And yes, we did find physical evidence at, at least two homes. She said she didn't tell law enforcement about it until she talked to Det. My job was to hunt them. It was on Memorial Day weekend 1996 that their 19-year-old daughter Kristin Smart disappeared. Lindsey Smart Stewart: I think they're, like, carrying boulders on their back. Classes were difficult, she was trying to fit in, and she missed her family. / CBS News, (This story previously aired on May 8, 2021. Kristin Smart Case Update: Where Is the Investigation Today? - Heavy.com But 22 years later, when he couldn't find any recent stories about the case, he decided to do something. IE 11 is not supported. Lambert says Kristin could not stand on her own, so fellow student Cheryl Anderson who was also at the party began helping her back to campus. Chris Lambert, who worked as a CBS News consultant, pieced together what he learned from people who were there that night. https://www.nytimes.com/article/kristin-smart-case-timeline.html. Books from this author. D.A. James Murphy: There has been no other suspect. PODCAST EPISODE 2: So, with Cheryl's account alone, we have an unsettling picture of Paul . The body of Kristin Smart, which has never been found, was recently moved from the home of Ruben Flores, a prosecutor said, according to a document filed Monday and posted on social media by a. Chris Lambert: They just have never given up and are never going to give up on their daughter. It also expounds on several other alleged rapes as well as unwanted sexual advances. Lindsey Smart Stewart: Right. 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. Kristin Smart: California jury finds man guilty in the 1996 murder of Kristen Modafferi, Kristin Smart & Kent Jacobs. I didnt understand why. Paul Flores and defense attorney Robert Sanger in court on Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021. Cole also testified that the Flores family was wiretapped for 30 days starting on January 5, 2020. She was declared legally dead in 2002. She adds that Flores said he put Smart under a skateboard ramp in Arroyo Grande. PODCAST EPISODE 3: Something shiny catches her eye next to the front driver side tire. Denise Pearce: She was becoming more and more alarmed, you know? 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.. Possible break in Kristen Modafferi case after 18 years Um, wherever we can punch holes. Denise Smart, Kristins mother, has also praised the show. People are watching Ruben Flores and Susan Flores and Paul Flores. But to fully understand Chris Lambert's contribution, you have to go back to the beginning. And might have connected Kristin to Susan Flores's house, says James Murphy. PODCAST | EPISODE 1: At least once a day I asked myself what are you doing? And six months later, when Flores was deposed by James Murphy for the Smart's civil suit, he kept quiet. 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. JAMES MURPHY: Do you have any information as to where Kristin Smart's body is located? They didn't bring a forensics team. No charges were filed, but Lambert discovered Flores's troubles started at a young age. Ruben Flores and his estranged wife Susan have always denied any role in Kristin Smart's disappearance. 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. Chris Lambert: They're hopeful, but they've also been let down so many times before. Everyone knew Paul (Flores) was creepy. She was last seen in the Lands End area of San Francisco, close to where Laci and Connor washed up. 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. Any evidence that might have been there was long gone. Peuvrelle, who said Ruben Flores has helped cover up the crime for nearly a quarter-century, would continue to do so if freed. But as Chris Lambert learned, campus police did not act right away. So, she slowed down and walked with them. James Murphy: There's no way to get evidence back once you've lost it. 2 men found drugged after leaving NYC gay bars were killed, medical examiner says. 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. Peterson. After apparently becoming intoxicated, Smart headed back to her dorm with fellow partiers Tim Davis and Cheryl Anderson. Paul Flores was charged with murder and Ruben Flores with being an accessory after the fact, accused of helping to bury her remains. The evidentiary hearing is underway and witnesses are testifying in front of Superior Court Judge Craig van Rooyen about Flores interactions with Smart. to California to search for Kristen Modafferi. But now, 25 years later, a man sits in a San Luis Obispo County Jail cell, charged with her murder. When they showed up, it was Paul Flores. 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. 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. The court document was filed before bail arguments Monday in San Luis Obispo Superior Court when the father and son were arraigned. And that's what I've been doing for a long, long time, along with a lot of other people. Los Angeles Times via Getty Images Nineteen-year-old Cal Poly student Kristin Smart went missing after a campus party 25. That witness initially came forward to Chris Lambert, who passed the information to the sheriff's office and Murphy. 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. Jonathan Vigliotti: Is this a case that takes a miracle to solve? 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. I didn't know how many people were gonna listen. Jonathan Vigliotti: There was a lot of evidence that could have been gathered, that wasn't. RUBEN FLORES: [long pause] We never asked that question. She and all who have worked so hard toward this day deserve nothing less.. 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. Just days after she disappeared, an incident report seemed to imply that Kristin's behavior contributed to her disappearance. As of 2021, Kristen Modafferi's case remains unsolved. You can go." For more than two decades, her family, friends, and supporters searched for answers and for justice. I don't think she went back to her dorm at all. She loved swimming and skiing. Alicia Tejada is the field producer and Addison Briley is the associate producer. Chris Lambert: I brought them a number of witnesses that they were very interested in. Alex Murdaugh Found Guilty of Murdering Wife and Son It's just a motivator for me. The Tribune said it got the public documents from the courthouse in the city 160 miles northwest of Los Angeles. A lot of women felt uncomfortable around him, Flemming says. Copyright 2023 Penske Business Media, LLC. 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? Meanwhile, the hearing is scheduled to conclude on Friday, when the judge will rule if prosecutors have probable cause to go to trial. But remarkably, the same thing happened with three more dogs. Because of the statute of limitations, Dow says, Paul Flores can't be charged with rape. Dennis Mahon's Podcast - Blubrry Podcasting Judge denies multiple unusual requests in Kristin Smart hearing Paul Flores did not have a car on campus, so Murphy surmises he had to have had help. Jonathan Vigliotti: How significant was that? 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. The 19-year-old, who is also from Charlotte and a . 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. 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. James Murphy: And it says wrongful death and then I put murder. I'm going to go back to the dorms. In June 1997, 18-year-old Kristen Modafferi arrived in San Francisco to take a photography class at UC Berkeley. Paul Flores pleads not guilty to the murder and attempted rape of Smart. 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. Lindsey Smart Stewart: She had traveled the world before she even made it to college. 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. The two are charged in connection with the death of Cal Poly freshman Kristin Smart. Chris Lambert: It was never marked as evidence apparently. They told her Kristin had not been seen all weekend and asked if Kristin was with them. 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. He was required to wear an electronic ankle bracelet. In October 2022,. 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. LOS ANGELES A California college student missing for nearly 25 years was once buried in the backyard of the home owned by the murder suspect's father, authorities said in a court document. It would be three more years before the property was searched again. Nearly a week after their arrests, father and son both pleaded not guilty in San Luis Obispo County Superior Court. A jury acquitted Ruben Flores of the charge of being an accessory after the fact. Denise Pearce | Longtime family friend: Things were gonna get better and, you know, and and they did. Peterson may or may not have been at the party Smart disappeared after. His father, Ruben Flores, pleads not guilty to being an accessory to the crime after the fact. The search for Kristin Smart never ends for her family In a civil lawsuit, the Smarts' attorney claims that Kristin's remains were buried at one time on Paul Flores' father's property. At the time, they did not know about a missing college student. On June 23, 1997, Kristen left the coffee shop where she worked, Spinelli's Coffee in San Francisco's Crocker Galleria. They were soon joined by another partygoer, Paul Flores. DAN DOW [press conference]: The allegation against Ruben is that he helped to conceal Kristen's body after the murder was committed. But Murphy says there were other incidents that should have raised alarm bells about him with law enforcement from the very beginning. Four months after that futile search, Paul Flores was brought before a grand jury. There was early mistakes made that you can't recover from when you're missing those vital pieces. Paul Flores, right, in court with his attorney Richard Hutton in 1996. An important tip came in after a February 2020 search of Paul, Susan and Ruben's properties. Was the beeping in a backyard coming from Kristin Smart's watch 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. 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. Kristen Modafferi - Unsolved Mysteries 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. Ann-Marie Christian: Her parents reminded me of my parents. Jonathan Vigliotti: She had just 40 yards to go and yet she vanished. 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. ", Although suspicion surrounded Flores almost from the beginning, any hopes for an arrest were dashed in May 1997 when then-Sheriff Ed Williams made an admission to the San Luis Obispo Telegraph: "We need Paul Flores to tell us what happened to Kristin Smart so absent something from Mr. Flores, I don't see us completing this case.". There's no question about it. Chris Lambert: They didn't bring cadaver dogs with them. They havent revealed what was found but returned to the yard for additional digging after the arrests. And the body's not there now. The mother is washing her car in the driveway at one point. Ms. Smarts family declared her legally dead in 2002, but the search, and the investigation, continued. Margarita Campos: To this day, like, I was like, why why did I just let her go by herself? The authorities removed items from Paul Floress home in Los Angeles in February 2020. The 100 Best Albums of 2022. And they told Lambert they weren't surprised when they heard about Flores's connection to Kristin's disappearance. That turned out to be college. 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. A trailer was reportedly parked at Ruben's residence at odd hours and Paul's mother, Susan Flores, and her boyfriend were there. Then, in 2011, Ian Parkinson was elected sheriff. Cole said investigators checked out the skateboard ramp location but did not find a body. She was pushing herself out of her comfort zone. He says they are Ruben's ex-wife Susan and her boyfriend. And for the first time clues about what may have happened to Kristin Smart. An earring that appeared to match the necklace Kristin is wearing on the billboard. Ruben Flores was acquitted by a separate jury. First published on November 28, 2020 / 11:10 PM. Chris Lambert: A young couple moves into it with their kid. Berkeley. On October 18, 2022, Paul Flores was found guilty of first-degree murder. A college student at North Carolina State University, ABC 7 writes that Modafferi had received a scholarship to work and live in a different city for the summer. 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 200 Greatest Singers of All Time We just, "do you know anything about it". Margarita Campos: Kristin was like, "come on, let's go, let's go." To think that you're going to finally get some resolution, and then it doesn't happen the way it's supposed to. She was looking forward to hearing from Kristin that Sunday. Her dorm entrance is right over here. Ms. Smarts acquaintances were interviewed. On Monday, June 23rd, 1997, she arrived for work at the Crocker Galleria mall. That mother, Mary Lassiter, described it to Chris Lambert. 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. There is no evidence of a murder and no evidence of a rape, Sanger added. No remains have been found. We are now one step closer to justice for Kristin. 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. His father, Ruben, is charged as an accessory. Proof of the L.A. charges cant act as a substitute for the SLO case.. Cole also talked about his interview with Jennifer Hudson in November 2019. The two girls walked to an area off campus where there were fraternities, sororities and residential housing for students. Chris Lambert: At that point I don't think they had ever dealt with a missing person, a possibly murdered person. Copyright 2021 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Kristen has facial dimples. 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. I also brought them witnesses that they had no interest in whatsoever. Testimony resumes at the Kristin Smart hearing after a week off. "48 Hours" has learned these suspicions center around evidence found during that 2020 search of Paul Flores' home. That's been our goal. Also included is the result of a February 4th, 2020 search of Paul Flores San Pedro home, where San Luis Obispo County Sheriffs investigators seized electronic devices that featured videos showing Flores having sex with seemingly incapacitated women. 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. And my roommate actually kicked down the door to make him stop. Flores was also in possession of Tramadol and Flexeril, known as date rape drugs. 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 was there evidence possibly placing Kristin Smart at his mother's home? 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. There was no reaction until the dog reached Paul Flores's room. Back in May 1996, Kristin Smart was finishing her freshman year at California Polytechnic State University better known as Cal Poly. James Murphy: The podcast is out. Also on the stand Tuesday were another cadaver dog handler, an expert in fiber evidence and a district attorney's office investigator. They also did not focus on Paul Flores immediately, waiting six days to formally interview him. The Mysterious Disappearance Of Kristen Modafferi - Grunge.com Cole said he has the admission on a digital tape recording. 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. But a massive search did not happen until she'd been gone for more than a month. Kristen Deborah Modafferi (born June 1, 1979; disappeared June 23, 1997) is an American woman who, in the early summer of 1997, disappeared in mysterious circumstances after leaving her work at the Crocker Galleria Mall in San Francisco, California. Those were kind of unspoken things. But cadaver dogs told a different story. He also said that law enforcement leaked information to "Your Own Backyard" podcaster Chris Lambert. He had a smirk when he said it, like it was a joke, she says. Chris Lambert's podcast caught the attention of millions of listeners and sparked new interest in the decades-old unsolved case of Kristin Smart. Shocking allegations in newly unsealed docs in Kristin Smart case The Disappearance of Kristin Smart: What Happened and What's Next 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. She left them only after he promised to take Kristin back to her dorm. Remember, Flores's room had been emptied and thoroughly cleaned. 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. 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. Smart was declared dead in 2002. I was afraid Id end up missing or buried someplace, she says. Kristen has never been found. 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. Margarita Campos: I mean, she was gone. "Up and Vanished" led a man to confess to killing a . 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. What happened to Kristen Modafferi? One man's 20-year search for Paul Flores, 44, has pleaded not guilty to a murder charge. Kristen Modafferi | Unsolved Mysteries Wiki | Fandom The prosecution upholds the validity of these searches, including one of Flores dorm room that was done after he moved out. 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. 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. But Paul Flores remained behind bars help without bail. 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.". 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.. James Murphy: An eyewitness actually documented the fact that throughout the night that there was activity in the area of the underside of that deck. Det. Chris Lambert: That's the upsetting part about it, isn't it? The county sheriffs office searched his room once more during the weekend of June 29th, when a team of cadaver dogs signaled the smell of human decay. 3. Ms. Smart, 19, was a freshman at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo when she disappeared in 1996. Why? The last person to see her alive,. The sheriff's office seized the trailer and Det. That warrant allowed them to dig up the backyard, but deputies chose not to excavate. 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. 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. And so, she pulled me into this sort of like, "oh come on, let's socialize. So, I said, "you better turn some lights on right now and let me out or I'm going to scream." 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.