Griffin Cherry was her close friend: Other men cited by the defense either reportedly dated or pursued Smart. She was gone. 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. or even her keys. Joe Johnston/The Tribune (of San Luis Obispo), via Associated Press. Another frustration for the Smarts: at the time Kristin disappeared, investigators weren't aware that Paul Flores's parents were separated and living apart. 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. Kristen Modafferi, Kristin Smart & Kent Jacobs. In 1997 when Paul Flores was deposed for the civil suit, the only thing he would confirm on tape was his name. 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. Jonathan Vigliotti: Is this a case that takes a miracle to solve? By then, the semester was over and the room had been cleaned out. It worked. KSBY will have more on what takes place in court on KSBY.com and KSBY News at 5 and 6 p.m. Even worse they never sealed his dorm room. Why? James Murphy: They brought in the first dog and they'd had the dog go through the dorms. The court document was filed before bail arguments Monday in San Luis Obispo Superior Court when the father and son were arraigned. D.A. It's just a motivator for me. and I was like, "Noooo.". 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. After a lengthy hearing, San Luis Obispo County Judge Craig B. Her younger sister Lindsey says their mother urged Kristin to go there. Kristin Smart went missing on May 25, 1996 while attending California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and has not been heard from since. 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. So had Margarita Campos, who lived in the next room in Muir Hall. Cole also testified that the Flores family was wiretapped for 30 days starting on January 5, 2020. On April 19, father and son each pleaded not guilty, according to The Associated Press. 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. Also taking the witness stand on Wednesday was Edward Chadwell. Chris Lambert: I personally think that wherever Kristin went, Paul was there with her. Kristen has never been found. 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. Defense Attorney Sanger calls the move a stunning lack of objectivity.. And six months later, when Flores was deposed by James Murphy for the Smart's civil suit, he kept quiet. There was no reaction until the dog reached Paul Flores's room. Ann-Marie Christian: She was who she was because of her parents, for sure. James Murphy: There has been no other suspect. Margarita Campos: She was absolutely sober when I left her. She was pushing herself out of her comfort zone. Lindsey Smart Stewart: I think they're, like, carrying boulders on their back. Clockwise from left, Kristin, Denise, Stan, Matt and Lindsey. There was early mistakes made that you can't recover from when you're missing those vital pieces. Chris Lambert was just 8 years old when Kristin Smart vanished on her way home from a college party in San Luis Obispo, California. Ruben Flores was released on $50,000 bail to his ex-wife. He says they are Ruben's ex-wife Susan and her boyfriend. The defense argued that other skateboarders who were at the San Luis Obispo location said they never saw Paul there, and Hudson's boyfriend denied ever seeing Paul in Huasna or anywhere else. 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 . In June 1997, 18-year-old Kristen Modafferi arrived in San Francisco to take a photography class at UC Berkeley. 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 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. 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. A California jury has found Paul Flores, the man accused of the 1996 murder of Kristin Smart, guilty of first-degree murder, according to a news release from the San Luis Obispo County District. After apparently becoming intoxicated, Smart headed back to her dorm with fellow partiers Tim Davis and Cheryl Anderson. The hearing began August 2 and is expected to last into at least next week. Lindsey Smart Stewart: "You should go to Cal Poly. Also on the stand Tuesday were another cadaver dog handler, an expert in fiber evidence and a district attorney's office investigator. 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. Any evidence that might have been there was long gone. She spent a summer in London, was an exchange student in Venezuela, and a lifeguard at a camp in Hawaii. Jonathan Vigliotti: You look at Kristin Smart every day. 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. Chadwell answered no. Five months after Kristin Smart disappeared, Paul Flores was brought before a grand jury but no charges were ever filed. Please come with me." But remarkably, the same thing happened with three more dogs. D.A. Early on, a small group of volunteers also looked for Kristin. Cole went to his White Court home to collect it on May 19, 2021. I need you to listen to everything they say so we can punch holes in it. Smarts remains have never been found, but authorities recently said they believe they know where she was buried, though they havent disclosed the location. He'd go anywhere. The last person to see her alive,. The document said investigators at the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Department had biological evidence indicating Smart was once buried under Ruben Flores' deck behind his home in nearby Arroyo Grande. The mother is washing her car in the driveway at one point. Paul Flores was ordered held without bail Monday. I didn't know how many people were gonna listen. Two days after her daughter went missing, Denise Smart got a call from Cal Poly's campus police. 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. PODCAST EPISODE 1: I googled Kristin Smart's name every few years. The evidentiary hearing is underway and witnesses are testifying in front of Superior Court Judge Craig van Rooyen about Flores interactions with Smart. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Judge van Rooyen announced in April that the trial would be moved to Monterey County, about 140 miles north of San Luis Obispo, after the defense team requested the change of venue because of extensive publicity around the case. Ann-Marie Christian: became friends with Kristin in elementary school. The defense questions Hudson about her drug use, but she says she was not doing drugs at the time. 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. DAN DOW [press conference]: The allegation against Ruben is that he helped to conceal Kristen's body after the murder was committed. But it's Susan Flores's concrete backyard that initially received a lot of attention. He also said there was suspicious staining in the soil indicative of human remains. I guess the answer is yes. Cole said this was done so Lambert would include the information in his podcast during the time of the wiretap. PODCAST EPISODE 5: If you were making a film about a new law enforcer who's coming to a small town to save the day, you'd probably cast Parkinson. https://www.nytimes.com/article/kristin-smart-case-timeline.html. Susan's house was finally searched in March 1997 nine months after Kristin disappeared but nothing was found. She loved swimming and skiing. James Murphy: And it says wrongful death and then I put murder. That warrant allowed them to dig up the backyard, but deputies chose not to excavate. The unsealed documents include two claims from 2011 and 2017 that Flores raped two women while they were drunk in San Pedro. Produced by Lisa Freed. Chris Lambert, who worked as a CBS News consultant, pieced together what he learned from people who were there that night. James Murphy: I'm not at liberty to describe how it was documented. Prosecutor Chris Peuvrelle asked him if he found the remains of any monkeys or ferrets or any human bodies on the property. A missing-person report was filed with the campus police on May 28. But Paul Flores was never charged with any of these incidents. PODCAST EPISODE 1: Kristin broke down begging her mother to let her drop out and go somewhere else. 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. But Mary Lassiter says the earring matched the necklace Kristin is seen wearing on the billboard. Onuma was evicted from a Kaneohe, Hawaii residence after his connection to the Kristen Modafferi . Please enter valid email address to continue. But the Flores's have fought back, suing the Smarts for intentional infliction of emotional distress. And the body's not there now. She was last seen in the Lands End area of San Francisco, close to where Laci and Connor washed up. She had taken a job at a coffee shop to pay for a photography course at U.C. Cadaver dogs trained to detect human decomposition were deployed by the F.B.I. The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time As of 2021, Kristen Modafferi's case remains unsolved. 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. But as Chris Lambert learned, campus police did not act right away. We just, "do you know anything about it". I also brought them witnesses that they had no interest in whatsoever. 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. Kristin Smart, a bright, adventurous communication studies freshman at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, went missing May 25, 1996. Jonathan Vigliotti: And that phone call never comes. 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. Kristin's mother, Denise Smart, spent Memorial Day weekend at a swim meet with her two younger kids. 1 of 47. 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." And DNA evidence could not be found linking any other evidence to Kristin. Lindsey Smart Stewart: It just amazes me the amount of evidence that's available, yet nothing has happened. Margarita Campos: they were, like, "are you sure she didn't go out of town?" 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. He'd go through tunnels, under bridges, looking for his daughter and expecting best case scenario. Jonathan Vigliotti: There was a lot of evidence that could have been gathered, that wasn't. Jonathan Vigliotti: She had just 40 yards to go and yet she vanished. D.A. SHERIFF IAN PARKINSON [at press conference]: Forensic physical evidence was located. The Smart family. In the months after Kristin's disappearance, one truck was traded in and the other was reported stolen. The 19-year-old, who is also from Charlotte and a . The Tribune said it got the public documents from the courthouse in the city 160 miles northwest of Los Angeles. IE 11 is not supported. He promised the Smarts that solving Kristin's case would be a priority. We feel like the stars aligned when the podcast aired, she told Rolling Stone. Chris Lambert: They didn't bring cadaver dogs with them. Margarita Campos: To this day, like, I was like, why why did I just let her go by herself? She adds that Flores said he put Smart under a skateboard ramp 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. A single woman's earring. Paul Flores isnt granted bail, with Judge Craig B. D.A. Axel Koester/Sygma via Getty Images. Nineteen-year-old Kristin Smart disappeared Memorial Day weekend of 1996. 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. 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. A lot of women felt uncomfortable around him, Flemming says. When they were deposed by James Murphy, they also insisted their son was not involved. Four months after that futile search, Paul Flores was brought before a grand jury. Chris Lambert says they're cautiously optimistic. They got to the parking lot of an apartment complex. 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. Los Angeles Times via Getty Images Nineteen-year-old Cal Poly student Kristin Smart went missing after a campus party 25. Jonathan Vigliotti | CBS News correspondent: You wanted to go home, and you were trying to find a way to break it to your friend. It also expounds on several other alleged rapes as well as unwanted sexual advances. You wouldn't let any of your friends be drunk around him. Berkeley. According to a county probation bail report obtained by the San Luis Obispo Tribune, "biological evidence" was found under Ruben's deck. 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. A hundred percent that was happening. 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. Chris Lambert: I didn't know the scale. Lourdes Aguiar is the senior producer. 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. JAMES MURPHY: What is your present residence address? So, they did not immediately get a warrant to search Susan Flores's home. On June 23, 1997, Kristen left the coffee shop where she worked, Spinelli's Coffee in San Francisco's Crocker Galleria. Authorities made clear that they plan to use Flores' alleged predatory behavior against him. He says Smart seemed uncomfortable but was too nice to ask the boy to leave. were in the room exactly where she had left them. Ken Blum is the editor. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. James Murphy and Garin Sinclair look at the billboard that has been in their front yard for more than two decades. The 100 Best Albums of 2022. A separate jury for Ruben Flores started deliberating on Oct. 5. But now, 25 years later, a man sits in a San Luis Obispo County Jail cell, charged with her murder. Alicia Tejada is the field producer and Addison Briley is the associate producer. And yes, we believe it's linked to Kristin. Case In his complaint, Murphy alleges, along with Ruben, there were two other unnamed individuals. So, when they were invited to a party that Friday night, Kristin was excited to go. She was never seen again and her body has not been located. Chris Lambert: I don't think she ever imagined that Kristin would end up dead by the end of the night. 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. Copyright 2023 Penske Business Media, LLC. 3. In October 2022,. 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. Murphy immediately filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Flores in civil court. Our family has always known that this was going to be a long, difficult, and emotional journey. His father, Ruben, is charged as an accessory. Chris Lambert: At that point I don't think they had ever dealt with a missing person, a possibly murdered person. They were soon joined by another partygoer, Paul Flores. The documents also include several people the defense believes investigators should have looked into in addition to Flores, including convicted murderer and fellow then-student Scott Peterson, who was previously ruled out. With them is a group of FBI evidence response team members and a search warrant. Chris Lambert: The only thing he would confirm on tape is that his name is Paul Flores. It is also what the Smarts have been waiting for for more than a quarter of a century. Im not going to exclude a member of the media (for doing their job).. PODCAST | EPISODE 1: At least once a day I asked myself what are you doing? The jury hearing Paul Floress case began deliberations after closing arguments on Oct. 4. The day after my sister disappeared, Paul Flores had a black eye and scratches on him. Cole in 2019. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Chris Lambert: They're hopeful, but they've also been let down so many times before. D.A. They asked him not to use their names: PODCAST EPISODE 2 | WOMAN #1: Well his nickname was "Scary Paul.". As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Flores wasn't talking. 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. Nikki Rodriguez, a spokeswoman for the court, said the documents were not supposed to be public. Podcaster Lambert will not be called to the stand during the Kristin Smart murder hearing. The two girls walked to an area off campus where there were fraternities, sororities and residential housing for students. Paul Flores pleads not guilty to the murder and attempted rape of Smart. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way. They havent revealed what was found but returned to the yard for additional digging after the arrests. He invoked the Fifth Amendment 27 times. These charges mark a major milestone, Dow says in a statement. But a massive search did not happen until she'd been gone for more than a month. The document presented summaries of why prosecutors didn't want either man to be released pending a trial that could be years away. Chris Lambert and it worked. Chris Lambert: And that's when they're told that earring has been misplaced. Cole also talked about his interview with Jennifer Hudson in November 2019. Denise Pearce: She was becoming more and more alarmed, you know? She was looking forward to hearing from Kristin that Sunday. They also uncovered videos in a folder labeled practice that featured women wearing ball gags and in other fetish positions. 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. Jonathan Vigliotti: How did you know she hadn't been back? An earring that appeared to match the necklace Kristin is wearing on the billboard. On July 21, Kristin Smarts parents and her brother, Matt, testified about how they had searched for her after her disappearance. 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: It's mostly frat guys from the Kappa Chi fraternity. 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. In a civil lawsuit, the Smarts' attorney claims that Kristin's remains were buried at one time on Paul Flores' father's property. That's been our goal. "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.. so eventually he unlocked you know, the apartment door, and I left. James Murphy: they let the dog in, the dog makes a beeline to the bed of Paul Flores. Book Author Jenn is a lawyer-turned-author and true crime writer. 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. Her parents, Denise and Stan were both educators who encouraged their kids' passions. PAUL FLORES: On the advice of my attorney, I refuse to answer that question based on the fifth amendment of the United States Constitution. Chris Lambert: He told those friends he just woke up with the black eye. Police investigated whether Durst, 71, who lived in San Francisco at the time Modafferi went missing, was connected to her disappearance. 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? The Kristin Smart disappearance: After 26 years, Paul Flores is convicted of murder 20 photos. JAMES MURPHY: Do you have any information as to where Kristin Smart's body is located? And when they did . The arrests of the father and son came after investigators using ground-penetrating radar and cadaver dogs discovered evidence connected directly to Smarts death last month during a search at Ruben Flores home, authorities said.
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