James Murphy: To see them in custody was a feeling of great joy for me. Books from this author. We are now one step closer to justice for Kristin. 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. 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. But as Chris Lambert learned, Flores's pattern of behavior with women didn't stop. Det. 3. Paul Flores, right, in court with his attorney Richard Hutton in 1996. They got to the parking lot of an apartment complex. And my roommate actually kicked down the door to make him stop. 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 was updated on October 22, 2022.). 2 men found drugged after leaving NYC gay bars were killed, medical examiner says. After over 25 years, there is no evidence that Paul Flores committed the crimes for which there is no evidence.. 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. Podcaster Lambert will not be called to the stand during the Kristin Smart murder hearing. Members of the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Department and FBI searched the grounds of Susan Flores's home in Arroyo Grande on June 19, 2000, for any evidence that might shed light on the disappearance of Cal Poly student Kristin Smart. James Murphy: If it was, in fact, a piece of jewelry that matched Kristin's jewelry, it would have been blockbuster evidence. She had taken a job at a coffee shop to pay for a photography course at U.C. 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 wouldn't answer a single thing. 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. 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. 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. It was first reported by The Tribune, and a reporter posted snippets of documents on Twitter. Copyright 2023 Penske Business Media, LLC. The authorities began to describe Paul Flores as a prime suspect in the case. Sheriff Ian Parkinson was able to confirm that forensic physical evidence that authorities believe is linked to Kristin was located at, at least two homes. 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 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? SHERIFF IAN PARKINSON [to reporters]: It's been a puzzle and it's a very slow process to find each of those little pieces some of that information came to light through the podcast many of you are familiar with. By the time Cal Poly police began investigating, Kristin had been gone for four days. Two days after Kristin Smart vanished, Paul Flores went to the Arroyo Grande Police Department because of an outstanding DUI warrant. Then, in 2011, Ian Parkinson was elected sheriff. On Monday, June 23rd, 1997, she arrived for work at the Crocker Galleria mall. Book Author Jenn is a lawyer-turned-author and true crime writer. Cole said a search of it revealed "suspicious activity.". In fact, Cheryl Anderson, who trusted Flores to walk Kristin back to her dorm alone, told police that her friends called him "Chester the molester," because he was known for groping girls. Like so many freshmen, Kristin struggled. Friday, May 24, 1996, was the start of the Memorial Day weekend. To declare to the public if you stay quiet, you will get away with this. Like the rest of the family, Kristin was an athlete. 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. She feared for her life, so did not tell anyone at the time or for years after. Chris Lambert: Paul keeps stopping along the way and letting Cheryl Anderson know, you can go on ahead. Nineteen-year-old Kristin Smart disappeared Memorial Day weekend of 1996. Margarita Campos: they were, like, "are you sure she didn't go out of town?" JAMES MURPHY: In May of 96 were you a student at Cal Poly? The Kristin Smart Scholarship has been established by her family to help other college bound women pursue their dreams. In his complaint, Murphy alleges, along with Ruben, there were two other unnamed individuals. 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. James Murphy: And it says wrongful death and then I put murder. Paul Flores pleads not guilty to the murder and attempted rape of Smart. Little is known since the proceedings are kept secret, but no charges were ever filed. There was early mistakes made that you can't recover from when you're missing those vital pieces. She and all who have worked so hard toward this day deserve nothing less.. These charges mark a major milestone, Dow says in a statement. She left them only after he promised to take Kristin back to her dorm. 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. In high school he was known as a loner. D.A. In April 2021, investigators charged Paul Flores, left, with Kristin Smart's murder, and his then-80-year-old father Ruben, as an accessory after the fact. Case They went on trial in July 2022 in Monterey County, Calif. On Oct. 18, 2022, Paul Flores was found guilty of murdering Ms. Smart. She was declared legally dead in 2002. And six months later, when Flores was deposed by James Murphy for the Smart's civil suit, he kept quiet. Jonathan Vigliotti: How did you know she hadn't been back? I also brought them witnesses that they had no interest in whatsoever. Susan Flores and her boyfriend were never charged in the case. The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time Please come with me." Attorney Harold Mesick said Monday that the evidence against the father was so minimal as to shock the conscience.. So now you've got three different stories about how he got that black eye. As of 2021, Kristen Modafferi's case remains unsolved. 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. Anyone can read what you share. Later, the sheriff's office obtained a warrant for Ruben's DNA and Det. Flores and his parents have always maintained that he had nothing to do with Smarts disappearance. They also did not focus on Paul Flores immediately, waiting six days to formally interview him. Just days after she disappeared, an incident report seemed to imply that Kristin's behavior contributed to her disappearance. Let's go." They were after Paul Flores for an outstanding DUI warrant. Margarita Campos: I'll never forget her shadow against the building, this apartment complex, just standing like kind of cross-armed with the long leg And she was just kind of like looking at me like, [sighs] you're really walking away now, like you're really, you're leaving? Lourdes Aguiar is the senior producer. 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. Kristin Smart 19, a freshman at California Polytechnic State University had gone to a party on Friday, May 24 , 1996 -- and has not been seen since. 1 of 47. He later argued that the biological evidence found under the deck was not conclusively human blood. She was gone. Smart appeared to be under the influence of alcohol on Friday night. 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. Jonathan Vigliotti: You look at Kristin Smart every day. Early on, a small group of volunteers also looked for Kristin. So, they did not immediately get a warrant to search Susan Flores's home. I've got her. 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. The authorities removed items from Paul Floress home in Los Angeles in February 2020. The then eighteen-year-old . Whatever happened in those early hours, one thing is indisputable: Kristin Smart has never been seen again. When Kristin Smart disappeared, Paul Flores's parents Susan and Ruben were separated and living apart. 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. 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. And here's your key." 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. Denise Pearce: The investigation was completely botched by the campus police. Chris Lambert: There was a man climbing her trellis and trying to get inside her balcony, very intoxicated and refusing to leave. He gets his arm around her torso and her arm around his neck, and he's helping her walk. Paul Flores and his father both pleaded not guilty to all charges at their arraignment. The sheriff's office seized the trailer and Det. The 19-year-old, who is also from Charlotte and a . 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The judge rules that the DA cannot be disqualified for wearing purple clothing. suddenly major pieces of evidence came forward. The defense questions Hudson about her drug use, but she says she was not doing drugs at the time. Jonathan Vigliotti: There was a lot of focus on how Kristin was drinking what sounded a lot like victim shaming. And he leaves her to walk up this walkway. 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. Kristin Smart, a bright, adventurous communication studies freshman at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, went missing May 25, 1996. Because of the statute of limitations, Dow says, Paul Flores can't be charged with rape. He later told investigators that he walked her as far as his dorm, where they parted ways. 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. I don't know if Kristin knew anybody there. Kristin Smart: Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong calls the Smarts. Paul Flores, lower left, remained in jail without bail while Ruben Flores, upper right, was able to post bail after a judge agreed to lower the bail amount from $250,000 to $50,000, San Luis Obispo County Superior Court/Zoom, How a tragic boating crash is connected to the family of Alex Murdaugh, Five deaths with a connection to Alex Murdaugh's family investigated, Chilling details revealed in JJ Vallow and Tylee Ryan deaths, Mother at center of international manhunt speaks out to "48 Hours". 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. And then months and months later, they'd reach back out and say, can you get us in touch with this person again? Jonathan Vigliotti: Is this a case that takes a miracle to solve? It's, like, she has nothing on her. 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. But now, 25 years later, a man sits in a San Luis Obispo County Jail cell, charged with her murder. Denise Pearce: She was becoming more and more alarmed, you know? As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. "Up and Vanished" led a man to confess to killing a . Mike McHugh is the producer-editor. When asked about how he got the injury Flores told three different stories. That's when Denise Smart learned her daughter had not been seen all weekend, and all her belongings were still in her dorm room. Chris Lambert: So, if you believe Paul's story, he goes into his dorm room here. And for the first time clues about what may have happened to Kristin Smart. Other witnesses included students who were at the party. James Murphy: The question for decades was "Well, where did the body go?". PODCAST | EPISODE 1: At least once a day I asked myself what are you doing? But Paul Flores was never charged with any of these incidents. Why? 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. Van Rooyen saying that his release could result in great bodily harm to the public. 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. Ann-Marie Christian: Her parents reminded me of my parents. They didn't bring a forensics team. An important tip came in after a February 2020 search of Paul, Susan and Ruben's properties. Two days after her daughter went missing, Denise Smart got a call from Cal Poly's campus police. James Murphy: I'd love to do anything to end their suffering. James Murphy: They brought in the first dog and they'd had the dog go through the dorms. Alex Murdaugh Found Guilty of Murdering Wife and Son An earring that appeared to match the necklace Kristin is wearing on the billboard. On June 23, 1997, Kristen left the coffee shop where she worked, Spinelli's Coffee in San Francisco's Crocker Galleria. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way. She didn't think that was OK. Defense Attorney Sanger calls the move a stunning lack of objectivity.. 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. 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. and offers to help. My job was to hunt them. to California to search for Kristen Modafferi. "48 Hours" has learned these suspicions center around evidence found during that 2020 search of Paul Flores' home. He says Smart seemed uncomfortable but was too nice to ask the boy to leave. 7,781 days.. That is all it took. On Monday, he questioned why investigators needed to keep searching for evidence after making arrests. DAN DOW [press conference]: We don't have evidence sufficient to charge anyone else at this time. Cadaver dogs were sent into Paul Floress dorm room. Denise Pearce: To be almost there. There was no reaction until the dog reached Paul Flores's room. 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. A cemetery posted a personal ad for a goose whose mate died. 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. 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. Chris Lambert: They didn't bring cadaver dogs with them. Ruben Flores and his estranged wife Susan have always denied any role in Kristin Smart's disappearance. 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. JAMES MURPHY: Do you have any information as to where Kristin Smart's body is located? JAMES MURPHY: Would you state your full name for the record please. 2020 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. Cole said he has the admission on a digital tape recording. Most students had taken off but Kristin had stayed on campus. Chris Lambert: Everything else, he took the Fifth Amendment. On April 13, 2021, almost 25 years after Kristin Smart went missing, longtime suspect Paul Flores, 44, was arrested at his home in San Pedro, California, and charged with murder. Smarts remains have never been found, but authorities recently said they believe they know where she was buried, though they havent disclosed the location. Investigators in Kristin Smart case serve search warrant at the home of the prime suspect's father Smart was last seen near her California Polytechnic State University (CalPoly) dorm, but she. 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 the crowd, taking it all in, was that podcaster, Chris Lambert. Wednesday, Superior Court Judge Craig van Rooyen rules that having the podcaster testify and release his records would have a chilling effect on the medias ability to do their job. Eighteen-year-old Kristen Modafferi was a college honor student from North Carolina spending her summer in San Francisco. Chris Lambert: I didn't know the scale. A hundred percent that was happening. Man charged with 1996 murder of college student Kristin Smart. Ruben will be released on bail that he can afford. Smart was talking with and socializing with several different males at the party. Axel Koester/Sygma via Getty Images The. Chris Lambert: I remember seeing it on the news it was something scary and they were talking about it pretty regularly. And yes, we believe it's linked to Kristin. Margarita Campos: To this day, like, I was like, why why did I just let her go by herself? She said she didn't tell law enforcement about it until she talked to Det. 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. 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. The arrests of the father and son came after investigators using ground-penetrating radar and cadaver dogs discovered evidence connected directly to Smarts death last month during a search at Ruben Flores home, authorities said. 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. "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. Her books are available on Amazon. What's going on? 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 when they did . Also taking the witness stand on Wednesday was Edward Chadwell. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. 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.. 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. It wasn't until Kristin's roommate returned to their dorm room, that Margarita realized Kristin never came home. were in the room exactly where she had left them. Chris Lambert: He actually hit his eye on his steering wheel in the middle of the night while changing his stereo. It is every parent's worst nightmare. Smart's body was recently moved from the home of Ruben Flores, a prosecutor said. 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. In 1997 when Paul Flores was deposed for the civil suit, the only thing he would confirm on tape was his name. Just five months before Kristin disappeared, San Luis Obispo Police received a call from a student living off campus. A trailer was reportedly parked at Ruben's residence at odd hours and Paul's mother, Susan Flores, and her boyfriend were there. Meanwhile, the hearing is scheduled to conclude on Friday, when the judge will rule if prosecutors have probable cause to go to trial. James Murphy: Well, the location where all this activity occurred is where they found the biological material. In 2011, the Smarts hoped those boulders would become a little lighter when Ian Parkinson became the . He said a chemical called Bluestar, which detects bodily fluids, was used on the trailer and that there was a reaction on the right side of the trailer showing a stain that could be similar to a human being lying on its side. So, when they were invited to a party that Friday night, Kristin was excited to go. most importantly they wanna find their daughter. No charges were filed, but Lambert discovered Flores's troubles started at a young age. Chris Lambert spoke with some women who knew Flores back then. 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. I didnt understand why. Her dorm entrance is right over here.