kristen modafferi kristin smart

In a civil lawsuit, the Smarts' attorney claims that Kristin's remains were buried at one time on Paul Flores' father's property. He has denied any involvement. At the time, they did not know about a missing college student. But the Flores's have fought back, suing the Smarts for intentional infliction of emotional distress. 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. PAUL FLORES: On the advice of my attorney . Specifically, that they had Paul's white Nissan pickup in their possession. Missing-person posters and billboards offering rewards appeared along roads and in other public places. PODCAST | EPISODE 1: At least once a day I asked myself what are you doing? You just don't talk, and you get away with it. It did produce some information that I believe was valuable, he said. James Murphy: I'd love to do anything to end their suffering. 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. That turned out to be college. Back in May 1996, Kristin Smart was finishing her freshman year at California Polytechnic State University better known as Cal Poly. Defense lawyers have criticized the evidence used to arrest both men last week. She was declared legally dead in 2002. People are watching Ruben Flores and Susan Flores and Paul Flores. Produced by Lisa Freed. PDF KRISTEN MODAFFERI - Federal Bureau of Investigation 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. No remains have been found. The excavation below his deck showed damning evidence that a body had been buried in that location and then recently moved, prosecutor Christopher Peuvrelle said. Books from this author. Paul Flores was identified as a person of interest early in the case. The 18- year old coed from North Carolina was taking a summer photography class at the University of Califorina Berkeley when she vanished June 23rd, 1997. A missing-person report was filed with the campus police on May 28. Chris Lambert: At that point I don't think they had ever dealt with a missing person, a possibly murdered person. Flores was also in possession of Tramadol and Flexeril, known as date rape drugs. But Paul Flores was never charged with any of these incidents. San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office, via Associated Press. 1 of 47. Police investigated whether Durst, 71, who lived in San Francisco at the time Modafferi went missing, was connected to her disappearance. By then, the semester was over and the room had been cleaned out. And that's what I've been doing for a long, long time, along with a lot of other people. But to fully understand Chris Lambert's contribution, you have to go back to the beginning. 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. 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. There's no question about it. A very close-knit family. every piece of evidence points directly at Paul Flores. In high school he was known as a loner. Kristin Smart, a bright, adventurous communication studies freshman at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, went missing May 25, 1996. Kristin Smart case: Suspects Paul and Ruben Flores arrested in the 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. So, I said, "you better turn some lights on right now and let me out or I'm going to scream." 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. 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. Scott Peterson set to testify in Kristin Smart slay case - New York Post I don't know if Kristin knew anybody there. That young woman was Kristin Smart, and she hasn't been seen since. The evidentiary hearing is underway and witnesses are testifying in front of Superior Court Judge Craig van Rooyen about Flores interactions with Smart. After Paul and Rubens arrests, Sheriff Ian Parkinson revealed that Lamberts podcast helped move the investigation forward. 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. Devastating. And I was like, "nah, I have to study." The lawsuit claims they were moving Kristin's remains. 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. 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 . Jonathan Vigliotti | CBS News correspondent: You wanted to go home, and you were trying to find a way to break it to your friend. 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. Related Stories Jonathan Vigliotti: They thought she was off possibly having fun. 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. But Margarita says, the police did not seem concerned. Chris Lambert: Everything else, he took the Fifth Amendment. 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. Smart was declared dead in 2002. He'd go anywhere. Nearly a week after their arrests, father and son both pleaded not guilty in San Luis Obispo County Superior Court. 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. Chris Lambert: I wish I knew why. When they were deposed by James Murphy, they also insisted their son was not involved. Lindsey Smart Stewart: "You should go to Cal Poly. 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. But the investigation is ongoing. Kristin Smart: 25 Years Later - KSBY Paul Flores isnt granted bail, with Judge Craig B. 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. What Chris did was take a local story and turn it into an international story. Send us a tip using our anonymous form. On October 18, 2022, Paul Flores was found guilty of first-degree murder. 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. He said a backhoe had excavated a trench to dump soil that was removed to lay a nearby foundation. Jonathan Vigliotti: There was a lot of evidence that could have been gathered, that wasn't. The 19-year-old, who is also from Charlotte and a . They described dropping her off at the party at an unofficial fraternity house, and said that when it was over, she needed support to walk as she was being accompanied home by Paul Flores. In October 2022,. Cole said he has the admission on a digital tape recording. Possible break in Kristen Modafferi case after 18 years 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. 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. 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.. To think that you're going to finally get some resolution, and then it doesn't happen the way it's supposed to. In April 2021, investigators finally put the pieces of the puzzle together and decided they had enough to charge the then-44-year-old Paul Flores with Kristin's murder, and his then-80-year-old father with being an accessory after the fact. Any evidence that might have been there was long gone. DAN DOW [press conference]: The allegation against Ruben is that he helped to conceal Kristen's body after the murder was committed. And he leaves her to walk up this walkway. https://www.nytimes.com/article/kristin-smart-case-timeline.html. At the time of the April 13 arrests, the sheriff said he believed that had enough evidence to win convictions. 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. Smart appeared to be under the influence of alcohol on Friday night. or even her keys. Mike McHugh is the producer-editor. 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. Paul Flores pleads not guilty to the murder and attempted rape of Smart. She was looking forward to hearing from Kristin that Sunday. Meanwhile, the hearing is scheduled to conclude on Friday, when the judge will rule if prosecutors have probable cause to go to trial. Defense Attorney Sanger calls the move a stunning lack of objectivity.. When asked about how he got the injury Flores told three different stories. Also taking the witness stand on Wednesday was Edward Chadwell. Cole also testified that on March 9, 2020, a witness reported some suspicious activity at the property. She was pushing herself out of her comfort zone. It's just a motivator for me. Just very involved with their children. Let's go." Chris Lambert: He told those friends he just woke up with the black eye. Chadwell answered no. I didnt understand why. Other witnesses are also questioned, but Flemmings testimony is noteworthy as he is the first to say he saw Flores and Smart together before the party. Im not going to exclude a member of the media (for doing their job).. Denise Pearce | Longtime family friend: Things were gonna get better and, you know, and and they did. But you have to understand, she was a really independent free spirit. 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." James Murphy: Somebody found an earring that they say was Kristin Smart's jewelry in the driveway. Helicopters were used to canvas the area. Margarita Campos: I was, like, "Kristin, I'm going to go back home. Kristen Modafferi, Kristin Smart & Kent Jacobs. Murder of Kristin Smart - Wikipedia As they soon learned, she had ended up at a party at an off-campus house. Attorney Harold Mesick said Monday that the evidence against the father was so minimal as to shock the conscience.. But it was a local story and the thing that stood out to me is that nobody was talking about it anymore. 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. The Disappearance of Kristin Smart: What Happened and What's Next Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. We feel like the stars aligned when the podcast aired, she told Rolling Stone. He later argued that the biological evidence found under the deck was not conclusively human blood. Copyright 2023 Penske Business Media, LLC. The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time A hundred percent that was happening. Mary Lassiter says the earring she found in the driveway matched the necklace Kristin Smart is seen wearing on this billboard. 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. Margarita Campos: To this day, like, I was like, why why did I just let her go by herself? Kristin Smart's body once buried in suspect's backyard - NBC News Ann-Marie Christian: She was who she was because of her parents, for sure. Denise Pearce: The investigation was completely botched by the campus police. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way. 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. Kristen Modafferi - Unsolved Mysteries The sheriff's office still wasn't convinced they had enough evidence against Flores. For more than two decades, her family, friends, and supporters searched for answers and for justice. Kristen Modafferi, Kristin Smart & Kent Jacobs. 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. 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. Klicken Sie auf Alle ablehnen, wenn Sie nicht mchten, dass wir und unsere Partner Cookies und personenbezogene Daten fr diese zustzlichen Zwecke verwenden. Murphy has filed a new civil suit against Ruben Flores for the intentional infliction of emotional distress. It's, like, she has nothing on her. Chris Lambert: I didn't know the scale. 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. Alicia Tejada is the field producer and Addison Briley is the associate producer. In the late 1990s, the. Our family has always known that this was going to be a long, difficult, and emotional journey. Lindsey Smart Stewart: It just amazes me the amount of evidence that's available, yet nothing has happened. PODCAST EPISODE 2 | WOMAN #1: I wasn't surprised, but there's also that shock value of kind of "oh my god, I knew it! Two days after Kristin Smart vanished, Paul Flores went to the Arroyo Grande Police Department because of an outstanding DUI warrant. But as Chris Lambert learned, Flores's pattern of behavior with women didn't stop. They asked him not to use their names: PODCAST EPISODE 2 | WOMAN #1: Well his nickname was "Scary Paul.". Back in San Luis Obispo, the Smarts, feeling ignored by the sheriff's office, continued a relentless campaign to get them to do more to find their daughter. The 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time Um, wherever we can punch holes. They also uncovered videos in a folder labeled practice that featured women wearing ball gags and in other fetish positions. Ann-Marie Christian: became friends with Kristin in elementary school. Peterson. Those were kind of unspoken things. I knocked on her door, and I thought she was just sleeping, or she went out and about, you know? 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. Susan's house was finally searched in March 1997 nine months after Kristin disappeared but nothing was found. Please enter valid email address to continue. In one of Paul's police interviews he mentioned that he wanted to be let out of the interview because he needed to help clean up concrete at his mom's house So, what was being done in Susan Flores's backyard in the weeks after Kristin went missing? On July 21, Kristin Smarts parents and her brother, Matt, testified about how they had searched for her after her disappearance. Testimony is expected to continue Wednesday. And might have connected Kristin to Susan Flores's house, says James Murphy. Chris Lambert says they're cautiously optimistic. Flores and his parents have always maintained that he had nothing to do with Smarts disappearance. "48 Hours" has learned these suspicions center around evidence found during that 2020 search of Paul Flores' home. The prosecution upholds the validity of these searches, including one of Flores dorm room that was done after he moved out. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. 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. Chris Lambert: They did a significant amount of digging underneath the house. And my roommate actually kicked down the door to make him stop. His father, Ruben, will be tried as an accessory to the crime. Cole in 2019. 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. D.A. JAMES MURPHY: In May of 96 were you a student at Cal Poly? Investigators in Kristin Smart case serve search warrant at the home of the prime suspect's father Smart was last seen near her California Polytechnic State University (CalPoly) dorm, but she. 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. In his mug shot, a black eye can faintly been seen. Weitere Informationen ber die Verwendung Ihrer personenbezogenen Daten finden Sie in unserer Datenschutzerklrung und unserer Cookie-Richtlinie. 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. James Murphy: I'm not at liberty to describe how it was documented. And DNA evidence could not be found linking any other evidence to Kristin. Through the years, the Smarts have kept pressure on the Flores family. Chris Lambert: Kristin's father would come down and hike every trail he could find on the Central Coast. Ruben will be released on bail that he can afford. The sheriff's office seized the trailer and Det. These charges mark a major milestone, Dow says in a statement. Kristen was in her first year at Cal Poly when she vanished in 1996. He refused to answer questions during a deposition in November 1997, citing the Fifth Amendment. Paul Flores, right, in court with his attorney Richard Hutton in 1996. 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. James Murphy: And it says wrongful death and then I put murder. Jonathan Vigliotti: How significant was that? Ms. Smarts family declared her legally dead in 2002, but the search, and the investigation, continued. All of Kristin's personal belongings including her purse, her money, her I.D. I also brought them witnesses that they had no interest in whatsoever. In 1997 when Paul Flores was deposed for the civil suit, the only thing he would confirm on tape was his name. 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. Even though he'd never investigated anything before, Lambert quit his job to create a podcast about the case. 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. 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. Cole also talked about his interview with Jennifer Hudson in November 2019. Onuma was evicted from a Kaneohe, Hawaii residence after his connection to the Kristen Modafferi . 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. Also on the stand Tuesday were another cadaver dog handler, an expert in fiber evidence and a district attorney's office investigator. 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. Chris Lambert: There was a man climbing her trellis and trying to get inside her balcony, very intoxicated and refusing to leave. PODCAST EPISODE 2 [LAMBERT READING REPORT] Smart does not have any close friends at Cal Poly. But every Sunday when she called her parents, they encouraged her to stick it out. Peuvrelle, who said Ruben Flores has helped cover up the crime for nearly a quarter-century, would continue to do so if freed. Chris Lambert: I remember seeing it on the news it was something scary and they were talking about it pretty regularly. An important tip came in after a February 2020 search of Paul, Susan and Ruben's properties. And while they did not rush to investigate Flores, Kristin's family says campus police were very quick to judge her. You wouldn't let any of your friends be drunk around him. JAMES MURPHY: What is the name of your father? Greg Fisher and Michelle Fanucci are the development producers. Chris Lambert: So much was lost in those first few days where if that very first phone call was taken seriously answers might have been uncovered the first week. / CBS News, (This story previously aired on May 8, 2021. 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. He gets his arm around her torso and her arm around his neck, and he's helping her walk. But Paul Flores remained behind bars help without bail. 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.

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