 Years Later - KSBY 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. 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. The sheriff's office seized the trailer and Det. We are now one step closer to justice for Kristin. According to a county probation bail report obtained by the San Luis Obispo Tribune, "biological evidence" was found under Ruben's deck. As they soon learned, she had ended up at a party at an off-campus house. 3. Little is known since the proceedings are kept secret, but no charges were ever filed. They havent revealed what was found but returned to the yard for additional digging after the arrests. Paul Flores isnt granted bail, with Judge Craig B. We just, "do you know anything about it". Lambert began looking into what happened to Kristin, collecting articles and documents, chasing down leads and tracking down anyone with information. 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. Send us a tip using our anonymous form. JAMES MURPHY: Your husband have information as to where Kristin Smart's body is located? Cole in 2019. Lindsey Smart Stewart: It just amazes me the amount of evidence that's available, yet nothing has happened. Nic Coury / AP. Kristen has facial dimples. Authorities also uncovered fibers consistent with the color clothing Smart was last seen wearing. SHERIFF IAN PARKINSON [to reporters]: It's been a puzzle and it's a very slow process to find each of those little pieces some of that information came to light through the podcast many of you are familiar with. but I knew that I could try to do a small part. So, they did not immediately get a warrant to search Susan Flores's home. 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. I'm going to go back to the dorms. Griffin Cherry was her close friend: Paul Flores was charged with murder and Ruben Flores with being an accessory after the fact, accused of helping to bury her remains. Det. She was declared legally dead in 2002. Wenn Sie Ihre Auswahl anpassen mchten, klicken Sie auf Datenschutzeinstellungen verwalten. 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 is every parent's worst nightmare. Smart was declared dead in 2002. Dennis Mahon's Podcast The hearing began August 2 and is expected to last into at least next week. Like the rest of the family, Kristin was an athlete. 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. The authorities began to describe Paul Flores as a prime suspect in the case. His father, Ruben, will be tried as an accessory to the crime. When authorities later confronted him with the two stories, Flores admitted lying and offered a new explanation. JAMES MURPHY: Do you have any information as to where Kristin Smart's body is located? Margarita Campos: She was absolutely sober when I left her. Jonathan Vigliotti: And that phone call never comes. Flores and his parents have always maintained that he had nothing to do with Smarts disappearance. He says they are Ruben's ex-wife Susan and her boyfriend. In the late 1990s, the. 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. 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. 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 The judge rules that the DA cannot be disqualified for wearing purple clothing. "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.. Jonathan Vigliotti: They thought she was off possibly having fun. 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. A Timeline of the Kristin Smart Case - The New York Times Police investigated whether Durst, 71, who lived in San Francisco at the time Modafferi went missing, was connected to her disappearance. Why? Judge van Rooyen objects to this assertion, though: Just because (Lamberts) been served does not necessarily mean he should be excluded, he says. (Pool photo by Dave Minsky/Santa Maria Times). Mesick declined to comment Tuesday, citing the gag order. In 1997 when Paul Flores was deposed for the civil suit, the only thing he would confirm on tape was his name. 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. Lindsey Smart Stewart: Right. 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. Margarita Campos: I was a little bit more introverted and inhibited and she was like, "no, we have to go out and we have to go like live life." Also on the stand Tuesday were another cadaver dog handler, an expert in fiber evidence and a district attorney's office investigator. 2 men found drugged after leaving NYC gay bars were killed, medical examiner says. Weitere Informationen ber die Verwendung Ihrer personenbezogenen Daten finden Sie in unserer Datenschutzerklrung und unserer Cookie-Richtlinie. 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. And the complaint has some explosive claims about what led investigators to focus under Ruben's deck in the first place. The defense wants to suppress some of these searches, though, claiming that they were done illegally or without warrants. She was gone. Chris Lambert's podcast caught the attention of millions of listeners and sparked new interest in the decades-old unsolved case of Kristin Smart. Cole went to his White Court home to collect it on May 19, 2021. The judge in the case has issued a gag order preventing lawyers, investigators, witnesses and others from speaking about the case or releasing documents. On day two, August 3rd, a close friend of Smarts from college, Steven Flemming, tells the court that Flores had interacted with Smart before the party they both attended prior to her disappearance. The Disappearance of Kristin Smart: What Happened and What's Next But to fully understand Chris Lambert's contribution, you have to go back to the beginning. Kristen has never been found. Marital Status: Single Characteristics: Caucasian female with brown hair and eyes. In 2011, the Smarts hoped those boulders would become a little lighter when Ian Parkinson became the . Cole also testified that the Flores family was wiretapped for 30 days starting on January 5, 2020. Flores defense team serves Your Own Backyard podcaster Chris Lambert with a subpoena to serve as a witness in San Luis Obispo Superior Court on August 30th, as he has interviewed several witnesses before they spoke to law enforcement. School was over, so campus police found an empty room that had been sanitized by the university's cleaning crew. 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. After over 25 years, there is no evidence that Paul Flores committed the crimes for which there is no evidence.. Jonathan Vigliotti: There was a lot of focus on how Kristin was drinking what sounded a lot like victim shaming. In October 2022, Paul Flores, the man long suspected in her disappearance, was found guilty of murder. Her books are available on Amazon. Paul Flores pleads not guilty to the murder and attempted rape of Smart. But as Chris Lambert learned, campus police did not act right away. 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. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Onuma was evicted from a Kaneohe, Hawaii residence after his connection to the Kristen Modafferi . suddenly major pieces of evidence came forward. I did have guilt about that. Paul Flores is charged with the murder of Kristin Smart, who disappeared from Cal Poly in 1996. In a civil lawsuit, the Smarts' attorney claims that Kristin's remains were buried at one time on Paul Flores' father's property. Chris Lambert, who worked as a CBS News consultant, pieced together what he learned from people who were there that night. PODCAST EPISODE 1: Kristin broke down begging her mother to let her drop out and go somewhere else. The 18- year old coed from North Carolina was taking a summer photography class at the University of Califorina Berkeley when she vanished June 23rd, 1997. 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. But a massive search did not happen until she'd been gone for more than a month. James Murphy: There's no way to get evidence back once you've lost it. Paul Flores, 44, has pleaded not guilty to a murder charge. Chris Lambert: He told those friends he just woke up with the black eye. So before leaving, Margarita handed over her keys to get back into Muir Hall. There is no evidence of a murder and no evidence of a rape, Sanger added. The search for Ms. Smart, who was nicknamed Roxy, took many forms. [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. Margarita Campos: I was, like, "Kristin, I'm going to go back home. About 45 minutes after Kristen got off of work on the day she vanished, she was seen on the 2nd f. Please enter valid email address to continue. 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. every piece of evidence points directly at Paul Flores. By the time they inspected Flores's room, Kristin had been gone for 16 days. DAN DOW [press conference]: We don't have evidence sufficient to charge anyone else at this time. 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. On Aug. 2, local media reported that Denise Smart, Ms. Smarts mother, spoke at a preliminary hearing, where the judge was deciding whether prosecutors had established probable cause to proceed to trial. Let's go." 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.