For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Those were kind of unspoken things. SUSAN FLORES: [Long pause, grabs water bottle] Of course not. Kristen Modafferi, Kristin Smart & Kent Jacobs. I was afraid Id end up missing or buried someplace, she says. IE 11 is not supported. Ruben Flores, 80, has pleaded not guilty to a charge of accessory after the murder for hiding Smart's body after his son allegedly killed her. 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 had traveled the world before she even made it to college. PODCAST EPISODE 1: I googled Kristin Smart's name every few years. 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. Flores and his parents have always maintained that he had nothing to do with Smarts disappearance. 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. The podcast, "Your Own Backyard,"has drawn millions of listeners and focused renewed attention on this decades old case. For more than two decades, her family, friends, and supporters searched for answers and for justice. They told her Kristin had not been seen all weekend and asked if Kristin was with them. Just weeks later, Kristin's frustrated parents contacted James Murphy, a local civil attorney. Paul Flores was identified as a person of interest early in the case. So, when they were invited to a party that Friday night, Kristin was excited to go. Det. That mother, Mary Lassiter, described it to Chris Lambert. My job was to hunt them. James Murphy: they let the dog in, the dog makes a beeline to the bed of Paul Flores. He says "no.". What Chris did was take a local story and turn it into an international story. The judge rules that the DA cannot be disqualified for wearing purple clothing. Clockwise from left, Kristin, Denise, Stan, Matt and Lindsey. Peterson may or may not have been at the party Smart disappeared after. Klicken Sie auf Alle ablehnen, wenn Sie nicht mchten, dass wir und unsere Partner Cookies und personenbezogene Daten fr diese zustzlichen Zwecke verwenden. And might have connected Kristin to Susan Flores's house, says James Murphy. Jonathan Vigliotti: Was this case, given the evidence that was lost early on, doomed from the very beginning? The court document was filed before bail arguments Monday in San Luis Obispo Superior Court when the father and son were arraigned. But every Sunday when she called her parents, they encouraged her to stick it out. Chris Lambert: That's the upsetting part about it, isn't it? Kristin Smart: 25 Years Later - KSBY Ms. Smarts acquaintances were interviewed. 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 eventually he unlocked you know, the apartment door, and I left. D.A. A lot of women felt uncomfortable around him, Flemming says. Please come with me." To think that you're going to finally get some resolution, and then it doesn't happen the way it's supposed to. Just very involved with their children. You just don't talk, and you get away with it. 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. A Timeline of the Kristin Smart Case - The New York Times She loved swimming and skiing. The judge in the case has issued a gag order preventing lawyers, investigators, witnesses and others from speaking about the case or releasing documents. It did produce some information that I believe was valuable, he said. 1 of 47. Chris Lambert, who worked as a CBS News consultant, pieced together what he learned from people who were there that night. James Murphy: There has been no other suspect. To declare to the public if you stay quiet, you will get away with this. The elder Flores is charged with accessory after the fact to the crime of murder for allegedly helping Paul conceal Smarts body. Helicopters were used to canvas the area. Chris Lambert: He actually hit his eye on his steering wheel in the middle of the night while changing his stereo. It also expounds on several other alleged rapes as well as unwanted sexual advances. Margarita Campos: I was expecting her to knock on my door and be, like, "Oh, Margarita, you missed a rager. 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 sheriff's office seized the trailer and Det. Her dorm entrance is right over here. Billie Eilish Explains Her Complicated Relationship With Social Media: 'I Don't Look at It Anymore', Theres no evidence of a sex crime in the charged crime (the murder case) itself, van Rooyen says. That turned out to be college. Lindsey Smart Stewart: It just amazes me the amount of evidence that's available, yet nothing has happened. James Murphy: There's no way to get evidence back once you've lost it. Margarita Campos: She was absolutely sober when I left her. 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 defense claims the prosecution is wearing said color as a result of a Facebook request on the site Justice for Kristin Smart' to wear purple during a Memorial Day celebration. Kristin Smart: Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong calls the Smarts. The two men made their first courtroom appearance on July 14 in San Luis Obispo Superior Court, where Judge Craig B. van Rooyen denied the district attorneys motion to add two rape charges against Paul Flores, The Tribune of San Luis Obispo reported. 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. They're known for being a really safe school.". Margarita soon decided she'd had enough. According to a county probation bail report obtained by the San Luis Obispo Tribune, "biological evidence" was found under Ruben's deck. 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. It had been the focus of widespread speculation for more than two decades especially her planter boxes. Mike McHugh is the producer-editor. James Murphy: I'm not at liberty to describe how it was documented. 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. 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. 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. In October 2022,. I'm going to go back to the dorms. 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. Cole testified about why investigators believe a crime was committed at Ruben's property on White Court in Arroyo Grande. Cole also talked about his interview with Jennifer Hudson in November 2019. And while they did not rush to investigate Flores, Kristin's family says campus police were very quick to judge her. Ann-Marie Christian: Her parents reminded me of my parents. Denise Pearce: She was becoming more and more alarmed, you know? When authorities later confronted him with the two stories, Flores admitted lying and offered a new explanation. Just five months before Kristin disappeared, San Luis Obispo Police received a call from a student living off campus. It is also what the Smarts have been waiting for for more than a quarter of a century. James Murphy: If it was, in fact, a piece of jewelry that matched Kristin's jewelry, it would have been blockbuster evidence. Jonathan Vigliotti: Is there any doubt in your mind that Paul Flores is responsible for the disappearance of Kristin Smart? James Murphy: Somebody found an earring that they say was Kristin Smart's jewelry in the driveway. A separate jury for Ruben Flores started deliberating on Oct. 5. James Murphy and Garin Sinclair look at the billboard that has been in their front yard for more than two decades. A trailer was reportedly parked at Ruben's residence at odd hours and Paul's mother, Susan Flores, and her boyfriend were there. We want to especially thank the District Attorneys Office for their relentless efforts. 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. Van Rooyen saying that his release could result in great bodily harm to the public. James Murphy: So why would Susan Flores, her boyfriend, and Ruben Flores be up all night long working under that deck. The two are charged in connection with the death of Cal Poly freshman Kristin Smart. Chris Lambert and it worked. All Rights reserved. 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. Murphy and Sinclair promised the Smarts the billboard will stay until their daughter is found. Marital Status: Single Characteristics: Caucasian female with brown hair and eyes. 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. Kristin Smart, a bright, adventurous communication studies freshman at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, went missing May 25, 1996. https://www.nytimes.com/article/kristin-smart-case-timeline.html. Copyright 2023 Penske Business Media, LLC. 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. Attorney Harold Mesick said Monday that the evidence against the father was so minimal as to shock the conscience.. Kristin Smart: California jury finds man guilty in the 1996 murder of 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?