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. Her dorm entrance is right over here. 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. 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. Nineteen-year-old Kristin Smart disappeared Memorial Day weekend of 1996. In June 1997, 18-year-old Kristen Modafferi arrived in San Francisco to take a photography class at UC Berkeley. A single woman's earring. And when they did . 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. 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. 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 was on Memorial Day weekend 1996 that their 19-year-old daughter Kristin Smart disappeared. Mesick argued there were many innocent explanations why soil had previously been dug up in the yard. 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. 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. LOS ANGELES A California college student missing for nearly 25 years was once buried in the backyard of the home owned by the murder suspect's father, authorities said in a court document. How are we not all talking about this every day until shes found?, Editors picks They had become close friends despite their differences. Berkeley. And Murphy and Sinclair believe they can prove it. James Murphy: To see them in custody was a feeling of great joy for me. Det. Alex Murdaugh Found Guilty of Murdering Wife and Son Through the years, the Smarts have kept pressure on the Flores family. Authorities also uncovered fibers consistent with the color clothing Smart was last seen wearing. Kristin Smart went missing on May 25, 1996 while attending California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and has not been heard from since. Other men cited by the defense either reportedly dated or pursued Smart. 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. The defense wants to suppress some of these searches, though, claiming that they were done illegally or without warrants. 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. The unsealed documents include two claims from 2011 and 2017 that Flores raped two women while they were drunk in San Pedro. The search for Ms. Smart, who was nicknamed Roxy, took many forms. Paul Flores was ordered held without bail Monday. "48 Hours" looks back to their arrests and how the saga began. They might have found evidence in those vehicles. October 22, 2022 / 10:10 PM She was gone. 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: They're hopeful, but they've also been let down so many times before. Like what may have been discovered in March 2021 when investigators searched Ruben Flores' house using cadaver dogs and ground penetrating radar. 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. I didn't know how many people were gonna listen. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way. 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? What Chris did was take a local story and turn it into an international story. They also did not focus on Paul Flores immediately, waiting six days to formally interview him. Onuma was evicted from a Kaneohe, Hawaii residence after his connection to the Kristen Modafferi . Van Rooyen rules that Flores will be tried for murder in the 1996 disappearance of Smart. Kristen Modafferi, Kristin Smart & Kent Jacobs. His father was found not guilty of helping to hide her body. Why? Cole in 2019. They took in soil, I assume, for some kind of analysis. Cole also testified that the Flores family was wiretapped for 30 days starting on January 5, 2020. Back in San Luis Obispo, the Smarts, feeling ignored by the sheriff's office, continued a relentless campaign to get them to do more to find their daughter. Lindsey Smart Stewart: "You should go to Cal Poly. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 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. 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. Jonathan Vigliotti: What toll over time did this have on your parents? A missing-person report was filed with the campus police on May 28. "48 Hours" has learned these suspicions center around evidence found during that 2020 search of Paul Flores' home. and offers to help. Um, wherever we can punch holes. Some of those women who did not want their real names used told Lambert about their encounters with him. So, I said, "you better turn some lights on right now and let me out or I'm going to scream." 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. 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. Kristen has never been found. 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. An earring that appeared to match the necklace Kristin is wearing on the billboard. James Murphy: The podcast is out. Lindsey Smart Stewart: She had traveled the world before she even made it to college. You can go." Kristen Modafferi was an 18-year-old college student who was about to start a summer photography course at UC Berkeley when she disappeared after leaving work at a San Francisco coffee shop. As of 2021, Kristen Modafferi's case remains unsolved. Jonathan Vigliotti: She had just 40 yards to go and yet she vanished. Kristin's mother, Denise Smart, spent Memorial Day weekend at a swim meet with her two younger kids. He refused to answer questions during a deposition in November 1997, citing the Fifth Amendment. DAN DOW [press conference]: It is alleged that Mr. Flores caused the death of Kristen Smart while in the commission of or attempted rape. Chris Lambert: So, if you believe Paul's story, he goes into his dorm room here. The court document was filed before bail arguments Monday in San Luis Obispo Superior Court when the father and son were arraigned. to search on and near the Cal Poly campus. 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. And I was like, "nah, I have to study." The Kristin Smart disappearance: After 26 years, Paul Flores is convicted of murder. In October 2022, Paul Flores, the man long suspected in her disappearance, was found guilty of murder. For more than two decades, her family, friends, and supporters searched for answers and for justice. 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. He invoked the Fifth Amendment 27 times. Ann-Marie Christian: She was who she was because of her parents, for sure. JAMES MURPHY: Your husband have information as to where Kristin Smart's body is located? 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. With them is a group of FBI evidence response team members and a search warrant. It would be three more years before the property was searched again. Even worse they never sealed his dorm room. After a lengthy hearing, San Luis Obispo County Judge Craig B. Paul Flores, a fellow freshman at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, was the last person seen with Smart on May 25, 1996. When Kristin Smart disappeared, Paul Flores's parents Susan and Ruben were separated and living apart. And for the first time clues about what may have happened to Kristin Smart. 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. Im not going to exclude a member of the media (for doing their job).. 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. James Murphy: That suggests that something bad happened in Paul Flores's dorm room. 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. Paul Flores is charged with the murder of Kristin Smart, who disappeared from Cal Poly in 1996. His father, Ruben, will be tried as an accessory to the crime. 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. And it was only 250 miles from Stockton, California, where she grew up with Lindsey and their brother Matt. Send us a tip using our anonymous form. Sie knnen Ihre Einstellungen jederzeit ndern, indem Sie auf unseren Websites und Apps auf den Link Datenschutz-Dashboard klicken. Paul Flores was identified as a person of interest early in the case. Chris Lambert: I personally think that wherever Kristin went, Paul was there with her. There was early mistakes made that you can't recover from when you're missing those vital pieces. It also expounds on several other alleged rapes as well as unwanted sexual advances. 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. But one of those friends told police Flores already had the black eye when he arrived. I don't think she went back to her dorm at all. Most students had taken off but Kristin had stayed on campus. 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. Prior to the arrests, in February 2020, Flores home, his parents home, and his sisters home were searched by police. 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. We are now one step closer to justice for Kristin. Alicia Tejada is the field producer and Addison Briley is the associate producer. It was first reported by The Tribune, and a reporter posted snippets of documents on Twitter. 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.. 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. Testimony resumes at the Kristin Smart hearing after a week off. Denise Pearce: The investigation was completely botched by the campus police. James Murphy: The question for decades was "Well, where did the body go?". Because of the statute of limitations, Dow says, Paul Flores can't be charged with rape. But was there evidence possibly placing Kristin Smart at his mother's home? Chadwell answered no. 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. She spent a summer in London, was an exchange student in Venezuela, and a lifeguard at a camp in Hawaii. The defense questions Hudson about her drug use, but she says she was not doing drugs at the time. "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.. Denise Pearce: To be almost there. Chris Lambert: The only thing he would confirm on tape is that his name is Paul Flores. James Murphy: Somebody found an earring that they say was Kristin Smart's jewelry in the driveway. The 100 Best Albums of 2022. to find the next challenge. Ruben's attorney, Harold Mesick, dismissed the evidence against his client as "so minimal as to shock the conscience.". Ruben Flores and his estranged wife Susan have always denied any role in Kristin Smart's disappearance. Smarts remains have never been found, but authorities recently said they believe they know where she was buried, though they havent disclosed the location. They seized digital devices during the search and, in April 2020, executed another search on Paul Flores property in San Pedro. Lindsey Smart Stewart: It just amazes me the amount of evidence that's available, yet nothing has happened. So, when they were invited to a party that Friday night, Kristin was excited to 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. Kristin Smart, a bright, adventurous communication studies freshman at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, went missing May 25, 1996. But I've seen it. Later, the sheriff's office obtained a warrant for Ruben's DNA and Det. The then eighteen-year-old . Cole went to his White Court home to collect it on May 19, 2021. PODCAST EPISODE 4: So, I walk him up to his sister's apartment, and all of a sudden, he just like picked me up, carried me inside, turned around and shut the apartment door, and locked it. James Murphy: I'd love to do anything to end their suffering. They told her Kristin had not been seen all weekend and asked if Kristin was with them. As they soon learned, she had ended up at a party at an off-campus house. 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. The Kristin Smart Scholarship has been established by her family to help other college bound women pursue their dreams. But remarkably, the same thing happened with three more dogs. The prosecution upholds the validity of these searches, including one of Flores dorm room that was done after he moved out. But Paul Flores was never charged with any of these incidents. Greg Fisher and Michelle Fanucci are the development producers. Chris Lambert: I don't think she ever imagined that Kristin would end up dead by the end of the night. 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. First published on November 28, 2020 / 11:10 PM. 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. Three more witnesses are expected to take the stand on Thursday, including two cadaver dog handlers.___. She was declared legally dead in 2002. SHERIFF IAN PARKINSON [at press conference]: Forensic physical evidence was located. 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. Clockwise from left, Kristin, Denise, Stan, Matt and Lindsey. Klicken Sie auf Alle ablehnen, wenn Sie nicht mchten, dass wir und unsere Partner Cookies und personenbezogene Daten fr diese zustzlichen Zwecke verwenden. Chris Lambert: There was a man climbing her trellis and trying to get inside her balcony, very intoxicated and refusing to leave. And might have connected Kristin to Susan Flores's house, says James Murphy. Jonathan Vigliotti: You look at Kristin Smart every day. 2 men found drugged after leaving NYC gay bars were killed, medical examiner says. It did produce some information that I believe was valuable, he said. The authorities began to describe Paul Flores as a prime suspect in the case. Cole testified about why investigators believe a crime was committed at Ruben's property on White Court in Arroyo Grande. I did have guilt about that. After Paul and Rubens arrests, Sheriff Ian Parkinson revealed that Lamberts podcast helped move the investigation forward. He never expected it would be a hit, but his podcast caught the attention of millions of listeners and sparked new interest in this decades-old unsolved case. And my roommate actually kicked down the door to make him stop. The sheriff's office seized the trailer and Det. Cadaver dogs were sent into Paul Floress dorm room. Also taking the witness stand on Wednesday was Edward Chadwell. There's no question about it. D.A. 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. Chris Lambert: Everything else, he took the Fifth Amendment. Kristen Modafferi: Onuma and the Briefcase. He wouldn't answer a single thing. Margarita soon decided she'd had enough. Defense attorney Robert Sanger, in turn, tries to poke holes in Flemmings recollections. Due to the evidence gleaned from the excavation, it is reasonable to believe Ruben Flores currently knows the location of Kristin Smarts remains," Peuvrelle said. Chris Lambert spoke with some women who knew Flores back then. But Mary Lassiter says the earring matched the necklace Kristin is seen wearing on the billboard. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. And six months later, when Flores was deposed by James Murphy for the Smart's civil suit, he kept quiet. PAUL FLORES: On the advice of my attorney, I refuse to answer that question based on the fifth amendment of the United States Constitution. It is every parent's worst nightmare. Chris Lambert: And that's when they're told that earring has been misplaced. Produced by Lisa Freed. Paul Flores may have wanted a fresh start in Southern California, but Chris Lambert says, he could not seem to break old habits. 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. Margarita Campos: Kristin was like, "come on, let's go, let's go." By the time they inspected Flores's room, Kristin had been gone for 16 days. Murphy immediately filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Flores in civil court. But 22 years later, when he couldn't find any recent stories about the case, he decided to do something. The judge rules that the DA cannot be disqualified for wearing purple clothing. So, she slowed down and walked with them. Remember, Flores's room had been emptied and thoroughly cleaned. An important tip came in after a February 2020 search of Paul, Susan and Ruben's properties. Defense Attorney Sanger calls the move a stunning lack of objectivity.. I'm going to go back to the dorms. Paul Flores and his father both pleaded not guilty to all charges at their arraignment. Jonathan Vigliotti: Is this a case that takes a miracle to solve? On Oct. 18, Paul Flores was found guilty of murdering Ms. Smart. 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 [with Lambert outside of the the dorms]: Paul and Kristin then make their way here. Smart was declared dead in 2002. But it's Susan Flores's concrete backyard that initially received a lot of attention. Police investigated whether Durst, 71, who lived in San Francisco at the time Modafferi went missing, was connected to her disappearance. He also said that law enforcement leaked information to "Your Own Backyard" podcaster Chris Lambert. 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. And yes, we did find physical evidence at, at least two homes. School was over, so campus police found an empty room that had been sanitized by the university's cleaning crew. Kristin Smart: Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong calls the Smarts. 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. were in the room exactly where she had left them. 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.