kristen modafferi kristin smart

She said she didn't tell law enforcement about it until she talked to Det. 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. He also said that law enforcement leaked information to "Your Own Backyard" podcaster Chris Lambert. Denise Pearce: The phone call never comes. 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. I also brought them witnesses that they had no interest in whatsoever. JAMES MURPHY: What is the name of your father? 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. Margarita Campos: I mean, she was gone. 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 . JAMES MURPHY: Has your son ever told you that he did not kill Kristin Smart? 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. We just, "do you know anything about it". But Paul Flores remained behind bars help without bail. Twenty-five years after Smart went missing, a prime suspect is charged with murder. James Murphy: they let the dog in, the dog makes a beeline to the bed of Paul Flores. Books from this author. 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. 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. Later, the sheriff's office obtained a warrant for Ruben's DNA and Det. Ruben Flores and his estranged wife Susan have always denied any role in Kristin Smart's disappearance. I don't know if Kristin knew anybody there. The Smarts say they tried to file a missing person's report with the local police but were told it was too early, and the FBI told them Cal Poly police were in charge. 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. (Pool photo by Dave Minsky/Santa Maria Times). How could she have gone out of town? What Chris did was take a local story and turn it into an international story. They might have found evidence in those vehicles. 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. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Denise Pearce: Kristin hasn't come home And we're not sure where she is We don't know anything. And yes, we did find physical evidence at, at least two homes. 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. 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. Smarts remains have never been found, but authorities recently said they believe they know where she was buried, though they havent disclosed the location. 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. It's just a motivator for me. Cadaver dogs trained to detect human decomposition were deployed by the F.B.I. In March 2021, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office served a search warrant at the Arroyo Grande home of Ruben Flores. 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." Kristen Modafferi, Kristin Smart & Kent Jacobs. Chris Lambert: Kristin became incredibly intoxicated, whether she was drugged or whether she just had a lot to drink in a short amount of time She ends up passed out on the lawn next door. His father, Ruben, is charged as an accessory. PODCAST EPISODE 1: I googled Kristin Smart's name every few years. 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. That's when Cole said Ruben asked why they would also be collecting DNA from Susan Flores and her boyfriend and Ruben told him, "They did not commit a felony, only I did.". But you have to understand, she was a really independent free spirit. Chris Lambert: I remember seeing it on the news it was something scary and they were talking about it pretty regularly. The lawsuit claims they were moving Kristin's remains. Im not going to exclude a member of the media (for doing their job).. 2 men found drugged after leaving NYC gay bars were killed, medical examiner says. 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. Classes were difficult, she was trying to fit in, and she missed her family. Chris Lambert: Paul keeps stopping along the way and letting Cheryl Anderson know, you can go on ahead. The 18- year old coed from North Carolina was taking a summer photography class at the University of Califorina Berkeley when she vanished June 23rd, 1997. But it was a local story and the thing that stood out to me is that nobody was talking about it anymore. ORIGINAL STORY - Paul and Ruben Flores are back in court Wednesday for another day of their preliminary hearing. 1 of 47. In October 2022,. Paul Flores pleads not guilty to the murder and attempted rape of Smart. Just very involved with their children. Los Angeles Times via Getty Images Nineteen-year-old Cal Poly student Kristin Smart went missing after a campus party 25. Chris Lambert and it worked. / CBS News, (This story previously aired on May 8, 2021. Griffin Cherry was her close friend: They also did not focus on Paul Flores immediately, waiting six days to formally interview him. She was she was frantic I don't understand this, you know? Recently unsealed court documents show the extent to which law enforcement has looked into Flores over the years: 48 search warrants involving wiretaps and GPS tracking, and a search of Flores former Cal Poly dorm room. Paul Flores did not have a car on campus, so Murphy surmises he had to have had help. Paul Flores isnt granted bail, with Judge Craig B. Margarita Campos: I was, like, "Kristin, I'm going to go back home. Like so many freshmen, Kristin struggled. but I knew that I could try to do a small part. Most students had taken off but Kristin had stayed on campus. We feel like the stars aligned when the podcast aired, she told Rolling Stone. 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. Helicopters were used to canvas the area. Please enter valid email address to continue. Early on, a small group of volunteers also looked for Kristin. 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. Jonathan Vigliotti | CBS News correspondent: You wanted to go home, and you were trying to find a way to break it to your friend. And here's your key." The then eighteen-year-old . Kristen was in her first year at Cal Poly when she vanished in 1996. Ruben Flores, was arrested at his home on the same day and was charged with being an accessory after the fact. PODCAST | EPISODE 1: At least once a day I asked myself what are you doing? Murphy alleges four nights later, strange activity was seen at Ruben's house. That mother, Mary Lassiter, described it to Chris Lambert. She loved swimming and skiing. An earring that appeared to match the necklace Kristin is wearing on the billboard. Murphy has filed a new civil suit against Ruben Flores for the intentional infliction of emotional distress. But Murphy says there were other incidents that should have raised alarm bells about him with law enforcement from the very beginning. Chris Lambert: It's mostly frat guys from the Kappa Chi fraternity. A very close-knit family. She was declared legally dead in 2002. Kristin Smart, a bright, adventurous communication studies freshman at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, went missing May 25, 1996. In the meantime, Paul Flores moved to Southern California, where he bounced from job to job. Attorney Harold Mesick said Monday that the evidence against the father was so minimal as to shock the conscience.. She was pushing herself out of her comfort zone. The mother is washing her car in the driveway at one point. Mike McHugh is the producer-editor. By the time they called the Cal Poly campus police, Kristin had been missing for more than 48 hours. 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. He says they are Ruben's ex-wife Susan and her boyfriend. James Murphy and Garin Sinclair look at the billboard that has been in their front yard for more than two decades. By herself, which is pretty amazing. Jonathan Vigliotti: She had just 40 yards to go and yet she vanished. "Up and Vanished" led a man to confess to killing a . A cemetery posted a personal ad for a goose whose mate died. And there are more horrifying allegations about what may have happened to Kristin after she was last seen with Paul Flores. As of 2021, Kristen Modafferi's case remains unsolved. You can go." That young woman was Kristin Smart, and she hasn't been seen since. Ann-Marie Christian: Her parents reminded me of my parents. That turned out to be college. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Kristen has never been found. 7,781 days.. That is all it took. They took in soil, I assume, for some kind of analysis. 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. Paul Flores, right, in court with his attorney Richard Hutton in 1996. Chris Lambert says, two days after that, when Flores was interviewed by campus police, they asked how he got his black eye as well as scratches on his hands and knees. That warrant allowed them to dig up the backyard, but deputies chose not to excavate. So, she slowed down and walked with them. A lot of women felt uncomfortable around him, Flemming says. 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. Smart appeared to be under the influence of alcohol on Friday night. Chris Lambert's podcast caught the attention of millions of listeners and sparked new interest in the decades-old unsolved case of Kristin Smart. 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. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way. On May 25, 1996, friends dropped her off at an off-campus party. Cole said investigators checked out the skateboard ramp location but did not find a body. James Murphy: Well, the location where all this activity occurred is where they found the biological material. On Monday, he questioned why investigators needed to keep searching for evidence after making arrests. 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. The search for Smart did not begin until a week after her disappearance, as campus police refused to take a missing persons report from a dorm mate; the hunt only began in earnest after the student called the police and the Smart family. She had taken a job at a coffee shop to pay for a photography course at U.C. 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. As they soon learned, she had ended up at a party at an off-campus house. James Murphy: To see them in custody was a feeling of great joy for me. The two girls walked to an area off campus where there were fraternities, sororities and residential housing for students. 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. Everyone knew Paul (Flores) was creepy. To declare to the public if you stay quiet, you will get away with this. School was over, so campus police found an empty room that had been sanitized by the university's cleaning crew. Van Rooyen rules that Flores will be tried for murder in the 1996 disappearance of 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. 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: 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. I need you to listen to everything they say so we can punch holes in it. He has not been charged in those incidents. The next morning, Margarita waited to hear from Kristin. Plans & Pricing ; Podcast Statistics; PowerPress Plugin . But was there evidence possibly placing Kristin Smart at his mother's home? Chris Lambert: Kristin's father would come down and hike every trail he could find on the Central Coast. Any evidence that might have been there was long gone. So before leaving, Margarita handed over her keys to get back into Muir Hall. But a massive search did not happen until she'd been gone for more than a month. 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. But every Sunday when she called her parents, they encouraged her to stick it out. The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time When authorities later confronted him with the two stories, Flores admitted lying and offered a new explanation. Two days after her daughter went missing, Denise Smart got a call from Cal Poly's campus police. For more than two decades, her family, friends, and supporters searched for answers and for justice. They believe they can prove Paul Flores is responsible for the disappearance of Kristin Smart. 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. She was never seen again and her body has not been located. Chris Lambert: I think that might have been the biggest misstep that investigators have made to this day. Podcaster Lambert will not be called to the stand during the Kristin Smart murder hearing. He gets his arm around her torso and her arm around his neck, and he's helping her walk. Margarita Campos: She was absolutely sober when I left her. 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. And these girls are inviting us out. The two are charged in connection with the death of Cal Poly freshman Kristin Smart. 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 search for Ms. Smart, who was nicknamed Roxy, took many forms. What's going on? Cole said this was done so Lambert would include the information in his podcast during the time of the wiretap. We want to especially thank the District Attorneys Office for their relentless efforts. Missing-person posters and billboards offering rewards appeared along roads and in other public places. On Tuesday, Cole testified that Ruben clarified that he meant he was the only one of the three who had been arrested. And then months and months later, they'd reach back out and say, can you get us in touch with this person again? Through the years, the Smarts have kept pressure on the Flores family. But 22 years later, when he couldn't find any recent stories about the case, he decided to do something. Um, wherever we can punch holes. Susan's house was finally searched in March 1997 nine months after Kristin disappeared but nothing was found. He refused to answer questions during a deposition in November 1997, citing the Fifth Amendment. She left them only after he promised to take Kristin back to her dorm. Paul Flores, 44, has pleaded not guilty to a murder charge. Smart's body was recently moved from the home of Ruben Flores, a prosecutor said. Prior to the arrests, in February 2020, Flores home, his parents home, and his sisters home were searched by police. Kristen Modafferi, Kristin Smart & Kent Jacobs. 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. He promised the Smarts that solving Kristin's case would be a priority. Judge van Rooyen objects to this assertion, though: Just because (Lamberts) been served does not necessarily mean he should be excluded, he says. Marital Status: Single Characteristics: Caucasian female with brown hair and eyes. Nineteen-year-old Cal Poly student Kristin Smart went missing after a campus party 25 years ago, and, this summer, her case is finally getting its day in court. On April 19, father and son each pleaded not guilty, according to The Associated Press. She feared for her life, so did not tell anyone at the time or for years after. Det. Maybe we cant. 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. Ms. Smarts family declared her legally dead in 2002, but the search, and the investigation, continued. Jonathan Vigliotti: Was this case, given the evidence that was lost early on, doomed from the very beginning? PODCAST EPISODE 2 | WOMAN #2: You wouldn't want to be alone in a room with him. It was first reported by The Tribune, and a reporter posted snippets of documents on Twitter. It's, like, she has nothing on her. Margarita Campos: Kristin was like, "come on, let's go, let's go." It wasn't until Kristin's roommate returned to their dorm room, that Margarita realized Kristin never came home. Defense attorney Robert Sanger, in turn, tries to poke holes in Flemmings recollections. He later argued that the biological evidence found under the deck was not conclusively human blood. Back in May 1996, Kristin Smart was finishing her freshman year at California Polytechnic State University better known as Cal Poly. In June 1997, 18-year-old Kristen Modafferi arrived in San Francisco to take a photography class at UC Berkeley. A separate jury for Ruben Flores started deliberating on Oct. 5. The podcast, "Your Own Backyard,"has drawn millions of listeners and focused renewed attention on this decades old case. Don Kelsen/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images. Chris Lambert spoke with some women who knew Flores back then. Nearly a week after their arrests, father and son both pleaded not guilty in San Luis Obispo County Superior Court. 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. 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. PODCAST EPISODE 4: And he had like a butter knife and he like held it to my neck. In October 2022, Paul Flores, the man long suspected in her disappearance, was found guilty of murder. I've got her. Chris Lambert: The only thing he would confirm on tape is that his name is Paul Flores. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Her younger sister Lindsey says their mother urged Kristin to go there. On Monday, June 23rd, 1997, she arrived for work at the Crocker Galleria mall. Devastating. Paul Flores was identified as a person of interest early in the case. James Murphy: If it was, in fact, a piece of jewelry that matched Kristin's jewelry, it would have been blockbuster evidence. She was last seen in the Lands End area of San Francisco, close to where Laci and Connor washed up. Send us a tip using our anonymous form. 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 19-year-old, who is also from Charlotte and a . The defense wants to suppress some of these searches, though, claiming that they were done illegally or without warrants. I don't think she went back to her dorm at all. every piece of evidence points directly at Paul Flores. About 45 minutes after Kristen got off of work on the day she vanished, she was seen on the 2nd f. It was updated on October 22, 2022.). Paul Flores and his father both pleaded not guilty to all charges at their arraignment. Peterson may or may not have been at the party Smart disappeared after. 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. Anyone can read what you share. It also expounds on several other alleged rapes as well as unwanted sexual advances. Jonathan Vigliotti: There was a lot of focus on how Kristin was drinking what sounded a lot like victim shaming. Chris Lambert: As they describe it, Paul Flores just sort of appears out of nowhere. Plans & Pricing . PODCAST EPISODE 2 [LAMBERT READING REPORT] Smart does not have any close friends at Cal Poly.

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