Kristin Smart Case Update: Where Is the Investigation Today? - Heavy.com "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. Shocking allegations in newly unsealed docs in Kristin Smart case That mother, Mary Lassiter, described it to Chris Lambert. 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. It's just a motivator for me. 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. Anyone would have been terrified if they heard it.. Chris Lambert: The only thing he would confirm on tape is that his name is Paul Flores. It's fine. Four months later, while attempting to reconcile, Susan rented out her house in Arroyo Grande. Jonathan Vigliotti: They thought she was off possibly having fun. In high school he was known as a loner. My job was to hunt them. The document presented summaries of why prosecutors didn't want either man to be released pending a trial that could be years away. That's when Denise Smart learned her daughter had not been seen all weekend, and all her belongings were still in her dorm room. The judge rules that the DA cannot be disqualified for wearing purple clothing. Produced by Lisa Freed. And Murphy and Sinclair believe they can prove it. 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. Paul Flores was charged with murder and Ruben Flores with being an accessory after the fact, accused of helping to bury her remains. 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. to find the next challenge. Joe Johnston/The Tribune (of San Luis Obispo), via Associated Press. Scott Peterson set to testify in Kristin Smart slay case - New York Post Cadaver dogs trained to detect human decomposition were deployed by the F.B.I. Smart's body was recently moved from the home of Ruben Flores, a prosecutor said. And there are more horrifying allegations about what may have happened to Kristin after she was last seen with Paul Flores. 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. Kristin Smart case: Suspects Paul and Ruben Flores arrested in the Jonathan Vigliotti: There was a lot of evidence that could have been gathered, that wasn't. Also included is the result of a February 4th, 2020 search of Paul Flores San Pedro home, where San Luis Obispo County Sheriffs investigators seized electronic devices that featured videos showing Flores having sex with seemingly incapacitated women. She writes about missing persons, unsolved murders, and human rights. James Murphy: He lied to the police about everything. 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. Cole testified that Hudson told him about Paul's statement and that she'd also seen Paul with his white pickup truck at the skateboard ramp in Huasna. Paul Flores and defense attorney Robert Sanger in court on Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021. November 01, 2017. It worked. James Murphy: I'd love to do anything to end their suffering. Sie knnen Ihre Einstellungen jederzeit ndern, indem Sie auf unseren Websites und Apps auf den Link Datenschutz-Dashboard klicken. Paul Flores, 44, has pleaded not guilty to a murder charge. When Kristin Smart disappeared, Paul Flores's parents Susan and Ruben were separated and living apart. The Smarts say they tried to file a missing person's report with the local police but were told it was too early, and the FBI told them Cal Poly police were in charge. Ms. Smarts family said they had faith in the justice system, comforted in the knowledge that Kristin has been held in the hearts of so many and that she has not been forgotten.. But it's Susan Flores's concrete backyard that initially received a lot of attention. Like so many freshmen, Kristin struggled. In March 2021, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office served a search warrant at the Arroyo Grande home of Ruben Flores. Two days after Kristin Smart vanished, Paul Flores went to the Arroyo Grande Police Department because of an outstanding DUI warrant. 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. The prosecution upholds the validity of these searches, including one of Flores dorm room that was done after he moved out. That warrant allowed them to dig up the backyard, but deputies chose not to excavate. 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. The mother is washing her car in the driveway at one point. And DNA evidence could not be found linking any other evidence to Kristin. Margarita Campos: Kristin was like, "come on, let's go, let's go." They did an interview with the Cal Poly Mustang Daily and explained that they didn't think there was any evidence that a crime had taken place. Chris Lambert: He told those friends he just woke up with the black eye. Paul Flores isnt granted bail, with Judge Craig B. JAMES MURPHY: Has your son ever told you that he did not kill Kristin Smart? Mary Lassiter says the earring she found in the driveway matched the necklace Kristin Smart is seen wearing on this billboard. By then, the semester was over and the room had been cleaned 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. You just don't talk, and you get away with it. Kristin Smart went missing on May 25, 1996 while attending California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and has not been heard from since. They believe they can prove Paul Flores is responsible for the disappearance of Kristin Smart. I didn't know how many people were gonna listen. Paul Flores convicted of killing Kristin Smart after 26 years of Cole said he has the admission on a digital tape recording. PODCAST EPISODE 1: Kristin broke down begging her mother to let her drop out and go somewhere else. The Smart family. and offers to help. Plans & Pricing ; Podcast Statistics; PowerPress Plugin . And so, she pulled me into this sort of like, "oh come on, let's socialize. His father was found not guilty of helping to hide her body. What happened to Kristen Modafferi? - AdvertisingRow.com Chris Lambert: And that's when they're told that earring has been misplaced. The sheriff's office seized the trailer and Det. San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office, via Associated Press. Those were kind of unspoken things. On July 21, Kristin Smarts parents and her brother, Matt, testified about how they had searched for her after her disappearance. The Smart's attorney James Murphy, and his wife and office manager Garin Sinclair, have had Kristin's billboard in their front yard since late 1997. 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. Like the Smart's civil case, theirs also has been on hold. He gets his arm around her torso and her arm around his neck, and he's helping her walk. Previously sealed documents related to the case become available to the public that explain the rape charges Peurelle attempted to add against Paul Flores. James Murphy: If it was, in fact, a piece of jewelry that matched Kristin's jewelry, it would have been blockbuster evidence. were in the room exactly where she had left them. James Murphy: They brought in the first dog and they'd had the dog go through the dorms. There's no question about it. Chris Lambert: They just have never given up and are never going to give up on their daughter. 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. Chris Lambert: At that point I don't think they had ever dealt with a missing person, a possibly murdered person. Attorney Harold Mesick said Monday that the evidence against the father was so minimal as to shock the conscience.. Jonathan Vigliotti: What toll over time did this have on your parents? A jury acquitted Ruben Flores of the charge of being an accessory after the fact. 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." Ms. Smarts acquaintances were interviewed. Susan Flores and her boyfriend were never charged in the case. And might have connected Kristin to Susan Flores's house, says James Murphy. She was gone. Chris Lambert: I wish I knew why. He has denied any involvement. James Murphy: There has been no other suspect. I guess the answer is yes. James Murphy: That suggests that something bad happened in Paul Flores's dorm room. On June 23, 1997, Kristen left the coffee shop where she worked, Spinelli's Coffee in San Francisco's Crocker Galleria. James Murphy: They're interested in seeing Paul Flores get convicted and Ruben Flores get held accountable. And when they did . To think that you're going to finally get some resolution, and then it doesn't happen the way it's supposed to. Dennis Mahon's Podcast Margarita Campos: I was expecting her to knock on my door and be, like, "Oh, Margarita, you missed a rager. Billie Eilish Explains Her Complicated Relationship With Social Media: 'I Don't Look at It Anymore', Theres no evidence of a sex crime in the charged crime (the murder case) itself, van Rooyen says. 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. Defense lawyers have criticized the evidence used to arrest both men last week. It was first reported by The Tribune, and a reporter posted snippets of documents on Twitter. Im not going to exclude a member of the media (for doing their job).. The two are charged in connection with the death of Cal Poly freshman Kristin Smart. He later argued that the biological evidence found under the deck was not conclusively human blood. 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. She was last seen in the Lands End area of San Francisco, close to where Laci and Connor washed up. 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. Lourdes Aguiar is the senior producer. [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. Jonathan Vigliotti: And that phone call never comes. So now you've got three different stories about how he got that black eye. There is no evidence of a murder and no evidence of a rape, Sanger added. Chris Lambert: And he says he got a black eye playing basketball with his friends. Disappearance of Kristen Modafferi - Wikipedia 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. They also did not focus on Paul Flores immediately, waiting six days to formally interview him. It's, like, she has nothing on her. Denise Pearce | Longtime family friend: Things were gonna get better and, you know, and and they did. Also taking the witness stand on Wednesday was Edward Chadwell. I've got her. But 22 years later, when he couldn't find any recent stories about the case, he decided to do something. She spent a summer in London, was an exchange student in Venezuela, and a lifeguard at a camp in Hawaii. James Murphy: Paul Flores had a reputation amongst the girls that knew him at Cal Poly as being a creeper that he was always trying to hit on women. Soon after her disappearance, a sheriffs search party combed remote parts of the Cal Poly campus on horseback, archival video from KCRA-TV shows. I did have guilt about that. DAN DOW [press conference]: It is alleged that Mr. Flores caused the death of Kristen Smart while in the commission of or attempted rape. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. They had become close friends despite their differences. PODCAST EPISODE 2: So, with Cheryl's account alone, we have an unsettling picture of Paul . The judge in the case has issued a gag order preventing lawyers, investigators, witnesses and others from speaking about the case or releasing documents. Chris Lambert: Around the time Kristin disappeared, they cut out planter boxes in the backyard, so they cut out big chunks of concrete and filled it in with soil. Kristin Smart's body once buried in suspect's backyard - NBC News A single woman's earring. Paul Flores, right, in court with his attorney Richard Hutton in 1996. We feel like the stars aligned when the podcast aired, she told Rolling Stone. The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time Chris Lambert: Kristin's father would come down and hike every trail he could find on the Central Coast. Lindsey Smart Stewart: "You should go to Cal Poly. Kristen Modafferi: Onuma and the Briefcase. Kristen Modafferi, Kristin Smart & Kent Jacobs. What happens next? Any evidence that might have been there was long gone. But remarkably, the same thing happened with three more dogs. 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 1: I googled Kristin Smart's name every few years. Police investigated whether Durst, 71, who lived in San Francisco at the time Modafferi went missing, was connected to her disappearance. Smarts remains have never been found, but authorities recently said they believe they know where she was buried, though they havent disclosed the location. Through the years, the Smarts have kept pressure on the Flores family. Some of those women who did not want their real names used told Lambert about their encounters with him. Det. 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. 2020 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. Chris Lambert: He actually hit his eye on his steering wheel in the middle of the night while changing his stereo. How could she have gone out of town? 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.. Missing-person posters and billboards offering rewards appeared along roads and in other public places. A hundred percent that was happening. JAMES MURPHY: Do you have any information as to where Kristin Smart's body is located? Kristen Modafferi, Kristin Smart & Kent Jacobs. 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". Paul Flores killed Kristin Smart in dorm room during attempted rape, DA Like his black eye, seen faintly in a mug shot taken by the Arroyo Grande Police just by chance two days after Kristin vanished. Just weeks later, Kristin's frustrated parents contacted James Murphy, a local civil attorney. 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. 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. 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? 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. So had Margarita Campos, who lived in the next room in Muir Hall. Kristen Modafferi. It also expounds on several other alleged rapes as well as unwanted sexual advances. Weitere Informationen ber die Verwendung Ihrer personenbezogenen Daten finden Sie in unserer Datenschutzerklrung und unserer Cookie-Richtlinie. In the meantime, Paul Flores moved to Southern California, where he bounced from job to job. That witness initially came forward to Chris Lambert, who passed the information to the sheriff's office and Murphy. James Murphy: Somebody found an earring that they say was Kristin Smart's jewelry in the driveway. 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.