Hudson previously testified during the preliminary hearing that while hanging out with a group of skateboarders in San Luis Obispo in 1996, she heard Paul Flores use a derogatory term to refer to Kristin Smart and say, "I'm done playing with her and I put her out underneath my ramp in Huasna.". Margarita Campos: Kristin was like, "come on, let's go, let's go." He was required to wear an electronic ankle bracelet.
Paul Flores killed Kristin Smart in dorm room during attempted rape, DA PODCAST EPISODE 2 [LAMBERT READING REPORT] Smart does not have any close friends at Cal Poly. JAMES MURPHY: What is your present residence address? Paul Flores is charged with the murder of Kristin Smart, who disappeared from Cal Poly in 1996. James Murphy: Well, the location where all this activity occurred is where they found the biological material. But as Chris Lambert learned, Flores's pattern of behavior with women didn't stop. Flores and his parents have always maintained that he had nothing to do with Smarts disappearance. On Oct. 18, Paul Flores was found guilty of murdering Ms. Smart. Eighteen-year-old Kristen Modafferi was a college honor student from North Carolina spending her summer in San Francisco. When they showed up, it was Paul Flores. They got to the parking lot of an apartment complex. Authorities also uncovered fibers consistent with the color clothing Smart was last seen wearing. The trial got underway with opening statements on July 18 in Monterey County Superior Court in Salinas. Jonathan Vigliotti [with Lambert outside of the the dorms]: Paul and Kristin then make their way here. Murphy has filed a new civil suit against Ruben Flores for the intentional infliction of emotional distress. 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. But Murphy says there were other incidents that should have raised alarm bells about him with law enforcement from the very beginning. There's no question about it. Because of the statute of limitations, Dow says, Paul Flores can't be charged with rape. The excavation below his deck showed damning evidence that a body had been buried in that location and then recently moved, prosecutor Christopher Peuvrelle said. Ruben Flores and his estranged wife Susan have always denied any role in Kristin Smart's disappearance. It was updated on October 22, 2022.). The younger Flores has long been the only person of interest in Smarts disappearance; she was last seen on May 25th, 1996, after attending a party near campus. Paul Flores may have wanted a fresh start in Southern California, but Chris Lambert says, he could not seem to break old habits. I don't think she went back to her dorm at all. The jury hearing Paul Floress case began deliberations after closing arguments on Oct. 4. Don Kelsen/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images. Wenn Sie Ihre Auswahl anpassen mchten, klicken Sie auf Datenschutzeinstellungen verwalten. Chris Lambert: There was a man climbing her trellis and trying to get inside her balcony, very intoxicated and refusing to leave. They had become close friends despite their differences. So, she slowed down and walked with them. Just five months before Kristin disappeared, San Luis Obispo Police received a call from a student living off campus. But was there evidence possibly placing Kristin Smart at his mother's home? But you have to understand, she was a really independent free spirit. Chris Lambert: I don't think she ever imagined that Kristin would end up dead by the end of the night. Cole said a search of it revealed "suspicious activity.". Cole testified about why investigators believe a crime was committed at Ruben's property on White Court in Arroyo Grande. were in the room exactly where she had left them. Jonathan Vigliotti: Is this a case that takes a miracle to solve? Clockwise from left, Kristin, Denise, Stan, Matt and Lindsey. 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.". JAMES MURPHY: Does your son have any information as to where Kristin Smart's body is located? 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. Lindsey Smart Stewart: She had traveled the world before she even made it to college. They told her Kristin had not been seen all weekend and asked if Kristin was with them. Mary Lassiter says the earring she found in the driveway matched the necklace Kristin Smart is seen wearing on this billboard. So, when they were invited to a party that Friday night, Kristin was excited to go. Los Angeles Times via Getty Images Nineteen-year-old Cal Poly student Kristin Smart went missing after a campus party 25. October 22, 2022 / 10:10 PM 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. The 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time Books from this author. At the time of the April 13 arrests, the sheriff said he believed that had enough evidence to win convictions. 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. The police searched her dorm room in Muir Hall, finding her wallet and reminders to turn in assignments. What's going on? Meanwhile, the hearing is scheduled to conclude on Friday, when the judge will rule if prosecutors have probable cause to go to trial. 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. James Murphy: The podcast is out. And they told Lambert they weren't surprised when they heard about Flores's connection to Kristin's disappearance. The evidentiary hearing is underway and witnesses are testifying in front of Superior Court Judge Craig van Rooyen about Flores interactions with Smart. The Kristin Smart disappearance: After 26 years, Paul Flores is convicted of murder 20 photos. Why? Margarita Campos: To this day, like, I was like, why why did I just let her go by herself? Little is known since the proceedings are kept secret, but no charges were ever filed. He refused to answer questions during a deposition in November 1997, citing the Fifth Amendment. Chris Lambert: I think that might have been the biggest misstep that investigators have made to this day. That's been our goal. James Murphy: That suggests that something bad happened in Paul Flores's dorm room. Two days after her daughter went missing, Denise Smart got a call from Cal Poly's campus police. RUBEN FLORES: [long pause] We never asked that question. Later, the sheriff's office obtained a warrant for Ruben's DNA and Det. 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 100 Best Albums of 2022. Lourdes Aguiar is the senior producer. 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. Denise Pearce: The investigation was completely botched by the campus police. But I've seen it. Chris Lambert: The only thing he would confirm on tape is that his name is Paul Flores. 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. 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. Van Rooyen rules that Flores will be tried for murder in the 1996 disappearance of Smart. They didn't look at the Flores family's vehicles. 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. On Monday, he questioned why investigators needed to keep searching for evidence after making arrests. By the time Cal Poly police began investigating, Kristin had been gone for four days. Some of those women who did not want their real names used told Lambert about their encounters with him. And yes, we did find physical evidence at, at least two homes. Whatever happened in those early hours, one thing is indisputable: Kristin Smart has never been seen again. The Kristin Smart disappearance: After 26 years, Paul Flores is convicted of murder. Margarita Campos: She was absolutely sober when I left her. They're known for being a really safe school.". 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. In June 1997, 18-year-old Kristen Modafferi arrived in San Francisco to take a photography class at UC Berkeley. 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. Murphy and Sinclair promised the Smarts the billboard will stay until their daughter is found. Chris Lambert: It was never marked as evidence apparently. 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. Anyone can read what you share. After Paul and Rubens arrests, Sheriff Ian Parkinson revealed that Lamberts podcast helped move the investigation forward. To think that you're going to finally get some resolution, and then it doesn't happen the way it's supposed to. Cole said this was done so Lambert would include the information in his podcast during the time of the wiretap. Chris Lambert: That's the upsetting part about it, isn't it? 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. Kristen Modafferi, Kristin Smart & Kent Jacobs. Jonathan Vigliotti: You look at Kristin Smart every day. Also taking the witness stand on Wednesday was Edward Chadwell. Susan Flores and her boyfriend were never charged in the case. 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. James Murphy: Having a black eye doesn't make you guilty of anything but if the person you were with disappeared from the planet that's physical evidence. Chadwell answered no. Bei der Nutzung unserer Websites und Apps verwenden wir, unsere Websites und Apps fr Sie bereitzustellen, Nutzer zu authentifizieren, Sicherheitsmanahmen anzuwenden und Spam und Missbrauch zu verhindern, und, Ihre Nutzung unserer Websites und Apps zu messen, personalisierte Werbung und Inhalte auf der Grundlage von Interessenprofilen anzuzeigen, die Effektivitt von personalisierten Anzeigen und Inhalten zu messen, sowie, unsere Produkte und Dienstleistungen zu entwickeln und zu verbessern.
Attorney Harold Mesick said Monday that the evidence against the father was so minimal as to shock the conscience.. The mother is washing her car in the driveway at one point. Copyright 2023 Penske Business Media, LLC. Even worse they never sealed his dorm room. Berkeley. 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. They were after Paul Flores for an outstanding DUI warrant. And DNA evidence could not be found linking any other evidence to Kristin. September 15, 2017. 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. 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. 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. She was last seen in the Lands End area of San Francisco, close to where Laci and Connor washed up. 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. Other men cited by the defense either reportedly dated or pursued Smart. Kristen Modafferi, Kristin Smart & Kent Jacobs. D.A. But one of those friends told police Flores already had the black eye when he arrived. Det. It was on Memorial Day weekend 1996 that their 19-year-old daughter Kristin Smart disappeared. PODCAST EPISODE 1: I googled Kristin Smart's name every few years. To declare to the public if you stay quiet, you will get away with this. Ruben will be released on bail that he can afford.
Scott Peterson set to testify in Kristin Smart slay case - New York Post He's going to find her body, which is awful for a parent. . By the time they inspected Flores's room, Kristin had been gone for 16 days. On April 19, father and son each pleaded not guilty, according to The Associated Press. Denise Pearce: The phone call never comes. https://www.nytimes.com/article/kristin-smart-case-timeline.html. James Murphy: Every day. In a statement, the Smart family described a long wait for this bittersweet day.. Everyone knew Paul (Flores) was creepy. By then, the semester was over and the room had been cleaned out. Kristin Smart, a bright, adventurous communication studies freshman at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, went missing May 25, 1996. Cadaver dogs trained to detect human decomposition were deployed by the F.B.I. 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. Friday, May 24, 1996, was the start of the Memorial Day weekend. Chris Lambert: Around the time Kristin disappeared, they cut out planter boxes in the backyard, so they cut out big chunks of concrete and filled it in with soil. They might have found evidence in those vehicles. A single woman's earring. Susan's house was finally searched in March 1997 nine months after Kristin disappeared but nothing was found. For more than two decades, her family, friends, and supporters searched for answers and for justice. 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. How are we not all talking about this every day until shes found?, Editors picks No remains have been found. Ms. Smarts family declared her legally dead in 2002, but the search, and the investigation, continued. He says they are Ruben's ex-wife Susan and her boyfriend. Jonathan Vigliotti: What toll over time did this have on your parents? This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. He later told investigators that he walked her as far as his dorm, where they parted ways. Jonathan Vigliotti: They thought she was off possibly having fun. He'd go through tunnels, under bridges, looking for his daughter and expecting best case scenario. Cole also testified that the Flores family was wiretapped for 30 days starting on January 5, 2020. 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. IE 11 is not supported. Cole said he has the admission on a digital tape recording. 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. Lindsey Smart Stewart: "You should go to Cal Poly. Margarita Campos: they were, like, "are you sure she didn't go out of town?" But it's Susan Flores's concrete backyard that initially received a lot of attention. James Murphy: I'd love to do anything to end their suffering. Most students had taken off but Kristin had stayed on campus. Margarita Campos: I mean, she was gone. But to fully understand Chris Lambert's contribution, you have to go back to the beginning. Remember, Flores's room had been emptied and thoroughly cleaned. 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. The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time 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? Alex Murdaugh Found Guilty of Murdering Wife and Son 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. Plans & Pricing ; Podcast Statistics; PowerPress Plugin . 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. Kristen Modafferi: Onuma and the Briefcase. And Murphy and Sinclair believe they can prove it. She was declared legally dead in 2002. Anyone would have been terrified if they heard it..