People are watching Ruben Flores and Susan Flores and Paul Flores. Human Remains Possibly Found In Home Of Missing Woman Kristen Modafferi All of Kristin's personal belongings including her purse, her money, her I.D. D.A. Kristin Smart case: Shy podcaster led cops to arrest in California cold Jonathan Vigliotti: They thought she was off possibly having fun. She writes about missing persons, unsolved murders, and human rights. Flores and his parents have always maintained that he had nothing to do with Smarts disappearance. 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. SUSAN FLORES: [Long pause, grabs water bottle] Of course not. 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. Cole also testified that on March 9, 2020, a witness reported some suspicious activity at the property. Kristin Smart: California jury finds man guilty in the 1996 murder of Helicopters were used to canvas the area. Nikki Rodriguez, a spokeswoman for the court, said the documents were not supposed to be public. Another frustration for the Smarts: at the time Kristin disappeared, investigators weren't aware that Paul Flores's parents were separated and living apart. Chris Lambert: I personally think that wherever Kristin went, Paul was there with her. Cole reportedly testified that Ruben asked why Susan Flores, who is Pauls mother, and her boyfriend were also being swabbed when he was the only one who committed a felony. Mesick argued there were many innocent explanations why soil had previously been dug up in the yard. PODCAST EPISODE 1: Kristin broke down begging her mother to let her drop out and go somewhere else. Defense attorney Robert Sanger, in turn, tries to poke holes in Flemmings recollections. It's, like, she has nothing on her. A lot of women felt uncomfortable around him, Flemming says. In the late 1990s, the. 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. Detective in Kristin Smart case testifies human blood - KSBY On May 25, 1996, friends dropped her off at an off-campus party. But to fully understand Chris Lambert's contribution, you have to go back to the beginning. to California to search for Kristen Modafferi. Marital Status: Single Characteristics: Caucasian female with brown hair and eyes. By the time Cal Poly police began investigating, Kristin had been gone for four days. The case recently reentered the public eye with the 2019 launch of the popular true-crime podcast, Your Own Backyard, hosted by musician Chris Lambert, who has spent his life haunted by a missing persons billboard featuring Smarts face. Van Rooyen rules that Flores will be tried for murder in the 1996 disappearance of Smart. Chris Lambert: They're hopeful, but they've also been let down so many times before. Chris Lambert: I didn't know the scale. 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: On the advice of my attorney . After almost 25 years of suspicion, on April 13, 2021, San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Ian Parkinson announced the arrest ofPaul Flores in the disappearance of Kristin Smart. He was required to wear an electronic ankle bracelet. JAMES MURPHY: Would you state your full name for the record please. Murphy has filed a new civil suit against Ruben Flores for the intentional infliction of emotional distress. Send us a tip using our anonymous form. That warrant allowed them to dig up the backyard, but deputies chose not to excavate. Recently unsealed court documents show the extent to which law enforcement has looked into Flores over the years: 48 search warrants involving wiretaps and GPS tracking, and a search of Flores former Cal Poly dorm room. Chris Lambert: Everything else, he took the Fifth Amendment. 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. 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. to search on and near the Cal Poly campus. Most students had taken off but Kristin had stayed on campus. But Mary Lassiter says the earring matched the necklace Kristin is seen wearing on the billboard. In his mug shot, a black eye can faintly been seen. So, she slowed down and walked with them. His father was found not guilty of helping to hide her body. How are we not all talking about this every day until shes found?, Editors picks Peuvrelle, who said Ruben Flores has helped cover up the crime for nearly a quarter-century, would continue to do so if freed. A separate jury for Ruben Flores started deliberating on Oct. 5. But you have to understand, she was a really independent free spirit. And I was like, "nah, I have to study." She feared for her life, so did not tell anyone at the time or for years after. Other witnesses included students who were at the party. You, youre the one that can tell me, a reference to Lamberts Your Own Backyard, the podcast about Smart and Flores that has brought new attention to the case. He said a backhoe had excavated a trench to dump soil that was removed to lay a nearby foundation. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. He'd go through tunnels, under bridges, looking for his daughter and expecting best case scenario. Lindsey Smart Stewart: I think they're, like, carrying boulders on their back. James Murphy: There's no way to get evidence back once you've lost it. In 2011, the Smarts hoped those boulders would become a little lighter when Ian Parkinson became the . And then months and months later, they'd reach back out and say, can you get us in touch with this person again? Kristin Smart's body once buried in suspect's backyard - NBC News Um, wherever we can punch holes. Jonathan Vigliotti: There was a lot of focus on how Kristin was drinking what sounded a lot like victim shaming. 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. Kristen has facial dimples. Just days after she disappeared, an incident report seemed to imply that Kristin's behavior contributed to her disappearance. 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. On Oct. 18, Paul Flores was found guilty of murdering Ms. Smart. A single woman's earring. There was no reaction until the dog reached Paul Flores's room. Ms. Smarts acquaintances were interviewed. Mike McHugh is the producer-editor. He built the home on White Court for Ruben and Susan Flores in 1991. But the judge indicated he would set a reasonable bail amount Wednesday for the father, who has health problems is currently in the San Luis Obispo jail on $250,000 bail. The Mysterious Disappearance Of Kristen Modafferi - Grunge.com On July 21, Kristin Smarts parents and her brother, Matt, testified about how they had searched for her after her disappearance. Like what may have been discovered in March 2021 when investigators searched Ruben Flores' house using cadaver dogs and ground penetrating radar. Kristen has never been found. Ms. Smarts family declared her legally dead in 2002, but the search, and the investigation, continued. Chris Lambert: The only thing he would confirm on tape is that his name is Paul Flores. Margarita Campos: But when we got to the house it was pretty dead too, it was really -- it was like a couple of roommates hanging out playing video games And Kristin was, like oh gosh, there has to be something better than this. Weitere Informationen ber die Verwendung Ihrer personenbezogenen Daten finden Sie in unserer Datenschutzerklrung und unserer Cookie-Richtlinie. 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. Paul Flores isnt granted bail, with Judge Craig B. But as Chris Lambert learned, Flores's pattern of behavior with women didn't stop. Cadaver dogs trained to detect human decomposition were deployed by the F.B.I. That witness initially came forward to Chris Lambert, who passed the information to the sheriff's office and Murphy. Lambert also interviewed a woman who dated Flores until, she says, he became physically and verbally abusive. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way. She was gone. and offers to help. But I've seen it. By herself, which is pretty amazing. Cole said that Ruben then clarified that he meant he was the only one of the three to have been arrested. That's when the campus police finally handed the investigation over to The San Luis Obispo Sheriff's Office but they did not find Kristin. That's when Denise Smart learned her daughter had not been seen all weekend, and all her belongings were still in her dorm room. RUBEN FLORES: [long pause] We never asked that question. Kristen Modafferi, Kristin Smart & Kent Jacobs. 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. After Paul and Rubens arrests, Sheriff Ian Parkinson revealed that Lamberts podcast helped move the investigation forward. Smart's body was recently moved from the home of Ruben Flores, a prosecutor said. How 'Your Own Backyard' podcast led to arrests in Kristin Smart murder PODCAST | EPISODE 1: At least once a day I asked myself what are you doing? 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. Paul Flores, right, in court with his attorney Richard Hutton in 1996. 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. You can go." Four months later, while attempting to reconcile, Susan rented out her house in Arroyo Grande. Chris Lambert's podcast caught the attention of millions of listeners and sparked new interest in the decades-old unsolved case of Kristin Smart. September 15, 2017. 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. 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. They also uncovered videos in a folder labeled practice that featured women wearing ball gags and in other fetish positions. She was she was frantic I don't understand this, you know? What's going on? Any evidence that might have been there was long gone. I don't know if Kristin knew anybody there. James Murphy: The question for decades was "Well, where did the body go?". Kristen Modafferi. Jonathan Vigliotti: Is this a case that takes a miracle to solve? James Murphy: Every day. In October 2022,. Dennis Mahon's Podcast And according to that probation report, "dozens of women have recounted Paul Flores' sexual assaults and predatory behavior that document his 25 years as a serial rapist." The 100 Best Albums of 2022. JAMES MURPHY: Do you have any information as to where Kristin Smart's body is located? to find the next challenge. Chris Lambert: And he says he got a black eye playing basketball with his friends. But the Flores's have fought back, suing the Smarts for intentional infliction of emotional distress. School was over, so campus police found an empty room that had been sanitized by the university's cleaning crew. Three more witnesses are expected to take the stand on Thursday, including two cadaver dog handlers.___. "48 Hours" looks back to their arrests and how the saga began. 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. Kristin did not have a purse, money, her I.D. And she's like, "please come with me. Attorney Harold Mesick said Monday that the evidence against the father was so minimal as to shock the conscience.. Smart was declared dead in 2002. Cole said investigators checked out the skateboard ramp location but did not find a body. 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. In high school he was known as a loner. Kristin Smart Case Update: Where Is the Investigation Today? - Heavy.com I was afraid Id end up missing or buried someplace, she says. Her books are available on Amazon. We want to hear it. But Murphy says there were other incidents that should have raised alarm bells about him with law enforcement from the very beginning. Lindsey Smart Stewart: It just amazes me the amount of evidence that's available, yet nothing has happened. It worked. Murphy alleges four nights later, strange activity was seen at Ruben's house. 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. 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). And six months later, when Flores was deposed by James Murphy for the Smart's civil suit, he kept quiet. Joe Johnston/The Tribune (of San Luis Obispo), via Associated Press. Specifically, that they had Paul's white Nissan pickup in their possession. Denise Pearce | Longtime family friend: Things were gonna get better and, you know, and and they did. 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. As of 2021, Kristen Modafferi's case remains unsolved. Lambert began looking into what happened to Kristin, collecting articles and documents, chasing down leads and tracking down anyone with information. Los Angeles Times via Getty Images Nineteen-year-old Cal Poly student Kristin Smart went missing after a campus party 25. 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. 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. The Disappearance of Kristin Smart: What Happened and What's Next Today, we make the first move toward bringing justice to Kristin, her family, and the people of San Luis Obispo County.. D.A. November 01, 2017. The Kristin Smart disappearance: After 26 years, Paul Flores is convicted of murder. Authorities also uncovered fibers consistent with the color clothing Smart was last seen wearing. Kristin Smart: 25 Years Later - KSBY Dennis Mahon's Podcast We feel like the stars aligned when the podcast aired, she told Rolling Stone. Jonathan Vigliotti: She had just 40 yards to go and yet she vanished. Because of the statute of limitations, Dow says, Paul Flores can't be charged with rape. "48 Hours" has learned these suspicions center around evidence found during that 2020 search of Paul Flores' home. Chris Lambert: They did a significant amount of digging underneath the house. Cole said he has the admission on a digital tape recording. But it's Susan Flores's concrete backyard that initially received a lot of attention. Margarita Campos: I was expecting her to knock on my door and be, like, "Oh, Margarita, you missed a rager. Denise Pearce: To be almost there. They believe they can prove Paul Flores is responsible for the disappearance of Kristin Smart. San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office, via Associated Press. In April 2021, investigators charged Paul Flores, left, with Kristin Smart's murder, and his then-80-year-old father Ruben, as an accessory after the fact. I also brought them witnesses that they had no interest in whatsoever. What happens next? It had been the focus of widespread speculation for more than two decades especially her planter boxes. Margarita Campos: I was, like, "Kristin, I'm going to go back home. There was early mistakes made that you can't recover from when you're missing those vital pieces. Other men cited by the defense either reportedly dated or pursued Smart. Jonathan Vigliotti: You look at Kristin Smart every day. 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. It is also what the Smarts have been waiting for for more than a quarter of a century. 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. Ann-Marie Christian: She was who she was because of her parents, for sure. 2 men found drugged after leaving NYC gay bars were killed, medical examiner says. Plans & Pricing . She was looking forward to hearing from Kristin that Sunday. "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. 7,781 days.. That is all it took. SHERIFF IAN PARKINSON [at press conference]: Forensic physical evidence was located. Susan Flores and her boyfriend were never charged in the case. I knocked on her door, and I thought she was just sleeping, or she went out and about, you know? Axel Koester/Sygma via Getty Images The. And while they did not rush to investigate Flores, Kristin's family says campus police were very quick to judge her. were in the room exactly where she had left them. 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. Murphy and his wife, Garin Sinclair, agreed to take the case pro bono promising to go after Paul Flores and put pressure on the sheriff's office. Cadaver dogs were sent into Paul Floress dorm room. Please enter valid email address to continue. The authorities removed items from Paul Floress home in Los Angeles in February 2020. It's fine. Later, the sheriff's office obtained a warrant for Ruben's DNA and Det. But Margarita says, the police did not seem concerned. Alex Murdaugh Found Guilty of Murdering Wife and Son Margarita Campos: Kristin was like, "come on, let's go, let's go." Chris Lambert was just 8 years old when Kristin Smart vanished on her way home from a college party in San Luis Obispo, California. A jury acquitted Ruben Flores of the charge of being an accessory after the fact. Ruben will be released on bail that he can afford. PAUL FLORES: On the advice of my attorney, I refuse to answer that question based on the fifth amendment of the United States Constitution. A hundred percent that was happening. Cole in 2019. In a statement, the Smart family described a long wait for this bittersweet day.. An important tip came in after a February 2020 search of Paul, Susan and Ruben's properties. 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. most importantly they wanna find their daughter. When they showed up, it was Paul Flores. And here's your key." Peterson may or may not have been at the party Smart disappeared after. Just very involved with their children. DAN DOW [press conference]: It is alleged that Mr. Flores caused the death of Kristen Smart while in the commission of or attempted rape. "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.. How could she have gone out of town? Cole went to his White Court home to collect it on May 19, 2021. Shocking allegations in newly unsealed docs in Kristin Smart case But Parkinson acknowledges it hasn't been easy. It was on Memorial Day weekend 1996 that their 19-year-old daughter Kristin Smart disappeared. 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? In the months after Kristin's disappearance, one truck was traded in and the other was reported stolen. Peterson. James Murphy: To see them in custody was a feeling of great joy for me. After apparently becoming intoxicated, Smart headed back to her dorm with fellow partiers Tim Davis and Cheryl Anderson. 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.". But the investigation is ongoing. On June 23, 1997, Kristen left the coffee shop where she worked, Spinelli's Coffee in San Francisco's Crocker Galleria. A very close-knit family. Her parents, Denise and Stan were both educators who encouraged their kids' passions. So, I said, "you better turn some lights on right now and let me out or I'm going to scream." When they were deposed by James Murphy, they also insisted their son was not involved. They were after Paul Flores for an outstanding DUI warrant. So had Margarita Campos, who lived in the next room in Muir Hall. But while campus police weren't doing much, Kristin's parents were doing whatever they could to find their daughter. 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. But one of those friends told police Flores already had the black eye when he arrived. Denise Smart, Kristins mother, has also praised the show. Missing-person posters and billboards offering rewards appeared along roads and in other public places.
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