From the start, investigators. Murder of Kristin Smart - Wikipedia Ms. Smart, 19, was a freshman at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo when she disappeared in 1996. San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office, via Associated Press. That mother, Mary Lassiter, described it to Chris Lambert. Jonathan Vigliotti: How significant was that? 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. Nineteen-year-old Cal Poly student Kristin Smart went missing after a campus party 25 years ago, and, this summer, her case is finally getting its day in court. James Murphy: And it says wrongful death and then I put murder. They were soon joined by another partygoer, Paul Flores. What happened to Kristen Modafferi? - AdvertisingRow.com or even her keys. Kristen Deborah Modafferi (born June 1, 1979; disappeared June 23, 1997) is an American woman who, in the early summer of 1997, disappeared in mysterious circumstances after leaving her work at the Crocker Galleria Mall in San Francisco, California. Nineteen-year-old Kristin Smart disappeared Memorial Day weekend of 1996. Chris Lambert: I don't think she ever imagined that Kristin would end up dead by the end of the night. 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. Cadaver dogs were sent into Paul Floress dorm room. She left around 2 a.m. and was accompanied by Paul Flores, who was also a student at Cal Poly. James Murphy: I'd love to do anything to end their suffering. The court document was filed before bail arguments Monday in San Luis Obispo Superior Court when the father and son were arraigned. But was there evidence possibly placing Kristin Smart at his mother's home? People are watching Ruben Flores and Susan Flores and Paul Flores. Cole said investigators checked out the skateboard ramp location but did not find a body. But it's Susan Flores's concrete backyard that initially received a lot of attention. 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. Even though he'd never investigated anything before, Lambert quit his job to create a podcast about the case. By then, the semester was over and the room had been cleaned out. Our family has always known that this was going to be a long, difficult, and emotional journey. Mary Lassiter says the earring she found in the driveway matched the necklace Kristin Smart is seen wearing on this billboard. 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. There was early mistakes made that you can't recover from when you're missing those vital pieces. Paul Flores pleads not guilty to the murder and attempted rape of Smart. 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. were in the room exactly where she had left them. Ann-Marie Christian: Her parents reminded me of my parents. And when they did . Kristen Modafferi | Unsolved Mysteries Wiki | Fandom His father was found not guilty of helping to hide her body. When Kristin Smart disappeared, Paul Flores's parents Susan and Ruben were separated and living apart. The mother is washing her car in the driveway at one point. No remains have been found. Kristin Smart case: Shy podcaster led cops to arrest in California cold Paul Flores did not have a car on campus, so Murphy surmises he had to have had help. The Kristen Modafferi Mystery: 20 years later, private investigators Kristen Modafferi, Kristin Smart & Kent Jacobs. 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. so eventually he unlocked you know, the apartment door, and I left. No charges were filed, but Lambert discovered Flores's troubles started at a young age. 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. The two girls walked to an area off campus where there were fraternities, sororities and residential housing for students. Her books are available on Amazon. Below, Rolling Stone outlines where the Smart case is now: San Luis Obispo District Attorney Dan Dow announces chargesagainst Paul Flores and his father Ruben in connection with what he calls the 1996 homicide of Cal Poly student Kristin Smart. On Monday, he questioned why investigators needed to keep searching for evidence after making arrests. Cole also talked about his interview with Jennifer Hudson in November 2019. And the body's not there now. Like the Smart's civil case, theirs also has been on hold. Paul Flores and defense attorney Robert Sanger in court on Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021. He also said that law enforcement leaked information to "Your Own Backyard" podcaster Chris Lambert. Lourdes Aguiar is the senior producer. Nic Coury / AP. She was never seen again and her body has not been located. 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. Paul Flores, right, in court with his attorney Richard Hutton in 1996. He was required to wear an electronic ankle bracelet. Paul Flores, 44, has pleaded not guilty to a murder charge. She writes about missing persons, unsolved murders, and human rights. In June 1997, 18-year-old Kristen Modafferi arrived in San Francisco to take a photography class at UC Berkeley. 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 says, two days after that, when Flores was interviewed by campus police, they asked how he got his black eye as well as scratches on his hands and knees. Copyright 2021 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. They were after Paul Flores for an outstanding DUI warrant. He has not been charged in those incidents. Through the years, the Smarts have kept pressure on the Flores family. Cole said he has the admission on a digital tape recording. But to fully understand Chris Lambert's contribution, you have to go back to the beginning. 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.". When asked about how he got the injury Flores told three different stories. Cadaver dogs trained to detect human decomposition were deployed by the F.B.I. It's, like, she has nothing on her. 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. 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. That's when Denise Smart learned her daughter had not been seen all weekend, and all her belongings were still in her dorm room. Was the beeping in a backyard coming from Kristin Smart's watch James Murphy: They're interested in seeing Paul Flores get convicted and Ruben Flores get held accountable. Prior to the arrests, in February 2020, Flores home, his parents home, and his sisters home were searched by police. 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. 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. They seized digital devices during the search and, in April 2020, executed another search on Paul Flores property in San Pedro. "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. Early on, a small group of volunteers also looked for Kristin. 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For more than two decades, her family, friends, and supporters searched for answers and for justice. On October 18, 2022, Paul Flores was found guilty of first-degree murder. Any evidence that might have been there was long gone. "48 Hours" has learned these suspicions center around evidence found during that 2020 search of Paul Flores' home. Cole said this was done so Lambert would include the information in his podcast during the time of the wiretap. The 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time The jury hearing Paul Floress case began deliberations after closing arguments on Oct. 4. 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. The elder Flores is charged with accessory after the fact to the crime of murder for allegedly helping Paul conceal Smarts body. His father, Ruben Flores, pleads not guilty to being an accessory to the crime after the fact. Lindsey Smart Stewart: I think they're, like, carrying boulders on their back. In October 2022,. Paul Flores and his father both pleaded not guilty to all charges at their arraignment. So had Margarita Campos, who lived in the next room in Muir Hall. Murphy has filed a new civil suit against Ruben Flores for the intentional infliction of emotional distress. 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. How could she have gone out of town? Kristin Smart: Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong calls the Smarts. 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. A Timeline of the Kristin Smart Case - The New York Times Garin Sinclair: He never once turned to the Smart family and said, hey, we have an earring, we'd like to show it to you to see if it matches any of your daughter's jewelry. James Murphy: Somebody found an earring that they say was Kristin Smart's jewelry in the driveway. That turned out to be college. Ruben Flores, 80, has pleaded not guilty to a charge of accessory after the murder for hiding Smart's body after his son allegedly killed her. https://www.nytimes.com/article/kristin-smart-case-timeline.html. Jonathan Vigliotti: Was this case, given the evidence that was lost early on, doomed from the very beginning? Flores wasn't talking. PODCAST EPISODE 1: Kristin broke down begging her mother to let her drop out and go somewhere else. Nikki Rodriguez, a spokeswoman for the court, said the documents were not supposed to be public. Prosecutor Chris Peuvrelle asked him if he found the remains of any monkeys or ferrets or any human bodies on the property. Let's go." Judge denies multiple unusual requests in Kristin Smart hearing Margarita Campos: To this day, like, I was like, why why did I just let her go by herself? Missing-person posters and billboards offering rewards appeared along roads and in other public places. Chris Lambert: They're hopeful, but they've also been let down so many times before. The trial got underway with opening statements on July 18 in Monterey County Superior Court in Salinas. 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. James Murphy: they let the dog in, the dog makes a beeline to the bed of Paul Flores. And yes, we believe it's linked to Kristin. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Additionally, the documents include information about a March 15th, 2021 search by the San Luis Obispo County Sheriffs Office of Ruben Flores Arroyo Grande property that included ground-penetrating radar. And the complaint has some explosive claims about what led investigators to focus under Ruben's deck in the first place. SHERIFF IAN PARKINSON [at press conference]: Forensic physical evidence was located. Kristin Smart: California jury finds man guilty in the 1996 murder of Podcaster Lambert will not be called to the stand during the Kristin Smart murder hearing. Just days after she disappeared, an incident report seemed to imply that Kristin's behavior contributed to her disappearance. But further investigation of the Flores's two trucks seemed impossible. Chris Lambert: It's mostly frat guys from the Kappa Chi fraternity. We want to hear it. Sheriff Ian Parkinson was able to confirm that forensic physical evidence that authorities believe is linked to Kristin was located at, at least two homes. Ms. Smart, who was from Stockton, Calif., was a freshman at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. Peuvrelle, who said Ruben Flores has helped cover up the crime for nearly a quarter-century, would continue to do so if freed. So, when they were invited to a party that Friday night, Kristin was excited to go. But while campus police weren't doing much, Kristin's parents were doing whatever they could to find their daughter. Little is known since the proceedings are kept secret, but no charges were ever filed. Axel Koester/Sygma via Getty Images. James Murphy: It was just a sad phone call to have somebody say, our daughter disappeared and we think she's the victim of foul play and we'd like to pursue the guy that we think is responsible. 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. 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 spent a summer in London, was an exchange student in Venezuela, and a lifeguard at a camp in Hawaii. 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. Chris Lambert spoke with some women who knew Flores back then. Ann-Marie Christian: became friends with Kristin in elementary school. Chris Lambert: I brought them a number of witnesses that they were very interested in. 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. She adds that Flores said he put Smart under a skateboard ramp in Arroyo Grande. D.A. But now, 25 years later, a man sits in a San Luis Obispo County Jail cell, charged with her murder. By the time Cal Poly police began investigating, Kristin had been gone for four days. Kristen Modafferi, Kristin Smart & Kent Jacobs. Berkeley. 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.