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. 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. Margarita Campos: they were, like, "are you sure she didn't go out of town?" We want to especially thank the District Attorneys Office for their relentless efforts. The judge rules that the DA cannot be disqualified for wearing purple clothing. Attorney Harold Mesick said Monday that the evidence against the father was so minimal as to shock the conscience.. SHERIFF IAN PARKINSON [at press conference]: Forensic physical evidence was located. Friday, May 24, 1996, was the start of the Memorial Day weekend. Please enter valid email address to continue. I need you to listen to everything they say so we can punch holes in it. The sheriff's office still wasn't convinced they had enough evidence against Flores. He promised the Smarts that solving Kristin's case would be a priority. In the late 1990s, the. A missing-person report was filed with the campus police on May 28. The 100 Best Albums of 2022. Ann-Marie Christian: became friends with Kristin in elementary school. On June 23, 1997, Kristen left the coffee shop where she worked, Spinelli's Coffee in San Francisco's Crocker Galleria. Cadaver dogs were sent into Paul Floress dorm room. The two are charged in connection with the death of Cal Poly freshman Kristin Smart. Cole said that Ruben then clarified that he meant he was the only one of the three to have been arrested. Lindsey Smart Stewart: "You should go to Cal Poly. Chris Lambert: I brought them a number of witnesses that they were very interested in. Paul Flores, right, in court with his attorney Richard Hutton in 1996. Just days after taking over the investigation, the San Luis Obispo Sheriff's Office brought several dogs trained to detect human remains, to the Cal Poly dorms. The Kristin Smart disappearance: After 26 years, Paul Flores is convicted of murder. Kristen has facial dimples. The mother is washing her car in the driveway at one point. Nineteen-year-old Kristin Smart disappeared Memorial Day weekend of 1996. 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. And they told Lambert they weren't surprised when they heard about Flores's connection to Kristin's disappearance. 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. Ms. Smarts family declared her legally dead in 2002, but the search, and the investigation, continued. When they reached the turnoff to Cheryl's dorm, she says Flores tried to hug and kiss her. 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. Chris Lambert: I wish I knew why. 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. Paul Flores pleads not guilty to the murder and attempted rape of Smart. The Tribune said it got the public documents from the courthouse in the city 160 miles northwest of Los Angeles. Remember, Flores's room had been emptied and thoroughly cleaned. Four months later, while attempting to reconcile, Susan rented out her house in Arroyo Grande. Chris Lambert: The only thing he would confirm on tape is that his name is Paul Flores. They believe they can prove Paul Flores is responsible for the disappearance of Kristin Smart. so eventually he unlocked you know, the apartment door, and I left. Ruben Flores, was arrested at his home on the same day and was charged with being an accessory after the fact. I was afraid Id end up missing or buried someplace, she says. 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. In a statement, the Smart family described a long wait for this bittersweet day.. Proof of the L.A. charges cant act as a substitute for the SLO case.. 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. And yes, we believe it's linked to Kristin. After apparently becoming intoxicated, Smart headed back to her dorm with fellow partiers Tim Davis and Cheryl Anderson. Testimony is expected to continue Wednesday. 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. On Oct. 18, Paul Flores was found guilty of murdering Ms. Smart. Lindsey Smart Stewart: She had traveled the world before she even made it to college. 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. ORIGINAL STORY - Paul and Ruben Flores are back in court Wednesday for another day of their preliminary hearing. Denise Pearce: To be almost there. Chris Lambert: It was never marked as evidence apparently. And for the first time clues about what may have happened to Kristin Smart. His father Ruben Flores charged with being an accessory after the factwas found not guilty. It also expounds on several other alleged rapes as well as unwanted sexual advances. 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? Cole testified about why investigators believe a crime was committed at Ruben's property on White Court in Arroyo Grande. every piece of evidence points directly at Paul Flores. Chris Lambert: Kristin's father would come down and hike every trail he could find on the Central Coast. Her younger sister Lindsey says their mother urged Kristin to go there. A hundred percent that was happening. So, they did not immediately get a warrant to search Susan Flores's home. Chris Lambert: At that point I don't think they had ever dealt with a missing person, a possibly murdered person. And while they did not rush to investigate Flores, Kristin's family says campus police were very quick to judge her. It's, like, she has nothing on her. . Ruben Flores was released on $50,000 bail to his ex-wife. James Murphy: And it says wrongful death and then I put murder. On October 18, 2022, Paul Flores was found guilty of first-degree murder. The defense questions Hudson about her drug use, but she says she was not doing drugs at the time. 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. By the time they called the Cal Poly campus police, Kristin had been missing for more than 48 hours. But to fully understand Chris Lambert's contribution, you have to go back to the beginning. 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. 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. At the time, they did not know about a missing college student. Chris Lambert: And he says he got a black eye playing basketball with his friends. They were soon joined by another partygoer, Paul Flores. 2020 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. It is also what the Smarts have been waiting for for more than a quarter of a century. 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." Kristen Modafferi, Kristin Smart & Kent Jacobs. Wenn Sie Ihre Auswahl anpassen mchten, klicken Sie auf Datenschutzeinstellungen verwalten. And I was, like, "uh OK, fine.". Lambert began looking into what happened to Kristin, collecting articles and documents, chasing down leads and tracking down anyone with information. She had taken a job at a coffee shop to pay for a photography course at U.C. By herself, which is pretty amazing. We are now one step closer to justice for Kristin. He was required to wear an electronic ankle bracelet. 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. 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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. Berkeley. Ian Parkinson: Yes. (Pool photo by Dave Minsky/Santa Maria Times). Ann-Marie Christian: She was who she was because of her parents, for sure. Lourdes Aguiar is the senior producer. 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. Paul Flores may have wanted a fresh start in Southern California, but Chris Lambert says, he could not seem to break old habits. James Murphy: I'd love to do anything to end their suffering. 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. I knocked on her door, and I thought she was just sleeping, or she went out and about, you know? Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Flores was also in possession of Tramadol and Flexeril, known as date rape drugs. On Monday, June 23rd, 1997, she arrived for work at the Crocker Galleria mall. D.A. She spent a summer in London, was an exchange student in Venezuela, and a lifeguard at a camp in Hawaii. Chris Lambert: There was a man climbing her trellis and trying to get inside her balcony, very intoxicated and refusing to leave. But Paul Flores was never charged with any of these incidents. Chris Lambert: They didn't bring cadaver dogs with them. Chris Lambert: It's mostly frat guys from the Kappa Chi fraternity. But Mary Lassiter says the earring matched the necklace Kristin is seen wearing on the billboard. Murphy alleges four nights later, strange activity was seen at Ruben's house. JAMES MURPHY: In May of 96 were you a student at Cal Poly? 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. PODCAST EPISODE 2 [LAMBERT READING REPORT] Smart does not have any close friends at Cal Poly. Flores defense team moves to recuse the San Luis Obispo County District Attorneys Office from the Smart case because prosecutor Peuvrelle and others have been seen wearing purple clothing, Smarts favorite color. 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.. suddenly major pieces of evidence came forward. 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. Then, in 2011, Ian Parkinson was elected sheriff. D.A. I also brought them witnesses that they had no interest in whatsoever. Any evidence that might have been there was long gone. They had become close friends despite their differences. So, when they were invited to a party that Friday night, Kristin was excited to go. 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. RUBEN FLORES: [long pause] We never asked that question. Book Author Jenn is a lawyer-turned-author and true crime writer. 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.. 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. On May 25, 1996, friends dropped her off at an off-campus party. [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. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 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." Another frustration for the Smarts: at the time Kristin disappeared, investigators weren't aware that Paul Flores's parents were separated and living apart. 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. There is no evidence of a murder and no evidence of a rape, Sanger added. were in the room exactly where she had left them. James Murphy: Every day. 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. The Kristin Smart Scholarship has been established by her family to help other college bound women pursue their dreams. They didn't look at the Flores family's vehicles. Whatever happened in those early hours, one thing is indisputable: Kristin Smart has never been seen again. 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. The Smart family. Missing-person posters and billboards offering rewards appeared along roads and in other public places. All Rights reserved. Anyone would have been terrified if they heard it.. 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. 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. Mesick argued there were many innocent explanations why soil had previously been dug up in the yard. 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. Let's go." During Tuesday's hearing, San Luis Obispo County. I think they're just waiting to see what the outcome is going to be. The search for Smart did not begin until a week after her disappearance, as campus police refused to take a missing persons report from a dorm mate; the hunt only began in earnest after the student called the police and the Smart family. Even though he'd never investigated anything before, Lambert quit his job to create a podcast about the case. James Murphy: He lied to the police about everything. Kristen Modafferi, Kristin Smart & Kent Jacobs. Cole said investigators checked out the skateboard ramp location but did not find a body. Prosecutor Chris Peuvrelle asked him if he found the remains of any monkeys or ferrets or any human bodies on the property. His is the latest in a line of true-crime podcasts to play a role in an arrest, a court appeal or even an exoneration. And when they did . She was she was frantic I don't understand this, you know? James Murphy and Garin Sinclair look at the billboard that has been in their front yard for more than two decades. And the body's not there now. And he leaves her to walk up this walkway. His father, Ruben Flores, pleads not guilty to being an accessory to the crime after the fact. The next month, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriffs Office took over from the Cal Poly police as the lead investigators. They didn't bring a forensics team. Cole also testified that on March 9, 2020, a witness reported some suspicious activity at the property. After a lengthy hearing, San Luis Obispo County Judge Craig B. Chris Lambert: I personally think that wherever Kristin went, Paul was there with her. The two girls walked to an area off campus where there were fraternities, sororities and residential housing for students. In his mug shot, a black eye can faintly been seen. 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. Ruben Flores and his estranged wife Susan have always denied any role in Kristin Smart's disappearance. But cadaver dogs told a different story. That young woman was Kristin Smart, and she hasn't been seen since. I didn't know how many people were gonna listen. They were after Paul Flores for an outstanding DUI warrant. Even worse they never sealed his dorm room. She writes about missing persons, unsolved murders, and human rights. They seized digital devices during the search and, in April 2020, executed another search on Paul Flores property in San Pedro. She was gone. Jonathan Vigliotti [with Lambert outside of the the dorms]: Paul and Kristin then make their way here. Chris Lambert: He told those friends he just woke up with the black eye. There was early mistakes made that you can't recover from when you're missing those vital pieces. Margarita Campos: I was expecting her to knock on my door and be, like, "Oh, Margarita, you missed a rager. And might have connected Kristin to Susan Flores's house, says James Murphy. Chris Lambert: They're hopeful, but they've also been let down so many times before. 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. A single woman's earring. Anyone can read what you share. Maybe we cant. 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. On Aug. 2, local media reported that Denise Smart, Ms. Smarts mother, spoke at a preliminary hearing, where the judge was deciding whether prosecutors had established probable cause to proceed to trial. Chris Lambert: I think that might have been the biggest misstep that investigators have made to this day. And so, she pulled me into this sort of like, "oh come on, let's socialize. James Murphy: Somebody found an earring that they say was Kristin Smart's jewelry in the driveway. Chris Lambert: Paul keeps stopping along the way and letting Cheryl Anderson know, you can go on ahead. Real Name: Kristen Deborah Modafferi Nicknames: No known nicknames Location: San Francisco, California Date: June 23, 1997 Bio Occupation: Student Date of Birth: June 1, 1979 Height: 5' 8" Weight: 140 lbs. PAUL FLORES: On the advice of my attorney . Denise Pearce says that was a crushing blow for the Smart family. Cole in 2019. And yes, we did find physical evidence at, at least two homes. Flores, who had been seen with Smart earlier in the evening he attempted to flirt with her and apparently fell on her at one point, according to witnesses joined the group and allegedly accompanied Smart home. 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. The unsealed documents include two claims from 2011 and 2017 that Flores raped two women while they were drunk in San Pedro. Because of the statute of limitations, Dow says, Paul Flores can't be charged with rape. The search for Ms. Smart, who was nicknamed Roxy, took many forms. 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. It was on Memorial Day weekend 1996 that their 19-year-old daughter Kristin Smart disappeared. Other men cited by the defense either reportedly dated or pursued Smart. 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.. Chris Lambert: That's the upsetting part about it, isn't it? Testimony resumes at the Kristin Smart hearing after a week off. Chadwell answered no. Greg Fisher and Michelle Fanucci are the development producers.
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