The podcast, "Your Own Backyard,"has drawn millions of listeners and focused renewed attention on this decades old case. 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. Anyone would have been terrified if they heard it.. The younger Flores has long been the only person of interest in Smarts disappearance; she was last seen on May 25th, 1996, after attending a party near campus. Ruben will be released on bail that he can afford. He said a backhoe had excavated a trench to dump soil that was removed to lay a nearby foundation. But the Flores's have fought back, suing the Smarts for intentional infliction of emotional distress. Flores was also in possession of Tramadol and Flexeril, known as date rape drugs. After apparently becoming intoxicated, Smart headed back to her dorm with fellow partiers Tim Davis and Cheryl Anderson. But while campus police weren't doing much, Kristin's parents were doing whatever they could to find their daughter. SUSAN FLORES: [Long pause, grabs water bottle] Of course not. Like his black eye, seen faintly in a mug shot taken by the Arroyo Grande Police just by chance two days after Kristin vanished. Our family has always known that this was going to be a long, difficult, and emotional journey. Kristin Smart went missing on May 25, 1996 while attending California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and has not been heard from since. Everyone knew Paul (Flores) was creepy. Attorney Harold Mesick said Monday that the evidence against the father was so minimal as to shock the conscience.. His father, Ruben Flores, pleads not guilty to being an accessory to the crime after the fact. You wouldn't let any of your friends be drunk around him. But Paul Flores remained behind bars help without bail. He refused to answer questions during a deposition in November 1997, citing the Fifth Amendment. were in the room exactly where she had left them. His father was found not guilty of helping to hide her body. Missing-person posters and billboards offering rewards appeared along roads and in other public places. Chris Lambert: I wish I knew why. Alex Murdaugh sentenced to life in prison for murders of wife and son, Biden had cancerous skin lesion removed last month, doctor says, White supremacist and Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes kicked out of CPAC, Tom Sizemore, actor known for "Saving Private Ryan" and "Heat," dies at 61, Biden team readies new advisory panel ahead of expected reelection bid, At least 10 dead after winter storm slams South, Midwest, House Democrats unhappy with White House handling of D.C.'s new criminal code. Kristen was in her first year at Cal Poly when she vanished in 1996. Onuma was evicted from a Kaneohe, Hawaii residence after his connection to the Kristen Modafferi . 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. At the time, they did not know about a missing college student. She had taken a job at a coffee shop to pay for a photography course at U.C. to find the next challenge. My job was to hunt them. And these girls are inviting us out. or even her keys. 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. About 45 minutes after Kristen got off of work on the day she vanished, she was seen on the 2nd f. But Lindsey says her sister was happiest when she was traveling. James Murphy: He lied to the police about everything. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way. PODCAST EPISODE 1: Kristin broke down begging her mother to let her drop out and go somewhere else. 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. An earring that appeared to match the necklace Kristin is wearing on the billboard. ", 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.". 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. James Murphy: The question for decades was "Well, where did the body go?". 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. You can go." She was gone. JAMES MURPHY: Do you have any information as to where Kristin Smart's body is located? 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. PODCAST EPISODE 3 | MARY LASSITER: It was like a red thing and it was like a smudge-like fingerprinted look on the back, just red, like maroon, like old looking and the smudge that it was like half a fingerprint. To declare to the public if you stay quiet, you will get away with this. Chris Lambert was just 8 years old when Kristin Smart vanished on her way home from a college party in San Luis Obispo, California. By the time they inspected Flores's room, Kristin had been gone for 16 days. Denise Pearce | Longtime family friend: Things were gonna get better and, you know, and and they did. Meanwhile, the hearing is scheduled to conclude on Friday, when the judge will rule if prosecutors have probable cause to go to trial. 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.". Paul Flores, 44, has pleaded not guilty to a murder charge. Ruben Flores, was arrested at his home on the same day and was charged with being an accessory after the fact. Klicken Sie auf Alle ablehnen, wenn Sie nicht mchten, dass wir und unsere Partner Cookies und personenbezogene Daten fr diese zustzlichen Zwecke verwenden. First published on November 28, 2020 / 11:10 PM. On July 21, Kristin Smarts parents and her brother, Matt, testified about how they had searched for her after her disappearance. I told her I didn't I didn't want to go. They had become close friends despite their differences. Nineteen-year-old Kristin Smart disappeared Memorial Day weekend of 1996. Van Rooyen saying that his release could result in great bodily harm to the public. In a civil lawsuit, the Smarts' attorney claims that Kristin's remains were buried at one time on Paul Flores' father's property. Nikki Rodriguez, a spokeswoman for the court, said the documents were not supposed to be public. After over 25 years, there is no evidence that Paul Flores committed the crimes for which there is no evidence.. They also uncovered videos in a folder labeled practice that featured women wearing ball gags and in other fetish positions. Margarita Campos: I was, like, "Kristin, I'm going to go back home. The Kristin Smart disappearance: After 26 years, Paul Flores is convicted of murder 20 photos. Paul Flores, right, in court with his attorney Richard Hutton in 1996. He invoked the Fifth Amendment 27 times. Chris Lambert: I personally think that wherever Kristin went, Paul was there with her. But I've seen it. PODCAST | EPISODE 1: At least once a day I asked myself what are you doing? I didnt understand why. Twenty-five years after Smart went missing, a prime suspect is charged with murder. Chris Lambert: They didn't bring cadaver dogs with them. In the months after Kristin's disappearance, one truck was traded in and the other was reported stolen. Copyright 2021 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. In his mug shot, a black eye can faintly been seen. Other witnesses included students who were at the party. 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. That mother, Mary Lassiter, described it to Chris Lambert. Mesick argued there were many innocent explanations why soil had previously been dug up in the yard. The day after my sister disappeared, Paul Flores had a black eye and scratches on him. Book Author Jenn is a lawyer-turned-author and true crime writer. 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. 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With them is a group of FBI evidence response team members and a search warrant. And there would be more disappointment in 2007, after the Smart's legal team searched a small portion of Susan Flores's backyard with ground penetrating radar and did not find any evidence. So, they did not immediately get a warrant to search Susan Flores's home. A trailer was reportedly parked at Ruben's residence at odd hours and Paul's mother, Susan Flores, and her boyfriend were there. And Murphy and Sinclair believe they can prove it. Chris Lambert: As they describe it, Paul Flores just sort of appears out of nowhere. "48 Hours" has learned these suspicions center around evidence found during that 2020 search of Paul Flores' home. So now you've got three different stories about how he got that black eye. Um, wherever we can punch holes. A college student at North Carolina State University, ABC 7 writes that Modafferi had received a scholarship to work and live in a different city for the summer. Jonathan Vigliotti: How did you know she hadn't been back? But as Chris Lambert learned, campus police did not act right away. Other men cited by the defense either reportedly dated or pursued Smart. Chris Lambert: And he says he got a black eye playing basketball with his friends. We want to hear it. Lambert began looking into what happened to Kristin, collecting articles and documents, chasing down leads and tracking down anyone with information. Lindsey Smart Stewart: Right. They got to the parking lot of an apartment complex. 3. KSBY will have more on what takes place in court on KSBY.com and KSBY News at 5 and 6 p.m. She was pushing herself out of her comfort zone. But further investigation of the Flores's two trucks seemed impossible. Marital Status: Single Characteristics: Caucasian female with brown hair and eyes. He's going to find her body, which is awful for a parent. But Mary Lassiter says the earring matched the necklace Kristin is seen wearing on the billboard. It was updated on October 22, 2022.). D.A. The police searched her dorm room in Muir Hall, finding her wallet and reminders to turn in assignments. Lourdes Aguiar is the senior producer. Her books are available on Amazon. The document presented summaries of why prosecutors didn't want either man to be released pending a trial that could be years away. In the late 1990s, the. Chris Lambert's podcast caught the attention of millions of listeners and sparked new interest in the decades-old unsolved case of Kristin Smart. The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time Her dorm entrance is right over here. Ms. Smarts family declared her legally dead in 2002, but the search, and the investigation, continued. Chris Lambert: So, if you believe Paul's story, he goes into his dorm room here. In his complaint, Murphy alleges, along with Ruben, there were two other unnamed individuals. And DNA evidence could not be found linking any other evidence to Kristin. It had been the focus of widespread speculation for more than two decades especially her planter boxes. But Parkinson acknowledges it hasn't been easy. When they were deposed by James Murphy, they also insisted their son was not involved. 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. There's no question about it. He built the home on White Court for Ruben and Susan Flores in 1991. Chris Lambert: They just have never given up and are never going to give up on their daughter. Little is known since the proceedings are kept secret, but no charges were ever filed. Chris Lambert: The only thing he would confirm on tape is that his name is Paul Flores. Copyright 2023 Penske Business Media, LLC. In high school he was known as a loner. By the time Cal Poly police began investigating, Kristin had been gone for four days. The defense questions Hudson about her drug use, but she says she was not doing drugs at the time. 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. James Murphy: And it says wrongful death and then I put murder. And when they did . James Murphy: Every day. 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. They believe they can prove Paul Flores is responsible for the disappearance of Kristin Smart. But it was a local story and the thing that stood out to me is that nobody was talking about it anymore. 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. Ruben Flores was released on $50,000 bail to his ex-wife. He gets his arm around her torso and her arm around his neck, and he's helping her walk. So, when they were invited to a party that Friday night, Kristin was excited to go. And I was like, "nah, I have to study." D.A. every piece of evidence points directly at Paul Flores. Cole also testified that the Flores family was wiretapped for 30 days starting on January 5, 2020. Anyone can read what you share. She was declared legally dead in 2002. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. And my roommate actually kicked down the door to make him stop. Paul Flores and defense attorney Robert Sanger in court on Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021. The lawsuit claims they were moving Kristin's remains. Mary Lassiter says the earring she found in the driveway matched the necklace Kristin Smart is seen wearing on this billboard. D.A. These charges mark a major milestone, Dow says in a statement. 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. When Kristin Smart disappeared, Paul Flores's parents Susan and Ruben were separated and living apart. 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. Cole in 2019. So, I said, "you better turn some lights on right now and let me out or I'm going to scream." I knocked on her door, and I thought she was just sleeping, or she went out and about, you know? On Oct. 18, Paul Flores was found guilty of murdering Ms. Smart. But was there evidence possibly placing Kristin Smart at his mother's home? But remarkably, the same thing happened with three more dogs. They were after Paul Flores for an outstanding DUI warrant. School was over, so campus police found an empty room that had been sanitized by the university's cleaning crew. Classes were difficult, she was trying to fit in, and she missed her family.