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Mike McHugh is the producer-editor. 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. Kristin Denise Smart (born February 20, 1977 [1] [6] -declared legally dead May 25, 2002) was an American woman who was found to have been murdered by Paul Flores at the end of her freshman year on the campus of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly). D.A. Det. 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. 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. Twenty-five years after Smart went missing, a prime suspect is charged with murder. Books from this author. Margarita Campos: I was, like, "Kristin, I'm going to go back home. In April, Paul Flores, 44, was arrested on one count of murder in connection to the case, and his father, Ruben Flores, 80, was arrested as an accessory after the fact. I told her I didn't I didn't want to go. Was the beeping in a backyard coming from Kristin Smart's watch What Chris did was take a local story and turn it into an international story. Margarita Campos: Kristin was like, "come on, let's go, let's go." Little is known since the proceedings are kept secret, but no charges were ever filed. Van Rooyen rules that Flores will be tried for murder in the 1996 disappearance of Smart. Mesick argued there were many innocent explanations why soil had previously been dug up in the yard. Two days after her daughter went missing, Denise Smart got a call from Cal Poly's campus police. And here's your key." Denise Smart, Kristins mother, has also praised the show. But 22 years later, when he couldn't find any recent stories about the case, he decided to do something. Judge denies multiple unusual requests in Kristin Smart hearing But as Chris Lambert learned, Flores's pattern of behavior with women didn't stop. Kristen was in her first year at Cal Poly when she vanished in 1996. most importantly they wanna find their daughter. They seized digital devices during the search and, in April 2020, executed another search on Paul Flores property in San Pedro. D.A. But while campus police weren't doing much, Kristin's parents were doing whatever they could to find their daughter. Human Remains Possibly Found In Home Of Missing Woman Kristen Modafferi Lindsey Smart Stewart: "You should go to Cal Poly. Ruben will be released on bail that he can afford. 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. He says Smart seemed uncomfortable but was too nice to ask the boy to leave. But you have to understand, she was a really independent free spirit. Kristin Smart went missing on May 25, 1996 while attending California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and has not been heard from since. A cemetery posted a personal ad for a goose whose mate died. 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. Chris Lambert: Kristin's father would come down and hike every trail he could find on the Central Coast. Chris Lambert was just 8 years old when Kristin Smart vanished on her way home from a college party in San Luis Obispo, California. In 1997 when Paul Flores was deposed for the civil suit, the only thing he would confirm on tape was his name. The Kristin Smart disappearance: After 26 years, Paul Flores is convicted of murder. And then months and months later, they'd reach back out and say, can you get us in touch with this person again? Sources tell us investigators discovered videos and photographs on Flores' computer showing him engaged in sexual activity with at least 10 different women, apparently in various states of consciousness. And it was only 250 miles from Stockton, California, where she grew up with Lindsey and their brother Matt. 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. Chris Lambert: I didn't know the scale. Alicia Tejada is the field producer and Addison Briley is the associate producer. 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. And DNA evidence could not be found linking any other evidence to Kristin. A hundred percent that was happening. The next month, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriffs Office took over from the Cal Poly police as the lead investigators. The sheriff's office seized the trailer and Det. . And I was screaming. but I knew that I could try to do a small part. But every Sunday when she called her parents, they encouraged her to stick it out. But it was a local story and the thing that stood out to me is that nobody was talking about it anymore. Margarita Campos: they were, like, "are you sure she didn't go out of town?" 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. How are we not all talking about this every day until shes found?, Editors picks Friday, May 24, 1996, was the start of the Memorial Day weekend. Just very involved with their children. 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. James Murphy: Every day. What's going on? And she was growing as an individual. The sheriff's office still wasn't convinced they had enough evidence against Flores. "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.. And I was like, "nah, I have to study." James Murphy: Paul Flores had a reputation amongst the girls that knew him at Cal Poly as being a creeper that he was always trying to hit on women. Like what may have been discovered in March 2021 when investigators searched Ruben Flores' house using cadaver dogs and ground penetrating radar. And my roommate actually kicked down the door to make him stop. 2020 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. Because of the statute of limitations, Dow says, Paul Flores can't be charged with rape. And I was, like, "uh OK, fine.". There's no question about it. These charges mark a major milestone, Dow says in a statement. Defense Attorney Sanger calls the move a stunning lack of objectivity.. Three other women missing: Did Lac's husband kill before? Van Rooyen saying that his release could result in great bodily harm to the public. She was never seen. Just days after she disappeared, an incident report seemed to imply that Kristin's behavior contributed to her disappearance. James Murphy: So why would Susan Flores, her boyfriend, and Ruben Flores be up all night long working under that deck. Ms. Smart, 19, was a freshman at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo when she disappeared in 1996. In March 2021, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office served a search warrant at the Arroyo Grande home of Ruben Flores. James Murphy: The podcast is out. On Aug. 2, local media reported that Denise Smart, Ms. Smarts mother, spoke at a preliminary hearing, where the judge was deciding whether prosecutors had established probable cause to proceed to trial. An important tip came in after a February 2020 search of Paul, Susan and Ruben's properties. Related Stories Another frustration for the Smarts: at the time Kristin disappeared, investigators weren't aware that Paul Flores's parents were separated and living apart. Chris Lambert: They're hopeful, but they've also been let down so many times before. As of 2021, Kristen Modafferi's case remains unsolved. Despite the fact that law enforcement had collected substantial evidence that Kristin Smart may have had reason not to return to her dorm room after leaving (fellow party-goers) Cheryl (Manzer) Anderson and Paul Flores and despite the fact that they had collected substantial evidence that there were multiple potential suspects who stalked, harassed or otherwise had conflicts with Kristin Smart, law enforcement made an early choice to change their focus to murder and to Paul Flores as the only suspect, Sanger wrote in a defense motion. 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. James Murphy and Garin Sinclair look at the billboard that has been in their front yard for more than two decades. No remains have been found. I'm going to go back to the dorms. Like the rest of the family, Kristin was an athlete. It would be three more years before the property was searched again. 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. She adds that Flores said he put Smart under a skateboard ramp in Arroyo Grande. 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. 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. When they were deposed by James Murphy, they also insisted their son was not involved. Paul Flores killed Kristin Smart in dorm room during attempted rape, DA The trial got underway with opening statements on July 18 in Monterey County Superior Court in Salinas. 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." Judge van Rooyen objects to this assertion, though: Just because (Lamberts) been served does not necessarily mean he should be excluded, he says. So, she slowed down and walked with them. Ruben Flores and his estranged wife Susan have always denied any role in Kristin Smart's disappearance. James Murphy: They brought in the first dog and they'd had the dog go through the dorms. After Paul and Rubens arrests, Sheriff Ian Parkinson revealed that Lamberts podcast helped move the investigation forward. She was last seen in the Lands End area of San Francisco, close to where Laci and Connor washed up. 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.". 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? And might have connected Kristin to Susan Flores's house, says James Murphy. Ken Blum is the editor. Peterson. You wouldn't let any of your friends be drunk around him. They got to the parking lot of an apartment complex. To think that you're going to finally get some resolution, and then it doesn't happen the way it's supposed to. JAMES MURPHY: Do you have any information as to where Kristin Smart's body is located? It was on Memorial Day weekend 1996 that their 19-year-old daughter Kristin Smart disappeared. Nic Coury / AP. Lindsey Smart Stewart: She had traveled the world before she even made it to college. Proof of the L.A. charges cant act as a substitute for the SLO case.. Kristin Smart case: Suspects Paul and Ruben Flores arrested in the After over 25 years, there is no evidence that Paul Flores committed the crimes for which there is no evidence.. She withdrew money from the bank, a surveillance camera capturing what are . But now, 25 years later, a man sits in a San Luis Obispo County Jail cell, charged with her murder. He's going to find her body, which is awful for a parent. 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. Five months after Kristin Smart disappeared, Paul Flores was brought before a grand jury but no charges were ever filed. Smart was talking with and socializing with several different males at the party. The jury hearing Paul Floress case began deliberations after closing arguments on Oct. 4. From the start, investigators. She had taken a job at a coffee shop to pay for a photography course at U.C. Lindsey Smart Stewart: It just amazes me the amount of evidence that's available, yet nothing has happened. 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. She writes about missing persons, unsolved murders, and human rights. 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. to find the next challenge. It's just a motivator for me. 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. In the crowd, taking it all in, was that podcaster, Chris Lambert. Kristen Modafferi, Kristin Smart & Kent Jacobs. He later argued that the biological evidence found under the deck was not conclusively human blood. PODCAST | EPISODE 1: At least once a day I asked myself what are you doing? Denise Pearce says that was a crushing blow for the Smart family. On Oct. 18, Paul Flores was found guilty of murdering Ms. Smart. The Tribune said it got the public documents from the courthouse in the city 160 miles northwest of Los Angeles. But as Chris Lambert learned, campus police did not act right away. The Disappearance of Kristin Smart: What Happened and What's Next There is no evidence of a murder and no evidence of a rape, Sanger added. Cole said this was done so Lambert would include the information in his podcast during the time of the wiretap. 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.. Remember, Flores's room had been emptied and thoroughly cleaned. She feared for her life, so did not tell anyone at the time or for years after. It is also what the Smarts have been waiting for for more than a quarter of a century. 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. Later, the sheriff's office obtained a warrant for Ruben's DNA and Det. 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. 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. Weitere Informationen ber die Verwendung Ihrer personenbezogenen Daten finden Sie in unserer Datenschutzerklrung und unserer Cookie-Richtlinie. Cole went to his White Court home to collect it on May 19, 2021. Our family has always known that this was going to be a long, difficult, and emotional journey. Jonathan Vigliotti [with Lambert outside of the the dorms]: Paul and Kristin then make their way here. James Murphy: There's no way to get evidence back once you've lost it. 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. I was afraid Id end up missing or buried someplace, she says. Testimony is expected to continue Wednesday. and offers to help. He had a smirk when he said it, like it was a joke, she says. But Paul Flores remained behind bars help without bail. September 15, 2017. By the time Cal Poly police began investigating, Kristin had been gone for four days. Since Parkinson came on the scene, investigators have dug up hillsides; searched the homes and properties of all the Flores'; collected evidence; seized Paul Flores' computers; monitored his cell phone and text messages, and found new witnesses -- some with the help of Chris Lambert. 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. We feel like the stars aligned when the podcast aired, she told Rolling Stone. He also said there was suspicious staining in the soil indicative of human remains. His father was found not guilty of helping to hide her body. On May 25, 1996, friends dropped her off at an off-campus party. JAMES MURPHY: What is the name of your father? 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. 3. He'd go anywhere. 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. Ian Parkinson: I committed to them that I was going to go back to the beginning and re-examine every piece of evidence that we had. Previously sealed documents related to the case become available to the public that explain the rape charges Peurelle attempted to add against Paul Flores. He'd go through tunnels, under bridges, looking for his daughter and expecting best case scenario. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Classes were difficult, she was trying to fit in, and she missed her family. Like so many freshmen, Kristin struggled. Through the years, the Smarts have kept pressure on the Flores family. The 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time He also said that law enforcement leaked information to "Your Own Backyard" podcaster Chris Lambert. Specifically, that they had Paul's white Nissan pickup in their possession. Lambert began looking into what happened to Kristin, collecting articles and documents, chasing down leads and tracking down anyone with information. ORIGINAL STORY - Paul and Ruben Flores are back in court Wednesday for another day of their preliminary hearing. The prosecution upholds the validity of these searches, including one of Flores dorm room that was done after he moved out. And six months later, when Flores was deposed by James Murphy for the Smart's civil suit, he kept quiet. Chris Lambert: There was a man climbing her trellis and trying to get inside her balcony, very intoxicated and refusing to leave. The 19-year-old, who is also from Charlotte and a . Chris Lambert, who worked as a CBS News consultant, pieced together what he learned from people who were there that night. Back in May 1996, Kristin Smart was finishing her freshman year at California Polytechnic State University better known as Cal Poly. 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. She was never seen again and her body has not been located. DAN DOW [press conference]: We don't have evidence sufficient to charge anyone else at this time. Smart appeared to be under the influence of alcohol on Friday night. 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. Chris Lambert: I remember seeing it on the news it was something scary and they were talking about it pretty regularly. Lindsey Smart Stewart: I think they're, like, carrying boulders on their back. And these girls are inviting us out. 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. It did produce some information that I believe was valuable, he said. I need you to listen to everything they say so we can punch holes in it. Please enter valid email address to continue. They also did not focus on Paul Flores immediately, waiting six days to formally interview him. 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. When they reached the turnoff to Cheryl's dorm, she says Flores tried to hug and kiss her. And while they did not rush to investigate Flores, Kristin's family says campus police were very quick to judge her. They believe they can prove Paul Flores is responsible for the disappearance of Kristin Smart. The judge rules that the DA cannot be disqualified for wearing purple clothing. Ann-Marie Christian: became friends with Kristin in elementary school. Book Author Jenn is a lawyer-turned-author and true crime writer. Chris Lambert: It was never marked as evidence apparently. And so, she pulled me into this sort of like, "oh come on, let's socialize. 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..