Prior to the arrests, in February 2020, Flores home, his parents home, and his sisters home were searched by police. All of Kristin's personal belongings including her purse, her money, her I.D. D.A. James Murphy: I'm not at liberty to describe how it was documented. Copyright 2021 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. They were after Paul Flores for an outstanding DUI warrant. The last person to see her alive,. They were soon joined by another partygoer, Paul Flores. He said a chemical called Bluestar, which detects bodily fluids, was used on the trailer and that there was a reaction on the right side of the trailer showing a stain that could be similar to a human being lying on its side. At the time of the April 13 arrests, the sheriff said he believed that had enough evidence to win convictions. By the time Cal Poly police began investigating, Kristin had been gone for four days. Paul invoked the Fifth Amendment when the DAs office subpoenaed him to testify before a grand jury in 1996 and after the Smarts filed a $40 million wrongful-death lawsuit against him; during a 1997 deposition, he again pleaded the Fifth. At the time, they did not know about a missing college student. How are we not all talking about this every day until shes found?, Editors picks James Murphy: If it was, in fact, a piece of jewelry that matched Kristin's jewelry, it would have been blockbuster evidence. JAMES MURPHY: Your husband have information as to where Kristin Smart's body is located? They took in soil, I assume, for some kind of analysis. Lambert began looking into what happened to Kristin, collecting articles and documents, chasing down leads and tracking down anyone with information. Even though he'd never investigated anything before, Lambert quit his job to create a podcast about the case. 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. The two are charged in connection with the death of Cal Poly freshman Kristin Smart. And Murphy and Sinclair believe they can prove it. On Oct. 18, Paul Flores was found guilty of murdering Ms. Smart. Nineteen-year-old Kristin Smart disappeared Memorial Day weekend of 1996. He discussed some of the evidence that was collected during searches of the property, including anomalies in the backyard and a 4-foot deep hole under the deck containing fibers and human blood. 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. 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. In his complaint, Murphy alleges, along with Ruben, there were two other unnamed individuals. Margarita Campos: To this day, like, I was like, why why did I just let her go by herself? Kristen Modafferi - Unsolved Mysteries were in the room exactly where she had left them. San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office, via Associated Press. 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. but I knew that I could try to do a small part. Alex Murdaugh Found Guilty of Murdering Wife and Son Cole said this was done so Lambert would include the information in his podcast during the time of the wiretap. Paul Flores is charged with the murder of Kristin Smart, who disappeared from Cal Poly in 1996. Paul Flores did not have a car on campus, so Murphy surmises he had to have had help. 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. 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.. Wenn Sie Ihre Auswahl anpassen mchten, klicken Sie auf Datenschutzeinstellungen verwalten. Ruben will be released on bail that he can afford. Chris Lambert: I don't think she ever imagined that Kristin would end up dead by the end of the night. And here's your key." Chris Lambert: I brought them a number of witnesses that they were very interested in. JAMES MURPHY: Does your son have any information as to where Kristin Smart's body is located? I told her I didn't I didn't want to go. His father, Ruben, will be tried as an accessory to the crime. Twenty-five years after Smart went missing, a prime suspect is charged with murder. Kristen Modafferi, Kristin Smart & Kent Jacobs. 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. Paul Flores may have wanted a fresh start in Southern California, but Chris Lambert says, he could not seem to break old habits. Eighteen-year-old Kristen Modafferi was a college honor student from North Carolina spending her summer in San Francisco. Chris Lambert and it worked. Meanwhile, the hearing is scheduled to conclude on Friday, when the judge will rule if prosecutors have probable cause to go to trial. 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. The authorities removed items from Paul Floress home in Los Angeles in February 2020. James Murphy: And it's 2:30 and 3 o'clock in the morning at Cal Poly this is not a a location from which Paul alone could easily move a body without a vehicle. KSBY will have more on what takes place in court on KSBY.com and KSBY News at 5 and 6 p.m. 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. to search on and near the Cal Poly campus. Klicken Sie auf Alle ablehnen, wenn Sie nicht mchten, dass wir und unsere Partner Cookies und personenbezogene Daten fr diese zustzlichen Zwecke verwenden. Peterson may or may not have been at the party Smart disappeared after. It was on Memorial Day weekend 1996 that their 19-year-old daughter Kristin Smart disappeared. Chris Lambert spoke with some women who knew Flores back then. She had taken a job at a coffee shop to pay for a photography course at U.C. Jonathan Vigliotti | CBS News correspondent: You wanted to go home, and you were trying to find a way to break it to your friend. JAMES MURPHY: In May of 96 were you a student at Cal Poly? For more than two decades, her family, friends, and supporters searched for answers and for justice. Also on the stand Tuesday were another cadaver dog handler, an expert in fiber evidence and a district attorney's office investigator. Mary Lassiter says the earring she found in the driveway matched the necklace Kristin Smart is seen wearing on this billboard. Susan Flores and her boyfriend were never charged in the case. Chris Lambert: They did a significant amount of digging underneath the house. She loved swimming and skiing. But I've seen it. His father, Ruben Flores, pleads not guilty to being an accessory to the crime after the fact. I think they're just waiting to see what the outcome is going to be. Mesick declined to comment Tuesday, citing the gag order. Kristin Smart 19, a freshman at California Polytechnic State University had gone to a party on Friday, May 24 , 1996 -- and has not been seen since. When they reached the turnoff to Cheryl's dorm, she says Flores tried to hug and kiss her. Kristen Modafferi. 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. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Chris Lambert: There was a man climbing her trellis and trying to get inside her balcony, very intoxicated and refusing to leave. Chris Lambert: As they describe it, Paul Flores just sort of appears out of nowhere. https://www.nytimes.com/article/kristin-smart-case-timeline.html. Cole said that Ruben then clarified that he meant he was the only one of the three to have been arrested. Four months after that futile search, Paul Flores was brought before a grand jury. They also uncovered videos in a folder labeled practice that featured women wearing ball gags and in other fetish positions. Chadwell answered no. And he leaves her to walk up this walkway. 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. The search for Kristin Smart never ends for her family 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. And these girls are inviting us out. Three other women missing: Did Lac's husband kill before? Prosecutor Chris Peuvrelle asked him if he found the remains of any monkeys or ferrets or any human bodies on the property. The Strange Disappearance of Kristen Modafferi - Medium UPDATE - San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Detective Clint Cole returned to the witness stand Wednesday in the preliminary hearing for Paul and Ruben Flores, testifying that searches of Ruben's home turned up evidence leading them to believe human remains had been buried there. Onuma was evicted from a Kaneohe, Hawaii residence after his connection to the Kristen Modafferi . True crime podcasting is not something that particularly captivated me, Lambert told Rolling Stonelast year. That warrant allowed them to dig up the backyard, but deputies chose not to excavate. After a lengthy hearing, San Luis Obispo County Judge Craig B. Cole also testified that the Flores family was wiretapped for 30 days starting on January 5, 2020. The defense questions Hudson about her drug use, but she says she was not doing drugs at the time. DAN DOW [press conference]: We don't have evidence sufficient to charge anyone else at this time. But Mary Lassiter says the earring matched the necklace Kristin is seen wearing on the billboard. 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? The police searched her dorm room in Muir Hall, finding her wallet and reminders to turn in assignments. I didnt understand why. The day after the arrests, Dan Dow, the San Luis Obispo County district attorney, said that Paul Flores had caused the death of Ms. Smart while in the commission of, or attempted, rape. Ruben Flores helped to hide her remains, he said. 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. James Murphy: they let the dog in, the dog makes a beeline to the bed of Paul Flores. The then eighteen-year-old . Chris Lambert: At that point I don't think they had ever dealt with a missing person, a possibly murdered person. A hundred percent that was happening. They went on trial in July 2022 in Monterey County, Calif. On Oct. 18, 2022, Paul Flores was found guilty of murdering Ms. Smart. 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. They believe they can prove Paul Flores is responsible for the disappearance of Kristin Smart. But Paul Flores was never charged with any of these incidents. She was declared legally dead in 2002. He says "no.". Possible break in Kristen Modafferi case after 18 years But was there evidence possibly placing Kristin Smart at his mother's home? Most students had taken off but Kristin had stayed on campus. 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. In March, the Oakland Police Department released a statement saying that it had worked with the FBI and found no evidence indicating Durst was involved. 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.. Lindsey Smart Stewart: She definitely, like, took advantage of life, seized the day she was super ambitious and was determined you know, to find the next adventure. And it was only 250 miles from Stockton, California, where she grew up with Lindsey and their brother Matt. Ms. Smart, 19, was a freshman at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo when she disappeared in 1996. DAN DOW [press conference]: It is alleged that Mr. Flores caused the death of Kristen Smart while in the commission of or attempted rape. School was over, so campus police found an empty room that had been sanitized by the university's cleaning crew. Kristin Denise Smart (born February 20, 1977 [1] [6] -declared legally dead May 25, 2002) was an American woman who was found to have been murdered by Paul Flores at the end of her freshman year on the campus of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly). So had Margarita Campos, who lived in the next room in Muir Hall. No remains have been found. Lourdes Aguiar is the senior producer. James Murphy: Every day. Kristin's mother, Denise Smart, spent Memorial Day weekend at a swim meet with her two younger kids. Defense Attorney Sanger calls the move a stunning lack of objectivity.. Lindsey Smart Stewart: It just amazes me the amount of evidence that's available, yet nothing has happened. I was afraid Id end up missing or buried someplace, she says. Murphy and Sinclair promised the Smarts the billboard will stay until their daughter is found. suddenly major pieces of evidence came forward. Send us a tip using our anonymous form. 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. 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. so eventually he unlocked you know, the apartment door, and I left. But Murphy says there were other incidents that should have raised alarm bells about him with law enforcement from the very beginning. "Up and Vanished" led a man to confess to killing a . Just days after she disappeared, an incident report seemed to imply that Kristin's behavior contributed to her disappearance. When authorities later confronted him with the two stories, Flores admitted lying and offered a new explanation. Kristen Modafferi: Onuma and the Briefcase. And DNA evidence could not be found linking any other evidence to Kristin. Axel Koester/Sygma via Getty Images. Like so many freshmen, Kristin struggled. Kristen Deborah Modafferi (born June 1, 1979; disappeared June 23, 1997) is an American woman who, at the age of 18, in the early summer of 1997, disappeared in mysterious circumstances after leaving her work at the Crocker Galleria Mall in San Francisco, California. Later, the sheriff's office obtained a warrant for Ruben's DNA and Det. PODCAST EPISODE 3: Something shiny catches her eye next to the front driver side tire. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Another frustration for the Smarts: at the time Kristin disappeared, investigators weren't aware that Paul Flores's parents were separated and living apart. Paul Flores isnt granted bail, with Judge Craig B. And so, she pulled me into this sort of like, "oh come on, let's socialize. The hearing began August 2 and is expected to last into at least next week. James Murphy: The question for decades was "Well, where did the body go?". 3. So now you've got three different stories about how he got that black eye. Denise Smart, Kristins mother, has also praised the show. A cemetery posted a personal ad for a goose whose mate died. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. The evidentiary hearing is underway and witnesses are testifying in front of Superior Court Judge Craig van Rooyen about Flores interactions with Smart. From the start, investigators. PODCAST EPISODE 2: So, with Cheryl's account alone, we have an unsettling picture of Paul . Lindsey Smart Stewart: She had traveled the world before she even made it to college. JAMES MURPHY: Has your son ever told you that he did not kill Kristin 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. The document presented summaries of why prosecutors didn't want either man to be released pending a trial that could be years away. Helicopters were used to canvas the area. DAN DOW [press conference]: But the allegation that he was committing or attempting to commit a rape when he killed her, is the basis for which we are able to file first-degree felony murder charges. 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.. or even her keys. Jonathan Vigliotti: How did you know she hadn't been back? I'm going to go back to the dorms. By then, the semester was over and the room had been cleaned out. Related Stories They're known for being a really safe school.". Dennis Mahon's Podcast Kristin did not have a purse, money, her I.D. His father Ruben Flores charged with being an accessory after the factwas found not guilty. Kristen was in her first year at Cal Poly when she vanished in 1996. D.A. James Murphy: And it says wrongful death and then I put murder. Det. Man charged with 1996 murder of college student Kristin Smart. Chris Lambert: I remember seeing it on the news it was something scary and they were talking about it pretty regularly. And there are more horrifying allegations about what may have happened to Kristin after she was last seen with Paul Flores. But as Chris Lambert learned, Flores's pattern of behavior with women didn't stop. 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 PODCAST EPISODE 1: I googled Kristin Smart's name every few years. Ann-Marie Christian: Her parents reminded me of my parents. PDF KRISTEN MODAFFERI - Federal Bureau of Investigation Chris Lambert: It was never marked as evidence apparently. During Tuesday's hearing, San Luis Obispo County. Ken Blum is the editor. Authorities made clear that they plan to use Flores' alleged predatory behavior against him. Chris Lambert: I didn't know the scale. That witness initially came forward to Chris Lambert, who passed the information to the sheriff's office and Murphy. It also expounds on several other alleged rapes as well as unwanted sexual advances. 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. "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.. Anyone can read what you share. Peuvrelle, who said Ruben Flores has helped cover up the crime for nearly a quarter-century, would continue to do so if freed. He says they are Ruben's ex-wife Susan and her boyfriend. What happened to Kristen Modafferi? One man's 20-year search for every piece of evidence points directly at Paul Flores. Friday, May 24, 1996, was the start of the Memorial Day weekend. Jonathan Vigliotti: And that phone call never comes. 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. The Kristin Smart Scholarship has been established by her family to help other college bound women pursue their dreams. Nearly a week after their arrests, father and son both pleaded not guilty in San Luis Obispo County Superior Court. Unsealed court documents in the Kristin Smart murder case include allegations of a discovery of human blood and witnesses who claim to have seen suspicious . Kristin Smart: California jury finds man guilty in the 1996 murder of The search for Ms. Smart, who was nicknamed Roxy, took many forms. 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? An earring that appeared to match the necklace Kristin is wearing on the billboard. They described dropping her off at the party at an unofficial fraternity house, and said that when it was over, she needed support to walk as she was being accompanied home by Paul Flores. So before leaving, Margarita handed over her keys to get back into Muir Hall. James Murphy: Well, the location where all this activity occurred is where they found the biological material. DAN DOW [press conference]: The allegation against Ruben is that he helped to conceal Kristen's body after the murder was committed. 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 my roommate actually kicked down the door to make him stop. By the time they inspected Flores's room, Kristin had been gone for 16 days. On Monday, June 23rd, 1997, she arrived for work at the Crocker Galleria mall. 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. In February 2020, the authorities executed search warrants at four locations in California and Washington State and recovered what the San Luis Obispo County Sheriffs Office described as items of interest. One location was the Los Angeles home of Paul Flores, KCAL-TV reported. It was first reported by The Tribune, and a reporter posted snippets of documents on Twitter. Her dorm entrance is right over here. The trial got underway with opening statements on July 18 in Monterey County Superior Court in Salinas. Paul Flores was identified as a person of interest early in the case. He refused to answer questions during a deposition in November 1997, citing the Fifth Amendment. The authorities began to describe Paul Flores as a prime suspect in the case. Podcaster Lambert will not be called to the stand during the Kristin Smart murder hearing. Chris Lambert: Paul keeps stopping along the way and letting Cheryl Anderson know, you can go on ahead. James Murphy: So why would Susan Flores, her boyfriend, and Ruben Flores be up all night long working under that deck. (Pool photo by Dave Minsky/Santa Maria Times). 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. She was looking forward to hearing from Kristin that Sunday. 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. And I was, like, "uh OK, fine.". What happens next? It wasn't until Kristin's roommate returned to their dorm room, that Margarita realized Kristin never came home. Detective in Kristin Smart case testifies human blood - KSBY ORIGINAL STORY - Paul and Ruben Flores are back in court Wednesday for another day of their preliminary hearing. The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time The podcast, "Your Own Backyard,"has drawn millions of listeners and focused renewed attention on this decades old case.

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