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. Missing-person posters and billboards offering rewards appeared along roads and in other public places. But you have to understand, she was a really independent free spirit. But as Chris Lambert learned, campus police did not act right away. Lambert began looking into what happened to Kristin, collecting articles and documents, chasing down leads and tracking down anyone with information. Kristin's mother, Denise Smart, spent Memorial Day weekend at a swim meet with her two younger kids. Weitere Informationen ber die Verwendung Ihrer personenbezogenen Daten finden Sie in unserer Datenschutzerklrung und unserer Cookie-Richtlinie. 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. 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. Meanwhile, the hearing is scheduled to conclude on Friday, when the judge will rule if prosecutors have probable cause to go to trial. School was over, so campus police found an empty room that had been sanitized by the university's cleaning crew. Chris Lambert: There was a man climbing her trellis and trying to get inside her balcony, very intoxicated and refusing to leave. Cole said that Ruben then clarified that he meant he was the only one of the three to have been arrested. Mesick argued there were many innocent explanations why soil had previously been dug up in the yard. Paul Flores may have wanted a fresh start in Southern California, but Chris Lambert says, he could not seem to break old habits. JAMES MURPHY: Does your son have any information as to where Kristin Smart's body is located? I was afraid Id end up missing or buried someplace, she says. Ian Parkinson: I committed to them that I was going to go back to the beginning and re-examine every piece of evidence that we had. 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. 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.. But was there evidence possibly placing Kristin Smart at his mother's home? Susan Flores and her boyfriend were never charged in the case. 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. Kristen Modafferi, Kristin Smart & Kent Jacobs. 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: 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. PODCAST | EPISODE 1: At least once a day I asked myself what are you doing? And yes, we did find physical evidence at, at least two homes. Another frustration for the Smarts: at the time Kristin disappeared, investigators weren't aware that Paul Flores's parents were separated and living apart. They were after Paul Flores for an outstanding DUI warrant. And Murphy and Sinclair believe they can prove it. Ann-Marie Christian: became friends with Kristin in elementary school. 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. To declare to the public if you stay quiet, you will get away with this. Remember, Flores's room had been emptied and thoroughly cleaned. Jonathan Vigliotti: How significant was that? She left around 2 a.m. and was accompanied by Paul Flores, who was also a student at Cal Poly. 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. A cemetery posted a personal ad for a goose whose mate died. In October 2022, Paul Flores, the man long suspected in her disappearance, was found guilty of murder. Chris Lambert: They just have never given up and are never going to give up on their daughter. Smarts remains have never been found, but authorities recently said they believe they know where she was buried, though they havent disclosed the location. And might have connected Kristin to Susan Flores's house, says James Murphy. Defense attorney Robert Sanger, in turn, tries to poke holes in Flemmings recollections. Axel Koester/Sygma via Getty Images The. 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. 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. Ann-Marie Christian: Her parents reminded me of my parents. Whatever happened in those early hours, one thing is indisputable: Kristin Smart has never been seen again. SUSAN FLORES: [Long pause, grabs water bottle] Of course not. His father was found not guilty of helping to hide her body. 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. Nikki Rodriguez, a spokeswoman for the court, said the documents were not supposed to be public. He discussed some of the evidence that was collected during searches of the property, including anomalies in the backyard and a 4-foot deep hole under the deck containing fibers and human blood. The mother is washing her car in the driveway at one point. With them is a group of FBI evidence response team members and a search warrant. Also on the stand Tuesday were another cadaver dog handler, an expert in fiber evidence and a district attorney's office investigator. 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. Denise Pearce says that was a crushing blow for the Smart family. PODCAST EPISODE 1: Kristin broke down begging her mother to let her drop out and go somewhere 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. She was declared legally dead in 2002. 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. Axel Koester/Sygma via Getty Images. He invoked the Fifth Amendment 27 times. Ruben will be released on bail that he can afford. Murphy and Sinclair promised the Smarts the billboard will stay until their daughter is found. and I was like, "Noooo.". Det. In the crowd, taking it all in, was that podcaster, Chris Lambert. Cadaver dogs were sent into Paul Floress dorm room. On April 19, father and son each pleaded not guilty, according to The Associated Press. Jonathan Vigliotti: Is this a case that takes a miracle to solve? 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 judge rules that the DA cannot be disqualified for wearing purple clothing. But a massive search did not happen until she'd been gone for more than a month. It also expounds on several other alleged rapes as well as unwanted sexual advances. 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. Kristen was in her first year at Cal Poly when she vanished in 1996. Kristin Smart went missing on May 25, 1996 while attending California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and has not been heard from since. She adds that Flores said he put Smart under a skateboard ramp in Arroyo Grande. 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. James Murphy: Every day. Chris Lambert: Everything else, he took the Fifth Amendment. Ian Parkinson: Yes. Lindsey Smart Stewart: It just amazes me the amount of evidence that's available, yet nothing has happened. To think that you're going to finally get some resolution, and then it doesn't happen the way it's supposed to. 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. 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. Cole went to his White Court home to collect it on May 19, 2021. Jonathan Vigliotti: And that phone call never comes. The lawsuit claims they were moving Kristin's remains. Lindsey Smart Stewart: Right. 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. She had taken a job at a coffee shop to pay for a photography course at U.C. 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. The day after my sister disappeared, Paul Flores had a black eye and scratches on him. Susan's house was finally searched in March 1997 nine months after Kristin disappeared but nothing was found. He wouldn't answer a single thing. The defense questions Hudson about her drug use, but she says she was not doing drugs at the time. He had a smirk when he said it, like it was a joke, she says. Alex Murdaugh Found Guilty of Murdering Wife and Son D.A. D.A. The judge in the case has issued a gag order preventing lawyers, investigators, witnesses and others from speaking about the case or releasing documents. The Kristin Smart disappearance: After 26 years, Paul Flores is convicted of murder. When authorities later confronted him with the two stories, Flores admitted lying and offered a new explanation. According to a county probation bail report obtained by the San Luis Obispo Tribune, "biological evidence" was found under Ruben's deck. The podcast, "Your Own Backyard,"has drawn millions of listeners and focused renewed attention on this decades old case. Chris Lambert: I think that might have been the biggest misstep that investigators have made to this day. https://www.nytimes.com/article/kristin-smart-case-timeline.html. JAMES MURPHY: What is the name of your father? The evidentiary hearing is underway and witnesses are testifying in front of Superior Court Judge Craig van Rooyen about Flores interactions with 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. She writes about missing persons, unsolved murders, and human rights. I didnt understand why. Like the rest of the family, Kristin was an athlete. Through the years, the Smarts have kept pressure on the Flores family. Below, Rolling Stone outlines where the Smart case is now: San Luis Obispo District Attorney Dan Dow announces chargesagainst Paul Flores and his father Ruben in connection with what he calls the 1996 homicide of Cal Poly student Kristin Smart. They didn't bring a forensics team. Just weeks later, Kristin's frustrated parents contacted James Murphy, a local civil attorney. The last person to see her alive,. Other witnesses included students who were at the party. Authorities made clear that they plan to use Flores' alleged predatory behavior against him. Chris Lambert was just 8 years old when Kristin Smart vanished on her way home from a college party in San Luis Obispo, California. 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 to search on and near the Cal Poly campus. When they were deposed by James Murphy, they also insisted their son was not involved. 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. PODCAST EPISODE 4: And he had like a butter knife and he like held it to my neck. Convicted killer Scott Peterson is expected to be called to the witness stand at a pre-trial hearing in California involving the 25-year-old disappearance of co-ed Kristin Smart. Just very involved with their children. Cadaver dogs trained to detect human decomposition were deployed by the F.B.I. 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. James Murphy: There's no way to get evidence back once you've lost it. Her parents, Denise and Stan were both educators who encouraged their kids' passions. Paul Flores is charged with first-degree murder and is accused of killing Smart while attempting to rape her. In the months after Kristin's disappearance, one truck was traded in and the other was reported stolen. James Murphy: So why would Susan Flores, her boyfriend, and Ruben Flores be up all night long working under that deck. He says they are Ruben's ex-wife Susan and her boyfriend. Mike McHugh is the producer-editor. Today, we make the first move toward bringing justice to Kristin, her family, and the people of San Luis Obispo County.. That technology uncovered a soil disturbance under the deck as well as four soil samples that tested positive for human blood; an April evacuation also tested positive for blood. 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. We are now one step closer to justice for Kristin. The sheriff's office still wasn't convinced they had enough evidence against Flores. James Murphy: That suggests that something bad happened in Paul Flores's dorm room. As they soon learned, she had ended up at a party at an off-campus house.
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