Margarita Campos: I mean, she was gone. His father, Ruben, will be tried as an accessory to the crime. 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. 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. He was not welcome.. It also expounds on several other alleged rapes as well as unwanted sexual advances. JAMES MURPHY: Does your son have any information as to where Kristin Smart's body is located? So before leaving, Margarita handed over her keys to get back into Muir Hall. The court document was filed before bail arguments Monday in San Luis Obispo Superior Court when the father and son were arraigned. 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. The Sheriffs Office investigators and forensic specialists assigned to Ms. Smarts case executed 18 search warrants, submitted 37 items that were collected in the early days of the case for DNA testing, recovered 140 new items of evidence and conducted 91 interviews from 2011 to 2020, the office said. Wenn Sie Ihre Auswahl anpassen mchten, klicken Sie auf Datenschutzeinstellungen verwalten. And then months and months later, they'd reach back out and say, can you get us in touch with this person again? to find the next challenge. Kristin did not have a purse, money, her I.D. In the meantime, Paul Flores moved to Southern California, where he bounced from job to job. They have not been able to proceed with the civil case while there was an ongoing criminal investigation, but that didn't stop them from following every lead and preparing for an eventual trial. I don't know if Kristin knew anybody there. That witness initially came forward to Chris Lambert, who passed the information to the sheriff's office and Murphy. 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. Peterson may or may not have been at the party Smart disappeared after. Through the years, the Smarts have kept pressure on the Flores family. 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. And these girls are inviting us out. She was looking forward to hearing from Kristin that Sunday. They didn't bring a forensics team. In 2011, the Smarts hoped those boulders would become a little lighter when Ian Parkinson became the . 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. 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. She left them only after he promised to take Kristin back to her dorm. Chris Lambert: They're hopeful, but they've also been let down so many times before. Margarita soon decided she'd had enough. For more than two decades, her family, friends, and supporters searched for answers and for justice. 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. Chris Lambert: That's the upsetting part about it, isn't it? Chris Lambert: I remember seeing it on the news it was something scary and they were talking about it pretty regularly. Chris Lambert: I didn't know the scale. Cole said that Ruben then clarified that he meant he was the only one of the three to have been arrested. Whatever happened in those early hours, one thing is indisputable: Kristin Smart has never been seen again. 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.. Mike McHugh is the producer-editor. That young woman was Kristin Smart, and she hasn't been seen since. And I was screaming. Nineteen-year-old Kristin Smart disappeared Memorial Day weekend of 1996. Kristin Smart went missing on May 25, 1996 while attending California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and has not been heard from since. 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. The then eighteen-year-old . Cole said he has the admission on a digital tape recording. Four months after that futile search, Paul Flores was brought before a grand jury. Denise Pearce says that was a crushing blow for the Smart family. 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. 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. We are now one step closer to justice for Kristin. By herself, which is pretty amazing. She was pushing herself out of her comfort zone. She withdrew money from the bank, a surveillance camera capturing what are . I've got her. It was on Memorial Day weekend 1996 that their 19-year-old daughter Kristin Smart disappeared. In the months after Kristin's disappearance, one truck was traded in and the other was reported stolen. Paul Flores is charged with first-degree murder and is accused of killing Smart while attempting to rape her. When they were deposed by James Murphy, they also insisted their son was not involved. For more than two decades, her family, friends, and supporters searched for answers and for justice. They might have found evidence in those vehicles. Ian Parkinson: Yes. Mesick argued there were many innocent explanations why soil had previously been dug up in the yard. Chris Lambert was just 8 years old when Kristin Smart vanished on her way home from a college party in San Luis Obispo, California. With them is a group of FBI evidence response team members and a search warrant. The unsealed documents include two claims from 2011 and 2017 that Flores raped two women while they were drunk in San Pedro. An important tip came in after a February 2020 search of Paul, Susan and Ruben's properties. The 19-year-old, who is also from Charlotte and a . 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. He invoked the Fifth Amendment 27 times. https://www.nytimes.com/article/kristin-smart-case-timeline.html. Margarita Campos: To this day, like, I was like, why why did I just let her go by herself? An earring that appeared to match the necklace Kristin is wearing on the billboard. Chris Lambert: They didn't bring cadaver dogs with them. On April 19, father and son each pleaded not guilty, according to The Associated Press. "48 Hours" looks back to their arrests and how the saga began. 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. And there are more horrifying allegations about what may have happened to Kristin after she was last seen with Paul Flores. Plans & Pricing . Jonathan Vigliotti: They thought she was off possibly having fun. 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. Lindsey Smart Stewart: She had traveled the world before she even made it to college. Murphy alleges four nights later, strange activity was seen at Ruben's house. were in the room exactly where she had left them. Chris Lambert: It was never marked as evidence apparently. In his complaint, Murphy alleges, along with Ruben, there were two other unnamed individuals. I told her I didn't I didn't want to go. 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." 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 as Chris Lambert learned, campus police did not act right away. 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. He later argued that the biological evidence found under the deck was not conclusively human blood. A single woman's earring. He refused to answer questions during a deposition in November 1997, citing the Fifth Amendment. Don Kelsen/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images. Kristin Smart: Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong calls the Smarts. The Kristin Smart disappearance: After 26 years, Paul Flores is convicted of murder 20 photos. There was no reaction until the dog reached Paul Flores's room. But the investigation is ongoing. Jonathan Vigliotti: Is there any doubt in your mind that Paul Flores is responsible for the disappearance of Kristin Smart? Kristen Modafferi, Kristin Smart & Kent Jacobs. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. DAN DOW [press conference]: It is alleged that Mr. Flores caused the death of Kristen Smart while in the commission of or attempted rape. 2020 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. The defense also tells Lambert he will not be allowed back in the courtroom where he has been covering the hearing as he is now a potential witness. There's no question about it. Cole also talked about his interview with Jennifer Hudson in November 2019. He built the home on White Court for Ruben and Susan Flores in 1991. They got to the parking lot of an apartment complex. But every Sunday when she called her parents, they encouraged her to stick it out. Lindsey Smart Stewart: It just amazes me the amount of evidence that's available, yet nothing has happened. He's going to find her body, which is awful for a parent. Chris Lambert: It's mostly frat guys from the Kappa Chi fraternity. Testimony is expected to continue Wednesday. So, when they were invited to a party that Friday night, Kristin was excited to go. Like his black eye, seen faintly in a mug shot taken by the Arroyo Grande Police just by chance two days after Kristin vanished. A missing-person report was filed with the campus police on May 28. In the crowd, taking it all in, was that podcaster, Chris Lambert. The defense questions Hudson about her drug use, but she says she was not doing drugs at the time. It's just a motivator for me. It had been the focus of widespread speculation for more than two decades especially her planter boxes. Chris Lambert says they're cautiously optimistic. Chris Lambert: There was a man climbing her trellis and trying to get inside her balcony, very intoxicated and refusing to leave. 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". D.A. But the Flores's have fought back, suing the Smarts for intentional infliction of emotional distress. Lindsey Smart Stewart: "You should go to Cal Poly. Flores was also in possession of Tramadol and Flexeril, known as date rape drugs. On July 21, Kristin Smarts parents and her brother, Matt, testified about how they had searched for her after her disappearance. And Murphy and Sinclair believe they can prove it. D.A. James Murphy: They're interested in seeing Paul Flores get convicted and Ruben Flores get held accountable. On June 23, 1997, Kristen left the coffee shop where she worked, Spinelli's Coffee in San Francisco's Crocker Galleria. Kristen was in her first year at Cal Poly when she vanished in 1996. DAN DOW [press conference]: We have evidence that we do believe there are other people that are not yet identified that have had some kind of a criminal act perpetrated on them by Mr. Flores. They also did not focus on Paul Flores immediately, waiting six days to formally interview him. Ruben Flores was released on $50,000 bail to his ex-wife. to search on and near the Cal Poly campus. Chris Lambert: The only thing he would confirm on tape is that his name is Paul Flores. In his mug shot, a black eye can faintly been seen. Smarts remains have never been found, but authorities recently said they believe they know where she was buried, though they havent disclosed the location. No remains have been found. Chris Lambert: I wish I knew why. 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. A separate jury for Ruben Flores started deliberating on Oct. 5. 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. She was never seen. JAMES MURPHY: Would you state your full name for the record please. Chris Lambert: They did a significant amount of digging underneath the house. We want to especially thank the District Attorneys Office for their relentless efforts. Paul Flores was ordered held without bail Monday. They seized digital devices during the search and, in April 2020, executed another search on Paul Flores property in San Pedro. 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. 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. Chris Lambert: And he says he got a black eye playing basketball with his friends. Also on the stand Tuesday were another cadaver dog handler, an expert in fiber evidence and a district attorney's office investigator. Det. Chris Lambert: Kristin's father would come down and hike every trail he could find on the Central Coast. So now you've got three different stories about how he got that black eye. JAMES MURPHY: In May of 96 were you a student at Cal Poly? She spent a summer in London, was an exchange student in Venezuela, and a lifeguard at a camp in Hawaii. James Murphy: The question for decades was "Well, where did the body go?". Paul Flores, a fellow freshman at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, was the last person seen with Smart on May 25, 1996. Produced by Lisa Freed. It wasn't until Kristin's roommate returned to their dorm room, that Margarita realized Kristin never came home. Jonathan Vigliotti: And that weighs on you. The defense wants to suppress some of these searches, though, claiming that they were done illegally or without warrants. Ms. Smarts acquaintances were interviewed. Other men cited by the defense either reportedly dated or pursued Smart. most importantly they wanna find their daughter. Also taking the witness stand on Wednesday was Edward Chadwell. And the complaint has some explosive claims about what led investigators to focus under Ruben's deck in the first place. 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? They were after Paul Flores for an outstanding DUI warrant. The authorities began to describe Paul Flores as a prime suspect in the case. Copyright 2023 Penske Business Media, LLC. Just weeks later, Kristin's frustrated parents contacted James Murphy, a local civil attorney. It did produce some information that I believe was valuable, he said. Jonathan Vigliotti: Was this case, given the evidence that was lost early on, doomed from the very beginning? PAUL FLORES: On the advice of my attorney . Paul Flores isnt granted bail, with Judge Craig B. Her parents, Denise and Stan were both educators who encouraged their kids' passions. He also said that law enforcement leaked information to "Your Own Backyard" podcaster Chris Lambert. Remember, Flores's room had been emptied and thoroughly cleaned. That's when Denise Smart learned her daughter had not been seen all weekend, and all her belongings were still in her dorm room. Like so many freshmen, Kristin struggled. Kristen Modafferi: Onuma and the Briefcase. Any evidence that might have been there was long gone. Flores claimed after walking Kristin back from the party, he went to his room in Santa Lucia Hall while she walked alone to her dorm. 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. I need you to listen to everything they say so we can punch holes in it. Later, the sheriff's office obtained a warrant for Ruben's DNA and Det. Jonathan Vigliotti: How did you know she hadn't been back? You can go." Back in May 1996, Kristin Smart was finishing her freshman year at California Polytechnic State University better known as Cal Poly. James Murphy: If it was, in fact, a piece of jewelry that matched Kristin's jewelry, it would have been blockbuster evidence. PODCAST EPISODE 1: Kristin broke down begging her mother to let her drop out and go somewhere else. And yes, we did find physical evidence at, at least two homes. Ann-Marie Christian: She was who she was because of her parents, for sure. Helicopters were used to canvas the area. The Tribune said it got the public documents from the courthouse in the city 160 miles northwest of Los Angeles. But further investigation of the Flores's two trucks seemed impossible. When Kristin Smart disappeared, Paul Flores's parents Susan and Ruben were separated and living apart. The Kristin Smart Scholarship has been established by her family to help other college bound women pursue their dreams. James Murphy: They brought in the first dog and they'd had the dog go through the dorms. Ms. Smart, who was from Stockton, Calif., was a freshman at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. And here's your key." And DNA evidence could not be found linking any other evidence to Kristin. PODCAST EPISODE 1: I googled Kristin Smart's name every few years. He says they are Ruben's ex-wife Susan and her boyfriend. Devastating. But Paul Flores remained behind bars help without bail. Joe Johnston/The Tribune (of San Luis Obispo), via Associated Press. James Murphy: There's no way to get evidence back once you've lost it. Murphy has filed a new civil suit against Ruben Flores for the intentional infliction of emotional distress. Denise Pearce | Longtime family friend: Things were gonna get better and, you know, and and they did. Griffin Cherry was her close friend: Alex Murdaugh Found Guilty of Murdering Wife and Son On Tuesday, Cole testified that Ruben clarified that he meant he was the only one of the three who had been arrested. 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. But you have to understand, she was a really independent free spirit. to California to search for Kristen Modafferi. 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. Chris Lambert spoke with some women who knew Flores back then. James Murphy: That suggests that something bad happened in Paul Flores's dorm room. Most students had taken off but Kristin had stayed on campus. The arrests of the father and son came after investigators using ground-penetrating radar and cadaver dogs discovered evidence connected directly to Smarts death last month during a search at Ruben Flores home, authorities said. 2 men found drugged after leaving NYC gay bars were killed, medical examiner says. She was gone. Like what may have been discovered in March 2021 when investigators searched Ruben Flores' house using cadaver dogs and ground penetrating radar. Cadaver dogs were sent into Paul Floress dorm room. But it's Susan Flores's concrete backyard that initially received a lot of attention. Klicken Sie auf Alle ablehnen, wenn Sie nicht mchten, dass wir und unsere Partner Cookies und personenbezogene Daten fr diese zustzlichen Zwecke verwenden. 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. 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. Judge van Rooyen objects to this assertion, though: Just because (Lamberts) been served does not necessarily mean he should be excluded, he says. 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.". In a civil lawsuit, the Smarts' attorney claims that Kristin's remains were buried at one time on Paul Flores' father's property. The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time He was required to wear an electronic ankle bracelet. On Oct. 18, Paul Flores was found guilty of murdering Ms. Smart. 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. 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. Case And might have connected Kristin to Susan Flores's house, says James Murphy. The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time In high school he was known as a loner. 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. They're known for being a really safe school.". Copyright 2021 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. I guess the answer is yes. But while campus police weren't doing much, Kristin's parents were doing whatever they could to find their daughter. I was afraid Id end up missing or buried someplace, she says. Two days after her daughter went missing, Denise Smart got a call from Cal Poly's campus police. My job was to hunt them. DAN DOW [press conference]: We intend to use evidence of other sexual crimes in this prosecution to prove the facts necessary for the attempted rape in this case. It was updated on October 22, 2022.). He has denied any involvement. Cole in 2019. Margarita Campos: I was expecting her to knock on my door and be, like, "Oh, Margarita, you missed a rager. Van Rooyen saying that his release could result in great bodily harm to the public. Two days after Kristin Smart vanished, Paul Flores went to the Arroyo Grande Police Department because of an outstanding DUI warrant. Kristen has facial dimples. Paul Flores, 44, has pleaded not guilty to a murder charge. Cole also testified that on March 9, 2020, a witness reported some suspicious activity at the property. Defense lawyers have criticized the evidence used to arrest both men last week. After apparently becoming intoxicated, Smart headed back to her dorm with fellow partiers Tim Davis and Cheryl Anderson. 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. Ken Blum is the editor. Cole testified about why investigators believe a crime was committed at Ruben's property on White Court in Arroyo Grande. We want to hear it. They went on trial in July 2022 in Monterey County, Calif. On Oct. 18, 2022, Paul Flores was found guilty of murdering Ms. Smart. Chris Lambert's podcast caught the attention of millions of listeners and sparked new interest in the decades-old unsolved case of Kristin Smart.