Murphy immediately filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Flores in civil court. There is no evidence of a murder and no evidence of a rape, Sanger added. The Strange Disappearance of Kristen Modafferi - Medium But Paul Flores remained behind bars help without bail. James Murphy: To see them in custody was a feeling of great joy for me. 3. JAMES MURPHY: Has your son ever told you that he did not kill Kristin Smart? In June 1997, 18-year-old Kristen Modafferi arrived in San Francisco to take a photography class at UC Berkeley. Also on the stand Tuesday were another cadaver dog handler, an expert in fiber evidence and a district attorney's office investigator. A trailer was reportedly parked at Ruben's residence at odd hours and Paul's mother, Susan Flores, and her boyfriend were there. We feel like the stars aligned when the podcast aired, she told Rolling Stone. There's no question about it. September 15, 2017. In October 2022, Paul Flores, the man long suspected in her disappearance, was found guilty of murder. Kristen Modafferi, Kristin Smart & Kent Jacobs. Flores wasn't talking. Chris Lambert: Paul keeps stopping along the way and letting Cheryl Anderson know, you can go on ahead. Murder of Kristin Smart - Wikipedia She adds that Flores said he put Smart under a skateboard ramp in Arroyo Grande. But it's Susan Flores's concrete backyard that initially received a lot of attention. Chris Lambert: At that point I don't think they had ever dealt with a missing person, a possibly murdered person. Jonathan Vigliotti: She had just 40 yards to go and yet she vanished. Four months after that futile search, Paul Flores was brought before a grand jury. Just weeks later, Kristin's frustrated parents contacted James Murphy, a local civil attorney. Like the rest of the family, Kristin was an athlete. Cole also testified that on March 9, 2020, a witness reported some suspicious activity at the property. 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. 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. True crime podcasting is not something that particularly captivated me, Lambert told Rolling Stonelast year. The Mysterious Disappearance Of Kristen Modafferi - Grunge.com All of Kristin's personal belongings including her purse, her money, her I.D. Peuvrelle, who said Ruben Flores has helped cover up the crime for nearly a quarter-century, would continue to do so if freed. And the complaint has some explosive claims about what led investigators to focus under Ruben's deck in the first place. But now, 25 years later, a man sits in a San Luis Obispo County Jail cell, charged with her murder. Chris Lambert: I think that might have been the biggest misstep that investigators have made to this day. She and all who have worked so hard toward this day deserve nothing less.. He built the home on White Court for Ruben and Susan Flores in 1991. but I knew that I could try to do a small part. Paul Flores, right, in court with his attorney Richard Hutton in 1996. And DNA evidence could not be found linking any other evidence to Kristin. And then months and months later, they'd reach back out and say, can you get us in touch with this person again? Murphy and Sinclair promised the Smarts the billboard will stay until their daughter is found. The authorities removed items from Paul Floress home in Los Angeles in February 2020. Smart appeared to be under the influence of alcohol on Friday night. JAMES MURPHY: Do you have any information as to where Kristin Smart's body is located? How are we not all talking about this every day until shes found?, Editors picks 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. Det. Kristin Smart case: Suspects Paul and Ruben Flores arrested in the Podcaster Lambert will not be called to the stand during the Kristin Smart murder hearing. 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. Axel Koester/Sygma via Getty Images The. Chris Lambert: They did a significant amount of digging underneath the house. By herself, which is pretty amazing. It was on Memorial Day weekend 1996 that their 19-year-old daughter Kristin Smart disappeared. Im not going to exclude a member of the media (for doing their job).. Chris Lambert: Around the time Kristin disappeared, they cut out planter boxes in the backyard, so they cut out big chunks of concrete and filled it in with soil. You can go." That's when the campus police finally handed the investigation over to The San Luis Obispo Sheriff's Office but they did not find Kristin. Smart was talking with and socializing with several different males at the party. But Lindsey says her sister was happiest when she was traveling. So, she slowed down and walked with them. Was the beeping in a backyard coming from Kristin Smart's watch Five months after Kristin Smart disappeared, Paul Flores was brought before a grand jury but no charges were ever filed. Her parents, Denise and Stan were both educators who encouraged their kids' passions. The podcast, "Your Own Backyard,"has drawn millions of listeners and focused renewed attention on this decades old case. How 'Your Own Backyard' podcast led to arrests in Kristin Smart murder Nikki Rodriguez, a spokeswoman for the court, said the documents were not supposed to be public. They told her Kristin had not been seen all weekend and asked if Kristin was with them. 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. They might have found evidence in those vehicles. D.A. PODCAST | EPISODE 1: At least once a day I asked myself what are you doing? I guess the answer is yes. But Paul Flores was never charged with any of these incidents. 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. Wenn Sie Ihre Auswahl anpassen mchten, klicken Sie auf Datenschutzeinstellungen verwalten. Ms. Smart, who was from Stockton, Calif., was a freshman at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. The court document was filed before bail arguments Monday in San Luis Obispo Superior Court when the father and son were arraigned. 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. It is every parent's worst nightmare. Please enter valid email address to continue. 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. 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. And yes, we believe it's linked to Kristin. JAMES MURPHY: Your husband have information as to where Kristin Smart's body is located? 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. Kristen was in her first year at Cal Poly when she vanished in 1996. 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. 2020 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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. He refused to answer questions during a deposition in November 1997, citing the Fifth Amendment. In his complaint, Murphy alleges, along with Ruben, there were two other unnamed individuals. His father, Ruben, will be tried as an accessory to the crime. For more than two decades, her family, friends, and supporters searched for answers and for justice. And while they did not rush to investigate Flores, Kristin's family says campus police were very quick to judge her. Cole said that Ruben then clarified that he meant he was the only one of the three to have been arrested. KSBY will have more on what takes place in court on KSBY.com and KSBY News at 5 and 6 p.m. 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. The search for Kristin Smart never ends for her family Judge denies multiple unusual requests in Kristin Smart hearing 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. 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. They asked him not to use their names: PODCAST EPISODE 2 | WOMAN #1: Well his nickname was "Scary Paul.". 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. Cole went to his White Court home to collect it on May 19, 2021. I don't know if Kristin knew anybody there. Kristen Modafferi, Kristin Smart & Kent Jacobs. Due to the evidence gleaned from the excavation, it is reasonable to believe Ruben Flores currently knows the location of Kristin Smarts remains," Peuvrelle said. But to fully understand Chris Lambert's contribution, you have to go back to the beginning. Jonathan Vigliotti: There was a lot of evidence that could have been gathered, that wasn't. The defense also tells Lambert he will not be allowed back in the courtroom where he has been covering the hearing as he is now a potential witness. (Pool photo by Dave Minsky/Santa Maria Times). Even though he'd never investigated anything before, Lambert quit his job to create a podcast about the case. The police searched her dorm room in Muir Hall, finding her wallet and reminders to turn in assignments. Kristen Modafferi - Unsolved Mysteries PODCAST EPISODE 3: Something shiny catches her eye next to the front driver side tire. Kristin Smart went missing on May 25, 1996 while attending California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and has not been heard from since. Denise Pearce says that was a crushing blow for the Smart family. Like what may have been discovered in March 2021 when investigators searched Ruben Flores' house using cadaver dogs and ground penetrating radar. D.A. He promised the Smarts that solving Kristin's case would be a priority. Kristen Modafferi, Kristin Smart & Kent Jacobs. Kristen has facial dimples. Another frustration for the Smarts: at the time Kristin disappeared, investigators weren't aware that Paul Flores's parents were separated and living apart. Cole also talked about his interview with Jennifer Hudson in November 2019. In 2011, the Smarts hoped those boulders would become a little lighter when Ian Parkinson became the . Margarita Campos: I was expecting her to knock on my door and be, like, "Oh, Margarita, you missed a rager. 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. Jonathan Vigliotti: There was a lot of focus on how Kristin was drinking what sounded a lot like victim shaming. / CBS News, (This story previously aired on May 8, 2021. "Should he be allowed bail, it is a virtual certainty that he would use his freedom to continue his attempts to help Paul Flores thwart prosecution in this case and continue to hide her remains.. 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. "Up and Vanished" led a man to confess to killing a . . It also expounds on several other alleged rapes as well as unwanted sexual advances. Weitere Informationen ber die Verwendung Ihrer personenbezogenen Daten finden Sie in unserer Datenschutzerklrung und unserer Cookie-Richtlinie. I didn't know how many people were gonna listen. What happens next? I'm going to go back to the dorms. The trial got underway with opening statements on July 18 in Monterey County Superior Court in Salinas. So, when they were invited to a party that Friday night, Kristin was excited to go. But Murphy says there were other incidents that should have raised alarm bells about him with law enforcement from the very beginning. James Murphy and Garin Sinclair look at the billboard that has been in their front yard for more than two decades. 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. Chris Lambert: Kristin's father would come down and hike every trail he could find on the Central Coast.