every piece of evidence points directly at Paul Flores. The two girls walked to an area off campus where there were fraternities, sororities and residential housing for students. The Strange Disappearance of Kristen Modafferi - Medium Prosecutor Chris Peuvrelle asked him if he found the remains of any monkeys or ferrets or any human bodies on the property. Chris Lambert: And that's when they're told that earring has been misplaced. Kristen has never been found. Paul Flores is charged with the murder of Kristin Smart, who disappeared from Cal Poly in 1996. 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. Cole in 2019. 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. Cole said investigators checked out the skateboard ramp location but did not find a body. Wednesday, Superior Court Judge Craig van Rooyen rules that having the podcaster testify and release his records would have a chilling effect on the medias ability to do their job. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Clockwise from left, Kristin, Denise, Stan, Matt and Lindsey. We feel like the stars aligned when the podcast aired, she told Rolling Stone. 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. Meanwhile, the hearing is scheduled to conclude on Friday, when the judge will rule if prosecutors have probable cause to go to trial. 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. The 19-year-old, who is also from Charlotte and a . Kristen Modafferi | Unsolved Mysteries Wiki | Fandom How are we not all talking about this every day until shes found?, Editors picks But to fully understand Chris Lambert's contribution, you have to go back to the beginning. Classes were difficult, she was trying to fit in, and she missed her family. The police searched her dorm room in Muir Hall, finding her wallet and reminders to turn in assignments. Kristen Modafferi, Kristin Smart & Kent Jacobs. 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. By the time Cal Poly police began investigating, Kristin had been gone for four days. They asked him not to use their names: PODCAST EPISODE 2 | WOMAN #1: Well his nickname was "Scary Paul.". Joe Johnston/The Tribune (of San Luis Obispo), via Associated Press. It wasn't until Kristin's roommate returned to their dorm room, that Margarita realized Kristin never came home. The judge in the case has issued a gag order preventing lawyers, investigators, witnesses and others from speaking about the case or releasing documents. From the start, investigators. And six months later, when Flores was deposed by James Murphy for the Smart's civil suit, he kept quiet. Police investigated whether Durst, 71, who lived in San Francisco at the time Modafferi went missing, was connected to her disappearance. He invoked the Fifth Amendment 27 times. Copyright 2023 Penske Business Media, LLC. 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. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 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. PODCAST | EPISODE 1: At least once a day I asked myself what are you doing? It's fine. Chris Lambert: They didn't bring cadaver dogs with them. The elder Flores is charged with accessory after the fact to the crime of murder for allegedly helping Paul conceal Smarts body. Book Author Jenn is a lawyer-turned-author and true crime writer. And while they did not rush to investigate Flores, Kristin's family says campus police were very quick to judge her. To declare to the public if you stay quiet, you will get away with this. Because of the statute of limitations, Dow says, Paul Flores can't be charged with rape. On May 25, 1996, friends dropped her off at an off-campus party. The authorities began to describe Paul Flores as a prime suspect in the case. Defense Attorney Sanger calls the move a stunning lack of objectivity.. By herself, which is pretty amazing. 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. When they were deposed by James Murphy, they also insisted their son was not involved. I don't know if Kristin knew anybody there. And then months and months later, they'd reach back out and say, can you get us in touch with this person again? But Lindsey says her sister was happiest when she was traveling. It would be three more years before the property was searched again. 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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. 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. But Mary Lassiter says the earring matched the necklace Kristin is seen wearing on the billboard. Kristin Smart: Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong calls the Smarts. Eighteen-year-old Kristen Modafferi was a college honor student from North Carolina spending her summer in San Francisco. I did have guilt about that. Kristen was in her first year at Cal Poly when she vanished in 1996. I guess the answer is yes. Nineteen-year-old Kristin Smart disappeared Memorial Day weekend of 1996. That turned out to be college. JAMES MURPHY: Would you state your full name for the record please. The evidentiary hearing is underway and witnesses are testifying in front of Superior Court Judge Craig van Rooyen about Flores interactions with Smart. He says "no.". 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. and I was like, "Noooo.". Ann-Marie Christian: Her parents reminded me of my parents. Greg Fisher and Michelle Fanucci are the development producers. Kristen Modafferi. 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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. Jonathan Vigliotti: Is there any doubt in your mind that Paul Flores is responsible for the disappearance of Kristin Smart? He built the home on White Court for Ruben and Susan Flores in 1991. Susan Flores and her boyfriend were never charged in the case. In 2011, the Smarts hoped those boulders would become a little lighter when Ian Parkinson became the . Soon after her disappearance, a sheriffs search party combed remote parts of the Cal Poly campus on horseback, archival video from KCRA-TV shows. Testimony resumes at the Kristin Smart hearing after a week off. 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. No remains have been found. 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. Ken Blum is the editor. She left them only after he promised to take Kristin back to her dorm. San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office, via Associated Press. Ruben Flores, was arrested at his home on the same day and was charged with being an accessory after the fact. 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. 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. Kristen Modafferi was last seen on the afternoon of June 23, 1997, at the coffee shop where she was working in the Crocker Galleria Mall in San Francisco, California. 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. Kristin Smart went missing on May 25, 1996 while attending California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and has not been heard from since. And he leaves her to walk up this walkway. When they showed up, it was Paul Flores. That warrant allowed them to dig up the backyard, but deputies chose not to excavate. Missing-person posters and billboards offering rewards appeared along roads and in other public places. Lourdes Aguiar is the senior producer. The prosecution upholds the validity of these searches, including one of Flores dorm room that was done after he moved out. Human Remains Possibly Found In Home Of Missing Woman Kristen Modafferi Ann-Marie Christian: She was who she was because of her parents, for sure. He also said that law enforcement leaked information to "Your Own Backyard" podcaster Chris Lambert. Paul Flores was charged with murder and Ruben Flores with being an accessory after the fact, accused of helping to bury her remains. A jury acquitted Ruben Flores of the charge of being an accessory after the fact. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way. I knocked on her door, and I thought she was just sleeping, or she went out and about, you know? JAMES MURPHY: Does your son have any information as to where Kristin Smart's body is located? A cemetery posted a personal ad for a goose whose mate died. 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. We just, "do you know anything about it". The unsealed documents include two claims from 2011 and 2017 that Flores raped two women while they were drunk in San Pedro. Cole testified about why investigators believe a crime was committed at Ruben's property on White Court in Arroyo Grande. Chris Lambert: That's the upsetting part about it, isn't it? I don't think she went back to her dorm at all. 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 I was screaming. And these girls are inviting us out. True crime podcasting is not something that particularly captivated me, Lambert told Rolling Stonelast year. Early on, a small group of volunteers also looked for Kristin. The next morning, Margarita waited to hear from Kristin. Margarita Campos: I mean, she was gone. By then, the semester was over and the room had been cleaned out. Jonathan Vigliotti | CBS News correspondent: You wanted to go home, and you were trying to find a way to break it to your friend. She had taken a job at a coffee shop to pay for a photography course at U.C. As of 2021, Kristen Modafferi's case remains unsolved. 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). Please come with me." Send us a tip using our anonymous form. PODCAST EPISODE 1: Kristin broke down begging her mother to let her drop out and go somewhere else. D.A. 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. 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. suddenly major pieces of evidence came forward. And I was like, "nah, I have to study." Paul Flores, lower left, remained in jail without bail while Ruben Flores, upper right, was able to post bail after a judge agreed to lower the bail amount from $250,000 to $50,000, San Luis Obispo County Superior Court/Zoom, How a tragic boating crash is connected to the family of Alex Murdaugh, Five deaths with a connection to Alex Murdaugh's family investigated, Chilling details revealed in JJ Vallow and Tylee Ryan deaths, Mother at center of international manhunt speaks out to "48 Hours". Four months later, while attempting to reconcile, Susan rented out her house in Arroyo Grande. Paul Flores, 44, has pleaded not guilty to a murder charge. She loved swimming and skiing. The lawsuit claims they were moving Kristin's remains. His father, Ruben Flores, pleads not guilty to being an accessory to the crime after the fact. 2 men found drugged after leaving NYC gay bars were killed, medical examiner says. PAUL FLORES: On the advice of my attorney, I refuse to answer that question based on the fifth amendment of the United States Constitution. James Murphy: That suggests that something bad happened in Paul Flores's dorm room. Mesick argued there were many innocent explanations why soil had previously been dug up in the yard. . 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. In the months after Kristin's disappearance, one truck was traded in and the other was reported stolen. He gets his arm around her torso and her arm around his neck, and he's helping her walk. Chris Lambert: He told those friends he just woke up with the black eye. That mother, Mary Lassiter, described it to Chris Lambert. Defense attorney Robert Sanger, in turn, tries to poke holes in Flemmings recollections. 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. Kristin's mother, Denise Smart, spent Memorial Day weekend at a swim meet with her two younger kids. 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.. Back in May 1996, Kristin Smart was finishing her freshman year at California Polytechnic State University better known as Cal Poly. You can go." But I've seen it. Chris Lambert spoke with some women who knew Flores back then. He's going to find her body, which is awful for a parent. JAMES MURPHY: Your husband have information as to where Kristin Smart's body is located? 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. Chris Lambert: They're hopeful, but they've also been let down so many times before. RUBEN FLORES: [long pause] We never asked that question. Jonathan Vigliotti: You look at Kristin Smart every day. 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. 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. 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. but I knew that I could try to do a small part. Ms. Smart, 19, was a freshman at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo when she disappeared in 1996. Paul Flores pleads not guilty to the murder and attempted rape of Smart. It worked. 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. 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. The search for Ms. Smart, who was nicknamed Roxy, took many forms. Kristen Modafferi, Kristin Smart & Kent Jacobs. He was required to wear an electronic ankle bracelet. It had been the focus of widespread speculation for more than two decades especially her planter boxes. On April 19, father and son each pleaded not guilty, according to The Associated Press. Kristin Smart: California jury finds man guilty in the 1996 murder of That's when Denise Smart learned her daughter had not been seen all weekend, and all her belongings were still in her dorm room. so eventually he unlocked you know, the apartment door, and I left. 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. When they reached the turnoff to Cheryl's dorm, she says Flores tried to hug and kiss her. But further investigation of the Flores's two trucks seemed impossible. Chris Lambert: They did a significant amount of digging underneath the house. By the time they inspected Flores's room, Kristin had been gone for 16 days. D.A. At the time of the April 13 arrests, the sheriff said he believed that had enough evidence to win convictions. Chris Lambert and it worked. For more than two decades, her family, friends, and supporters searched for answers and for justice. She was pushing herself out of her comfort zone. Um, wherever we can punch holes. 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. The Tribune said it got the public documents from the courthouse in the city 160 miles northwest of Los Angeles. As they soon learned, she had ended up at a party at an off-campus house. Her dorm entrance is right over here. And the complaint has some explosive claims about what led investigators to focus under Ruben's deck in the first place. She was last seen in the Lands End area of San Francisco, close to where Laci and Connor washed up. The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time And it was only 250 miles from Stockton, California, where she grew up with Lindsey and their brother Matt. It was first reported by The Tribune, and a reporter posted snippets of documents on Twitter. 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." A separate jury for Ruben Flores started deliberating on Oct. 5. But as Chris Lambert learned, campus police did not act right away. They're known for being a really safe school.". Devastating. Books from this author. PDF KRISTEN MODAFFERI - Federal Bureau of Investigation And when they did . An earring that appeared to match the necklace Kristin is wearing on the billboard. A very close-knit family. 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. 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. Murphy alleges four nights later, strange activity was seen at Ruben's house. Paul Flores and his father both pleaded not guilty to all charges at their arraignment. Lindsey Smart Stewart: Right. A trailer was reportedly parked at Ruben's residence at odd hours and Paul's mother, Susan Flores, and her boyfriend were there. The two are charged in connection with the death of Cal Poly freshman Kristin Smart. What happened to Kristen Modafferi? One man's 20-year search for Flores, who had been seen with Smart earlier in the evening he attempted to flirt with her and apparently fell on her at one point, according to witnesses joined the group and allegedly accompanied Smart home. 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. 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. Scott Peterson set to testify in Kristin Smart slay case - New York Post They also uncovered videos in a folder labeled practice that featured women wearing ball gags and in other fetish positions. So before leaving, Margarita handed over her keys to get back into Muir Hall. Bei der Nutzung unserer Websites und Apps verwenden wir, unsere Websites und Apps fr Sie bereitzustellen, Nutzer zu authentifizieren, Sicherheitsmanahmen anzuwenden und Spam und Missbrauch zu verhindern, und, Ihre Nutzung unserer Websites und Apps zu messen, personalisierte Werbung und Inhalte auf der Grundlage von Interessenprofilen anzuzeigen, die Effektivitt von personalisierten Anzeigen und Inhalten zu messen, sowie, unsere Produkte und Dienstleistungen zu entwickeln und zu verbessern. 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. But 22 years later, when he couldn't find any recent stories about the case, he decided to do something. When asked about how he got the injury Flores told three different stories. Los Angeles Times via Getty Images Nineteen-year-old Cal Poly student Kristin Smart went missing after a campus party 25. Anyone can read what you share. Chris Lambert: I personally think that wherever Kristin went, Paul was there with her. JAMES MURPHY: In May of 96 were you a student at Cal Poly? Also on the stand Tuesday were another cadaver dog handler, an expert in fiber evidence and a district attorney's office investigator. 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. Denise Pearce says that was a crushing blow for the Smart family. Mary Lassiter says the earring she found in the driveway matched the necklace Kristin Smart is seen wearing on this billboard. Alicia Tejada is the field producer and Addison Briley is the associate producer. 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.