She was never seen again. Jonathan Vigliotti: And that weighs on you. A single woman's earring. 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. Margarita soon decided she'd had enough. Jonathan Vigliotti: She had just 40 yards to go and yet she vanished. 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. Maybe we cant. And I was screaming. The evidentiary hearing is underway and witnesses are testifying in front of Superior Court Judge Craig van Rooyen about Flores interactions with Smart. A very close-knit family. And it was only 250 miles from Stockton, California, where she grew up with Lindsey and their brother Matt. 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. Cole testified about why investigators believe a crime was committed at Ruben's property on White Court in Arroyo Grande. 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. Klicken Sie auf Alle ablehnen, wenn Sie nicht mchten, dass wir und unsere Partner Cookies und personenbezogene Daten fr diese zustzlichen Zwecke verwenden. "YOUR OWN BACKYARD" PODCAST: EPISODE 1: It's a cold and cloudy winter afternoon in San Luis Obispo and I'm retracing missing Cal Poly student Kristin Smart's last known steps. 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. So, I said, "you better turn some lights on right now and let me out or I'm going to scream." Her dorm entrance is right over here. 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. His father, Ruben Flores, pleads not guilty to being an accessory to the crime after the fact. James Murphy: To see them in custody was a feeling of great joy for me. 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. PODCAST EPISODE 2: So, with Cheryl's account alone, we have an unsettling picture of Paul . Chris Lambert: They're hopeful, but they've also been let down so many times before. 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. Denise Pearce | Longtime family friend: Things were gonna get better and, you know, and and they did. 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. Case At the time of the April 13 arrests, the sheriff said he believed that had enough evidence to win convictions. It was turned over to a detective with the San Luis Obispo Sheriff's Office, but Garin Sinclair says, the Smarts never knew it existed until the Lassiters were deposed in January 1997. Det. Chris Lambert says they're cautiously optimistic. Flores and his parents have always maintained that he had nothing to do with Smarts disappearance. Axel Koester/Sygma via Getty Images The. No remains have been found. Jonathan Vigliotti: They thought she was off possibly having fun. Kristin Smart, a bright, adventurous communication studies freshman at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, went missing May 25, 1996. 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. It worked. Margarita Campos: they were, like, "are you sure she didn't go out of town?" But to fully understand Chris Lambert's contribution, you have to go back to the beginning. He says "no.". She left around 2 a.m. and was accompanied by Paul Flores, who was also a student at Cal Poly. In 2011, the Smarts hoped those boulders would become a little lighter when Ian Parkinson became the . They asked him not to use their names: PODCAST EPISODE 2 | WOMAN #1: Well his nickname was "Scary Paul.". The defense questions Hudson about her drug use, but she says she was not doing drugs at the time. I've got her. Authorities also uncovered fibers consistent with the color clothing Smart was last seen wearing. She withdrew money from the bank, a surveillance camera capturing what are . Chris Lambert: Paul worked with a number of women that he made incredibly uncomfortable girls who he tried to make a pass at sexually, girls that he tried to force to kiss him. PODCAST | EPISODE 1: At least once a day I asked myself what are you doing? Smarts remains have never been found, but authorities recently said they believe they know where she was buried, though they havent disclosed the location. All of Kristin's personal belongings including her purse, her money, her I.D. But the judge indicated he would set a reasonable bail amount Wednesday for the father, who has health problems is currently in the San Luis Obispo jail on $250,000 bail. A cemetery posted a personal ad for a goose whose mate died. Also on the stand Tuesday were another cadaver dog handler, an expert in fiber evidence and a district attorney's office investigator. SHERIFF IAN PARKINSON [at press conference]: Forensic physical evidence was located. By herself, which is pretty amazing. She was never seen. Alex Murdaugh Found Guilty of Murdering Wife and Son Jonathan Vigliotti: Is there any doubt in your mind that Paul Flores is responsible for the disappearance of Kristin Smart? The prosecution upholds the validity of these searches, including one of Flores dorm room that was done after he moved out. Denise Smart, Kristins mother, has also praised the show. Jonathan Vigliotti: And that phone call never comes. He's going to find her body, which is awful for a parent. Kristen Modafferi, Kristin Smart & Kent Jacobs. 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. Nikki Rodriguez, a spokeswoman for the court, said the documents were not supposed to be public. When they showed up, it was Paul Flores. Paul Flores may have wanted a fresh start in Southern California, but Chris Lambert says, he could not seem to break old habits. Nearly a week after their arrests, father and son both pleaded not guilty in San Luis Obispo County Superior Court. And there are more horrifying allegations about what may have happened to Kristin after she was last seen with Paul Flores. His father was found not guilty of helping to hide her body. 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. Don Kelsen/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images. On June 23, 1997, Kristen left the coffee shop where she worked, Spinelli's Coffee in San Francisco's Crocker Galleria. Today, we make the first move toward bringing justice to Kristin, her family, and the people of San Luis Obispo County.. 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. I don't know if Kristin knew anybody there. But every Sunday when she called her parents, they encouraged her to stick it out. They also uncovered videos in a folder labeled practice that featured women wearing ball gags and in other fetish positions. For more than two decades, her family, friends, and supporters searched for answers and for justice. He built the home on White Court for Ruben and Susan Flores in 1991. 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. to find the next challenge. Paul Flores was charged with murder and Ruben Flores with being an accessory after the fact, accused of helping to bury her remains. In the crowd, taking it all in, was that podcaster, Chris Lambert. 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. 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 . Ruben Flores was acquitted by a separate jury. Kristen Modafferi, Kristin Smart & Kent Jacobs. Cole testified that Hudson told him about Paul's statement and that she'd also seen Paul with his white pickup truck at the skateboard ramp in Huasna. Kristen has never been found. But you have to understand, she was a really independent free spirit. And the body's not there now. Ruben Flores was released on $50,000 bail to his ex-wife. 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. In his mug shot, a black eye can faintly been seen. Plans & Pricing . 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. James Murphy: Well, the location where all this activity occurred is where they found the biological material. Mesick declined to comment Tuesday, citing the gag order. Soon after her disappearance, a sheriffs search party combed remote parts of the Cal Poly campus on horseback, archival video from KCRA-TV shows. Flores was also in possession of Tramadol and Flexeril, known as date rape drugs. The Sheriffs Office investigators and forensic specialists assigned to Ms. Smarts case executed 18 search warrants, submitted 37 items that were collected in the early days of the case for DNA testing, recovered 140 new items of evidence and conducted 91 interviews from 2011 to 2020, the office said. The Kristin Smart disappearance: After 26 years, Paul Flores is convicted of murder. 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? They got to the parking lot of an apartment complex. Chris Lambert: He told those friends he just woke up with the black eye. She was never seen again and her body has not been located. Authorities made clear that they plan to use Flores' alleged predatory behavior against him. James Murphy: That suggests that something bad happened in Paul Flores's dorm room. He later told investigators that he walked her as far as his dorm, where they parted ways. Later, the sheriff's office obtained a warrant for Ruben's DNA and Det. On Oct. 18, Paul Flores was found guilty of murdering Ms. Smart. PODCAST EPISODE 3: Something shiny catches her eye next to the front driver side tire. Jonathan Vigliotti: There was a lot of focus on how Kristin was drinking what sounded a lot like victim shaming. Joe Johnston/The Tribune (of San Luis Obispo), via Associated Press. Previously sealed documents related to the case become available to the public that explain the rape charges Peurelle attempted to add against Paul Flores. According to a county probation bail report obtained by the San Luis Obispo Tribune, "biological evidence" was found under Ruben's deck. James Murphy: And it says wrongful death and then I put murder. Chadwell answered no. DAN DOW [press conference]: We don't have evidence sufficient to charge anyone else at this time. They might have found evidence in those vehicles. Like the rest of the family, Kristin was an athlete. Copyright 2023 Penske Business Media, LLC. Kristen Modafferi, Kristin Smart & Kent Jacobs. The Smart family filed a $40 million wrongful death lawsuit against Paul Flores in 1997, but he was not immediately charged criminally in the case. Denise Pearce: Kristin hasn't come home And we're not sure where she is We don't know anything. The Tribune said it got the public documents from the courthouse in the city 160 miles northwest of Los Angeles. 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. Chris Lambert: He actually hit his eye on his steering wheel in the middle of the night while changing his stereo. 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. His father Ruben Flores charged with being an accessory after the factwas found not guilty. Let's go." From the start, investigators. It's, like, she has nothing on her. But remarkably, the same thing happened with three more dogs. James Murphy: The podcast is out. Ruben's attorney, Harold Mesick, dismissed the evidence against his client as "so minimal as to shock the conscience.". He said a backhoe had excavated a trench to dump soil that was removed to lay a nearby foundation. Cole said investigators checked out the skateboard ramp location but did not find a body. Witness Jennifer Hudson takes the stand, where she tells the court that, in 1996, when she was 17 years old, Flores laughingly told her he had taken care of Smart. But as Chris Lambert learned, Flores's pattern of behavior with women didn't stop. 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.. Peuvrelle, who said Ruben Flores has helped cover up the crime for nearly a quarter-century, would continue to do so if freed. Margarita Campos: To this day, like, I was like, why why did I just let her go by herself? 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. San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office, via Associated Press. 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. In the meantime, Paul Flores moved to Southern California, where he bounced from job to job. The judge rules that the DA cannot be disqualified for wearing purple clothing. That witness initially came forward to Chris Lambert, who passed the information to the sheriff's office and Murphy. And she's like, "please come with me. Attorney Harold Mesick said Monday that the evidence against the father was so minimal as to shock the conscience.. In 1997 when Paul Flores was deposed for the civil suit, the only thing he would confirm on tape was his name. Ann-Marie Christian: became friends with Kristin in elementary school. 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. For the next 25 years, I did whatever I could and looked for answers wherever I could, Denise Smart told the court, according to CBS 13, a local television station. Kristin did not have a purse, money, her I.D. The sheriff's office still wasn't convinced they had enough evidence against Flores. She loved swimming and skiing. "48 Hours" has learned these suspicions center around evidence found during that 2020 search of Paul Flores' home. 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When they were deposed by James Murphy, they also insisted their son was not involved. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Paul Flores was identified as a person of interest early in the case. 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. 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. But further investigation of the Flores's two trucks seemed impossible. ORIGINAL STORY - Paul and Ruben Flores are back in court Wednesday for another day of their preliminary hearing. 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. There was early mistakes made that you can't recover from when you're missing those vital pieces. D.A. Send us a tip using our anonymous form.