Kristen Modafferi - Unsolved Mysteries The court document was filed before bail arguments Monday in San Luis Obispo Superior Court when the father and son were arraigned. Even more difficult to understand was why they waited two months to search the family home where Paul Flores was living with his father, Ruben. 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.
Human Remains Possibly Found In Home Of Missing Woman Kristen Modafferi 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. Denise Pearce: The investigation was completely botched by the campus police. D.A. She was last seen in the Lands End area of San Francisco, close to where Laci and Connor washed up. She was pushing herself out of her comfort zone. I need you to listen to everything they say so we can punch holes in it. Chris Lambert: I personally think that wherever Kristin went, Paul was there with her. Chris Lambert, who worked as a CBS News consultant, pieced together what he learned from people who were there that night. When asked about how he got the injury Flores told three different stories. 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.. He was not welcome.. Just five months before Kristin disappeared, San Luis Obispo Police received a call from a student living off campus. RUBEN FLORES: [long pause] We never asked that question. And there would be more disappointment in 2007, after the Smart's legal team searched a small portion of Susan Flores's backyard with ground penetrating radar and did not find any evidence. Paul Flores did not have a car on campus, so Murphy surmises he had to have had help. 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. She withdrew money from the bank, a surveillance camera capturing what are . 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 reporter for The Tribune of San Luis Obispo. Nineteen-year-old Kristin Smart disappeared Memorial Day weekend of 1996. The prosecution upholds the validity of these searches, including one of Flores dorm room that was done after he moved out. Jonathan Vigliotti: And that weighs on you. 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. James Murphy: To see them in custody was a feeling of great joy for me. Margarita Campos: But when we got to the house it was pretty dead too, it was really -- it was like a couple of roommates hanging out playing video games And Kristin was, like oh gosh, there has to be something better than this. I did have guilt about that. They took in soil, I assume, for some kind of analysis. Flores defense team moves to recuse the San Luis Obispo County District Attorneys Office from the Smart case because prosecutor Peuvrelle and others have been seen wearing purple clothing, Smarts favorite color. In the months after Kristin's disappearance, one truck was traded in and the other was reported stolen. I knocked on her door, and I thought she was just sleeping, or she went out and about, you know? 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. DAN DOW [press conference]: We intend to use evidence of other sexual crimes in this prosecution to prove the facts necessary for the attempted rape in this case. Kristen has never been found. Margarita Campos: I mean, she was gone. "Up and Vanished" led a man to confess to killing a . In a statement, the Smart family described a long wait for this bittersweet day.. But the judge indicated he would set a reasonable bail amount Wednesday for the father, who has health problems is currently in the San Luis Obispo jail on $250,000 bail. Margarita Campos: I was a little bit more introverted and inhibited and she was like, "no, we have to go out and we have to go like live life." D.A. Helicopters were used to canvas the area. He wouldn't answer a single thing. Three more witnesses are expected to take the stand on Thursday, including two cadaver dog handlers.___. Jonathan Vigliotti: What toll over time did this have on your parents? But Mary Lassiter says the earring matched the necklace Kristin is seen wearing on the billboard. Chris Lambert: I brought them a number of witnesses that they were very interested in. 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. Cole went to his White Court home to collect it on May 19, 2021. 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. And the body's not there now. Her books are available on Amazon. In a civil lawsuit, the Smarts' attorney claims that Kristin's remains were buried at one time on Paul Flores' father's property. He had a smirk when he said it, like it was a joke, she says.
What happened to Kristen Modafferi? One man's 20-year search for Cole said that Ruben then clarified that he meant he was the only one of the three to have been arrested. Then, in 2011, Ian Parkinson was elected sheriff. He says Smart seemed uncomfortable but was too nice to ask the boy to leave. 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. PODCAST EPISODE 4: So, I walk him up to his sister's apartment, and all of a sudden, he just like picked me up, carried me inside, turned around and shut the apartment door, and locked it. Proof of the L.A. charges cant act as a substitute for the SLO case.. It is also what the Smarts have been waiting for for more than a quarter of a century. The judge in the case has issued a gag order preventing lawyers, investigators, witnesses and others from speaking about the case or releasing documents. PODCAST EPISODE 4: And he had like a butter knife and he like held it to my neck. You wouldn't let any of your friends be drunk around him. It's just a motivator for me. As they soon learned, she had ended up at a party at an off-campus house. On Oct. 18, Paul Flores was found guilty of murdering Ms. Smart. 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. I guess the answer is yes. putting murder on the lawsuit was sending a message to Paul Flores and his family, that we believe that he killed Kristin and that we're coming for him. PODCAST EPISODE 1: Kristin broke down begging her mother to let her drop out and go somewhere else. She writes about missing persons, unsolved murders, and human rights. A very close-knit family. 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. Like the rest of the family, Kristin was an athlete. So, when they were invited to a party that Friday night, Kristin was excited to go. Defense Attorney Sanger calls the move a stunning lack of objectivity.. In his mug shot, a black eye can faintly been seen. ", 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.". DAN DOW [press conference]: We have evidence that we do believe there are other people that are not yet identified that have had some kind of a criminal act perpetrated on them by Mr. Flores. Paul Flores pleads not guilty to the murder and attempted rape of Smart. James Murphy: I'd love to do anything to end their suffering. Remember, Flores's room had been emptied and thoroughly cleaned. 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. How are we not all talking about this every day until shes found?, Editors picks Chris Lambert: At that point I don't think they had ever dealt with a missing person, a possibly murdered person. 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. They're known for being a really safe school.". Once, he says, Flores was lurking in the lobby of Smarts dorm at 1 a.m.; another time, he says he saw the man in Smarts dorm room. She adds that Flores said he put Smart under a skateboard ramp in Arroyo Grande. Kristin's mother, Denise Smart, spent Memorial Day weekend at a swim meet with her two younger kids. Soon after her disappearance, a sheriffs search party combed remote parts of the Cal Poly campus on horseback, archival video from KCRA-TV shows. I'm going to go back to the dorms. She didn't think that was OK. She was never seen again and her body has not been located. How could she have gone out of town? I've got her. The next month, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriffs Office took over from the Cal Poly police as the lead investigators. And I was, like, "uh OK, fine.". Cadaver dogs trained to detect human decomposition were deployed by the F.B.I. Everyone knew Paul (Flores) was creepy. I didnt understand why. Dozens of community members on Saturday evening gathered for a vigil at Santa Rosa Park in San Luis Obispo to light candles in the memory of Kristin Smart, the Cal 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. They did an interview with the Cal Poly Mustang Daily and explained that they didn't think there was any evidence that a crime had taken place. Please come with me." Lindsey Smart Stewart: Right. James Murphy: That suggests that something bad happened in Paul Flores's dorm room. 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. True crime podcasting is not something that particularly captivated me, Lambert told Rolling Stonelast year. Kristen Modafferi, Kristin Smart & Kent Jacobs. 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. Smart was declared dead in 2002. James Murphy: Having a black eye doesn't make you guilty of anything but if the person you were with disappeared from the planet that's physical evidence. What Chris did was take a local story and turn it into an international story. 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. Maybe we cant. A lot of women felt uncomfortable around him, Flemming says. We feel like the stars aligned when the podcast aired, she told Rolling Stone. Today, we make the first move toward bringing justice to Kristin, her family, and the people of San Luis Obispo County.. 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. 1 of 47. 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. James Murphy: They brought in the first dog and they'd had the dog go through the dorms. 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. Kristen was in her first year at Cal Poly when she vanished in 1996. Chris Lambert says they're cautiously optimistic. It worked. 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He also said that law enforcement leaked information to "Your Own Backyard" podcaster Chris Lambert. 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. His father, Ruben Flores, pleads not guilty to being an accessory to the crime after the fact. A cemetery posted a personal ad for a goose whose mate died. Chris Lambert: I think that might have been the biggest misstep that investigators have made to this day. The judge rules that the DA cannot be disqualified for wearing purple clothing. Just very involved with their children. Onuma was evicted from a Kaneohe, Hawaii residence after his connection to the Kristen Modafferi . 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). to California to search for Kristen Modafferi. Our family has always known that this was going to be a long, difficult, and emotional journey. Nineteen-year-old Kristin Smart disappeared Memorial Day weekend of 1996. Joe Johnston/The Tribune (of San Luis Obispo), via Associated Press. Murphy has filed a new civil suit against Ruben Flores for the intentional infliction of emotional distress. Marital Status: Single Characteristics: Caucasian female with brown hair and eyes. 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 . For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. 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.. 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. Back in May 1996, Kristin Smart was finishing her freshman year at California Polytechnic State University better known as Cal Poly. In 1997 when Paul Flores was deposed for the civil suit, the only thing he would confirm on tape was his name. The next morning, Margarita waited to hear from Kristin. Prosecutor Chris Peuvrelle asked him if he found the remains of any monkeys or ferrets or any human bodies on the property. Kristen Modafferi, Kristin Smart & Kent Jacobs. 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. "48 Hours" looks back to their arrests and how the saga began. Authorities made clear that they plan to use Flores' alleged predatory behavior against him. Cole also talked about his interview with Jennifer Hudson in November 2019. 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. We are now one step closer to justice for Kristin. JAMES MURPHY: Has your son ever told you that he did not kill Kristin Smart? Kristen Modafferi, Kristin Smart & Kent Jacobs. "48 Hours" has learned these suspicions center around evidence found during that 2020 search of Paul Flores' home. Jonathan Vigliotti: And that phone call never comes. They also uncovered videos in a folder labeled practice that featured women wearing ball gags and in other fetish positions. D.A. 7,781 days.. That is all it took. 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. The lawsuit claims they were moving Kristin's remains. 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.
What happened to Kristen Modafferi? - AdvertisingRow.com Ruben Flores, 80, has pleaded not guilty to a charge of accessory after the murder for hiding Smart's body after his son allegedly killed her. 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. Related Stories 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. 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. 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.". There is no evidence of a murder and no evidence of a rape, Sanger added. They were soon joined by another partygoer, Paul Flores. And while they did not rush to investigate Flores, Kristin's family says campus police were very quick to judge her.
Detective in Kristin Smart case testifies human blood - KSBY [emotional] I will go outside at nighttime and I'll look up at the full moon and I'll think that that kid's buried somewhere real close. His father was found not guilty of helping to hide her body. James Murphy: He lied to the police about everything. Testimony is expected to continue Wednesday. Paul Flores isnt granted bail, with Judge Craig B. 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. "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. 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. The hearing began August 2 and is expected to last into at least next week. But Parkinson acknowledges it hasn't been easy. The defense wants to suppress some of these searches, though, claiming that they were done illegally or without warrants.
Dennis Mahon's Podcast No charges were filed, but Lambert discovered Flores's troubles started at a young age. The last person to see her alive,. 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. Paul Flores is charged with the murder of Kristin Smart, who disappeared from Cal Poly in 1996. Jonathan Vigliotti: Was this case, given the evidence that was lost early on, doomed from the very beginning? Lindsey Smart Stewart: I think they're, like, carrying boulders on their back.
PODCAST EPISODE 2 [LAMBERT READING REPORT] Smart does not have any close friends at Cal Poly. But I've seen it. Lindsey Smart Stewart: She had traveled the world before she even made it to college. 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. 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. Prior to the arrests, in February 2020, Flores home, his parents home, and his sisters home were searched by police. In the crowd, taking it all in, was that podcaster, Chris Lambert. 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. Kristen Modafferi, Kristin Smart & Kent Jacobs. Lindsey Smart Stewart: "You should go to Cal Poly. That warrant allowed them to dig up the backyard, but deputies chose not to excavate. Kristen Modafferi: Onuma and the Briefcase. Even worse they never sealed his dorm room. 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. I didn't know how many people were gonna listen. On July 21, Kristin Smarts parents and her brother, Matt, testified about how they had searched for her after her disappearance. That's been our goal. James Murphy: It was just a sad phone call to have somebody say, our daughter disappeared and we think she's the victim of foul play and we'd like to pursue the guy that we think is responsible. 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. In the meantime, Paul Flores moved to Southern California, where he bounced from job to job. His father, Ruben, is charged as an accessory. Case It would be three more years before the property was searched again. And my roommate actually kicked down the door to make him stop. The Smart family filed a $40 million wrongful death lawsuit against Paul Flores in 1997, but he was not immediately charged criminally in the case. James Murphy and Garin Sinclair look at the billboard that has been in their front yard for more than two decades. Defense attorney Robert Sanger, in turn, tries to poke holes in Flemmings recollections. Chris Lambert: He actually hit his eye on his steering wheel in the middle of the night while changing his stereo. JAMES MURPHY: Do you have any information as to where Kristin Smart's body is located? I don't know if Kristin knew anybody there. An important tip came in after a February 2020 search of Paul, Susan and Ruben's properties. According to a county probation bail report obtained by the San Luis Obispo Tribune, "biological evidence" was found under Ruben's deck. He later argued that the biological evidence found under the deck was not conclusively human blood. and I was like, "Noooo.". Paul Flores, 44, has pleaded not guilty to a murder charge. James Murphy: Every day. 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In March 2021, investigators used cadaver dogs and ground-penetrating radar to search Ruben Floress property in Arroyo Grande, Calif. Paul Flores was taken into custody at his home in the San Pedro section of Los Angeles on April 13, 2021, and was charged with murder. D.A. He later told investigators that he walked her as far as his dorm, where they parted ways. He's going to find her body, which is awful for a parent. By the time Cal Poly police began investigating, Kristin had been gone for four days. Jonathan Vigliotti: Is there any doubt in your mind that Paul Flores is responsible for the disappearance of Kristin Smart? (Pool photo by Dave Minsky/Santa Maria Times). Copyright 2023 Penske Business Media, LLC. The trial got underway with opening statements on July 18 in Monterey County Superior Court in Salinas. Four months later, while attempting to reconcile, Susan rented out her house in Arroyo Grande. 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. DAN DOW [press conference]: The allegation against Ruben is that he helped to conceal Kristen's body after the murder was committed. A missing-person report was filed with the campus police on May 28.