Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Defense lawyers have criticized the evidence used to arrest both men last week. 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. When they were deposed by James Murphy, they also insisted their son was not involved. On July 21, Kristin Smarts parents and her brother, Matt, testified about how they had searched for her after her disappearance. 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. The sheriff's office still wasn't convinced they had enough evidence against Flores. Margarita Campos: Kristin was like, "come on, let's go, let's go." And she's like, "please come with me. How could she have gone out of town? 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? Kristen Modafferi | Unsolved Mysteries Wiki | Fandom Judge van Rooyen objects to this assertion, though: Just because (Lamberts) been served does not necessarily mean he should be excluded, he says. Other men cited by the defense either reportedly dated or pursued Smart. PODCAST EPISODE 1: I googled Kristin Smart's name every few years. Chris Lambert: I brought them a number of witnesses that they were very interested in. Copyright 2023 Penske Business Media, LLC. Peterson may or may not have been at the party Smart disappeared after. She was declared legally dead in 2002. 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. Lindsey Smart Stewart: Right. Specifically, that they had Paul's white Nissan pickup in their possession. 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. Flores, 44, was arrested Tuesday at his home, nearly 25 years after Smart left a party near the Cal Poly campus and vanished on the way back to her campus dormitory. Smart was talking with and socializing with several different males at the party. Denise Pearce: The investigation was completely botched by the campus police. That's when Denise Smart learned her daughter had not been seen all weekend, and all her belongings were still in her dorm room. They seized digital devices during the search and, in April 2020, executed another search on Paul Flores property in San Pedro. D.A. Three other women missing: Did Lac's husband kill before? A cemetery posted a personal ad for a goose whose mate died. We feel like the stars aligned when the podcast aired, she told Rolling Stone. The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time He said a backhoe had excavated a trench to dump soil that was removed to lay a nearby foundation. JAMES MURPHY: In May of 96 were you a student at Cal Poly? Alicia Tejada is the field producer and Addison Briley is the associate producer. Twenty-five years after Smart went missing, a prime suspect is charged with murder. As of 2021, Kristen Modafferi's case remains unsolved. So, I said, "you better turn some lights on right now and let me out or I'm going to scream." And for the first time clues about what may have happened to Kristin Smart. She left them only after he promised to take Kristin back to her dorm. That witness initially came forward to Chris Lambert, who passed the information to the sheriff's office and Murphy. On Oct. 18, Paul Flores was found guilty of murdering Ms. Smart. In 1997 when Paul Flores was deposed for the civil suit, the only thing he would confirm on tape was his name. A missing-person report was filed with the campus police on May 28. But remarkably, the same thing happened with three more dogs. Like what may have been discovered in March 2021 when investigators searched Ruben Flores' house using cadaver dogs and ground penetrating radar. James Murphy: Somebody found an earring that they say was Kristin Smart's jewelry in the driveway. His father, Ruben, will be tried as an accessory to the crime. 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. An important tip came in after a February 2020 search of Paul, Susan and Ruben's properties. Why? Chris Lambert: And he says he got a black eye playing basketball with his friends. 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. Our family has always known that this was going to be a long, difficult, and emotional journey. So before leaving, Margarita handed over her keys to get back into Muir Hall. Griffin Cherry was her close friend: True crime podcasting is not something that particularly captivated me, Lambert told Rolling Stonelast year. Margarita Campos: I was, like, "Kristin, I'm going to go back home. She loved swimming and skiing. Everyone knew Paul (Flores) was creepy. And that's what I've been doing for a long, long time, along with a lot of other people. 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. James Murphy: The question for decades was "Well, where did the body go?". Smarts remains have never been found, but authorities recently said they believe they know where she was buried, though they havent disclosed the location. What happened to Kristen Modafferi? - AdvertisingRow.com Human Remains Possibly Found In Home Of Missing Woman Kristen Modafferi Three more witnesses are expected to take the stand on Thursday, including two cadaver dog handlers.___. Murphy and Sinclair promised the Smarts the billboard will stay until their daughter is found. And here's your key." Chris Lambert: I wish I knew why. They also uncovered videos in a folder labeled practice that featured women wearing ball gags and in other fetish positions. Her dorm entrance is right over here. The search for Kristin Smart never ends for her family The Strange Disappearance of Kristen Modafferi - Medium Other witnesses are also questioned, but Flemmings testimony is noteworthy as he is the first to say he saw Flores and Smart together before the party. A lot of women felt uncomfortable around him, Flemming says. 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. They were soon joined by another partygoer, Paul Flores. In October 2022,. 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. Chris Lambert: He told those friends he just woke up with the black eye. He says "no.". Jonathan Vigliotti | CBS News correspondent: You wanted to go home, and you were trying to find a way to break it to your friend. In June 1997, 18-year-old Kristen Modafferi arrived in San Francisco to take a photography class at UC Berkeley. Friday, May 24, 1996, was the start of the Memorial Day weekend. 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.. The Kristin Smart disappearance: After 26 years, Paul Flores is convicted of murder 20 photos. Books from this author. Berkeley. Cole said this was done so Lambert would include the information in his podcast during the time of the wiretap. Kristin Smart went missing on May 25, 1996 while attending California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and has not been heard from since. He invoked the Fifth Amendment 27 times. Even worse they never sealed his dorm room. 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. Mary Lassiter says the earring she found in the driveway matched the necklace Kristin Smart is seen wearing on this billboard. Lourdes Aguiar is the senior producer. JAMES MURPHY: Has your son ever told you that he did not kill Kristin Smart? By then, the semester was over and the room had been cleaned out. 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. 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. Maybe we cant. But on April 13, 2021, after an investigation that spanned nearly a quarter of a century, the authorities announced that two California men Paul Flores, now 45, and his father, Ruben Flores, 81 had been arrested in connection with her disappearance. The trial got underway with opening statements on July 18 in Monterey County Superior Court in Salinas. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Chris Lambert: They didn't bring cadaver dogs with them. 1 of 47. "48 Hours" looks back to their arrests and how the saga began. There was early mistakes made that you can't recover from when you're missing those vital pieces. School was over, so campus police found an empty room that had been sanitized by the university's cleaning crew. He refused to answer questions during a deposition in November 1997, citing the Fifth Amendment. 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. By herself, which is pretty amazing. By the time they called the Cal Poly campus police, Kristin had been missing for more than 48 hours. Kristin's mother, Denise Smart, spent Memorial Day weekend at a swim meet with her two younger kids. October 22, 2022 / 10:10 PM She was gone. It worked. every piece of evidence points directly at Paul Flores. 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. Chris Lambert: As they describe it, Paul Flores just sort of appears out of nowhere. 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. Paul Flores isnt granted bail, with Judge Craig B. Once, he says, Flores was lurking in the lobby of Smarts dorm at 1 a.m.; another time, he says he saw the man in Smarts dorm room. So, they did not immediately get a warrant to search Susan Flores's home. On October 18, 2022, Paul Flores was found guilty of first-degree murder. The Disappearance of Kristin Smart: What Happened and What's Next But now, 25 years later, a man sits in a San Luis Obispo County Jail cell, charged with her murder. She was pushing herself out of her comfort zone. so eventually he unlocked you know, the apartment door, and I left. At the time of the April 13 arrests, the sheriff said he believed that had enough evidence to win convictions. 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. Van Rooyen saying that his release could result in great bodily harm to the public. Jonathan Vigliotti: How significant was that? Mike McHugh is the producer-editor. Like the Smart's civil case, theirs also has been on hold. In March 2021, investigators used cadaver dogs and ground-penetrating radar to search Ruben Floress property in Arroyo Grande, Calif. Paul Flores was taken into custody at his home in the San Pedro section of Los Angeles on April 13, 2021, and was charged with murder. He has denied any involvement. That warrant allowed them to dig up the backyard, but deputies chose not to excavate. Joe Johnston/The Tribune (of San Luis Obispo), via Associated Press. Ruben Flores was acquitted by a separate jury. Please come with me." but I knew that I could try to do a small part. I did have guilt about that. 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. Flores, who had been seen with Smart earlier in the evening he attempted to flirt with her and apparently fell on her at one point, according to witnesses joined the group and allegedly accompanied Smart home. Margarita Campos: She was absolutely sober when I left her. 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. Paul and Ruben Flores appear at the San Luis Obispo Superior Court for the first time, at which time Judge Craig van Rooyen denies Deputy District Attorney Christopher Peuvrelles request to add two rape charges against Paul, according to The Tribune of San Luis Obispo. There's no question about it. and I was like, "Noooo.". Paul Flores was ordered held without bail Monday. They also did not focus on Paul Flores immediately, waiting six days to formally interview him. Ian Parkinson: Yes. Four months later, while attempting to reconcile, Susan rented out her house in Arroyo Grande. Klicken Sie auf Alle ablehnen, wenn Sie nicht mchten, dass wir und unsere Partner Cookies und personenbezogene Daten fr diese zustzlichen Zwecke verwenden. Two days after Kristin Smart vanished, Paul Flores went to the Arroyo Grande Police Department because of an outstanding DUI warrant. 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. Defense Attorney Sanger calls the move a stunning lack of objectivity.. Smart appeared to be under the influence of alcohol on Friday night. Paul Flores convicted of killing Kristin Smart after 26 years of The next morning, Margarita waited to hear from Kristin. In a statement, the Smart family described a long wait for this bittersweet day.. It is also what the Smarts have been waiting for for more than a quarter of a century. November 01, 2017. She writes about missing persons, unsolved murders, and human rights. Police investigated whether Durst, 71, who lived in San Francisco at the time Modafferi went missing, was connected to her disappearance. Smart was declared dead in 2002. Even though he'd never investigated anything before, Lambert quit his job to create a podcast about the case. Ruben Flores, was arrested at his home on the same day and was charged with being an accessory after the fact. A separate jury for Ruben Flores started deliberating on Oct. 5. Ann-Marie Christian: Her parents reminded me of my parents. Paul Flores killed Kristin Smart in dorm room during attempted rape, DA Two days after her daughter went missing, Denise Smart got a call from Cal Poly's campus police. 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. 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. In addition, the documents include a phone tap from January 2020 in which Pauls mother, Susan, tells her son: The other thing I need you to do is to start listening to the podcast. Susan's house was finally searched in March 1997 nine months after Kristin disappeared but nothing was found. JAMES MURPHY: Would you state your full name for the record please. So now you've got three different stories about how he got that black eye. Denise Pearce | Longtime family friend: Things were gonna get better and, you know, and and they did. And it was only 250 miles from Stockton, California, where she grew up with Lindsey and their brother Matt. She was never seen again and her body has not been located. But 22 years later, when he couldn't find any recent stories about the case, he decided to do something. 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. James Murphy: The podcast is out. The document presented summaries of why prosecutors didn't want either man to be released pending a trial that could be years away.

Phan Rang Air Base Agent Orange, Best Climate In Queensland, Best Muzzleloader For Washington State, Articles K