Man charged with 1996 murder of college student Kristin Smart. And DNA evidence could not be found linking any other evidence to Kristin. Jonathan Vigliotti | CBS News correspondent: You wanted to go home, and you were trying to find a way to break it to your friend. The court document was filed before bail arguments Monday in San Luis Obispo Superior Court when the father and son were arraigned. 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. Ruben's attorney, Harold Mesick, dismissed the evidence against his client as "so minimal as to shock the conscience.". James Murphy: That suggests that something bad happened in Paul Flores's dorm room. That's been our goal. No remains have been found. But Lindsey says her sister was happiest when she was traveling. Margarita Campos: they were, like, "are you sure she didn't go out of town?" Like what may have been discovered in March 2021 when investigators searched Ruben Flores' house using cadaver dogs and ground penetrating radar. Chris Lambert: As they describe it, Paul Flores just sort of appears out of nowhere. But 22 years later, when he couldn't find any recent stories about the case, he decided to do something. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. By the time they called the Cal Poly campus police, Kristin had been missing for more than 48 hours. And when they did . His father Ruben Flores charged with being an accessory after the factwas found not guilty. These charges mark a major milestone, Dow says in a statement. Denise Pearce: To be almost there. But I've seen it. 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 People are watching Ruben Flores and Susan Flores and Paul Flores. 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. Plans & Pricing ; Podcast Statistics; PowerPress Plugin . Kristin Smart: Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong calls the Smarts. When they showed up, it was Paul Flores. It was first reported by The Tribune, and a reporter posted snippets of documents on Twitter. Cadaver dogs were sent into Paul Floress dorm room. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. I've got her. 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. Marital Status: Single Characteristics: Caucasian female with brown hair and eyes. In his mug shot, a black eye can faintly been seen. The authorities began to describe Paul Flores as a prime suspect in the case. Cole also talked about his interview with Jennifer Hudson in November 2019. 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! Ruben Flores and his estranged wife Susan have always denied any role in Kristin Smart's disappearance. 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. He built the home on White Court for Ruben and Susan Flores in 1991. Cole testified about why investigators believe a crime was committed at Ruben's property on White Court in Arroyo Grande. The podcast, "Your Own Backyard,"has drawn millions of listeners and focused renewed attention on this decades old case. "48 Hours" has learned these suspicions center around evidence found during that 2020 search of Paul Flores' home. In his complaint, Murphy alleges, along with Ruben, there were two other unnamed individuals. JAMES MURPHY: Would you state your full name for the record please. 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 lot of women felt uncomfortable around him, Flemming says. According to a county probation bail report obtained by the San Luis Obispo Tribune, "biological evidence" was found under Ruben's deck. Lambert began looking into what happened to Kristin, collecting articles and documents, chasing down leads and tracking down anyone with information. 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. Like so many freshmen, Kristin struggled. 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. The police searched her dorm room in Muir Hall, finding her wallet and reminders to turn in assignments. 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.". She was never seen again. Those were kind of unspoken things. Margarita Campos: She was absolutely sober when I left her. No charges were filed, but Lambert discovered Flores's troubles started at a young age. Murphy immediately filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Flores in civil court. Paul Flores was ordered held without bail Monday. That young woman was Kristin Smart, and she hasn't been seen since. Ann-Marie Christian: She was who she was because of her parents, for sure. He invoked the Fifth Amendment 27 times. Kristen Modafferi, Kristin Smart & Kent Jacobs. Kristin Smart, a bright, adventurous communication studies freshman at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, went missing May 25, 1996. 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." [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. Murphy and Sinclair promised the Smarts the billboard will stay until their daughter is found. JAMES MURPHY: Does your son have any information as to where Kristin Smart's body is located? He gets his arm around her torso and her arm around his neck, and he's helping her walk. But cadaver dogs told a different story. Her dorm entrance is right over here. JAMES MURPHY: Has your son ever told you that he did not kill Kristin Smart? Susan's house was finally searched in March 1997 nine months after Kristin disappeared but nothing was found. 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.. 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. Three more witnesses are expected to take the stand on Thursday, including two cadaver dog handlers.___. Nineteen-year-old Kristin Smart disappeared Memorial Day weekend of 1996. But the investigation is ongoing. They're known for being a really safe school.". The unsealed documents include two claims from 2011 and 2017 that Flores raped two women while they were drunk in San Pedro. James Murphy: The question for decades was "Well, where did the body go?". He'd go through tunnels, under bridges, looking for his daughter and expecting best case scenario. Kristen has never 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. And I was like, "nah, I have to study." 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. We want to hear it. 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Mesick declined to comment Tuesday, citing the gag order. School was over, so campus police found an empty room that had been sanitized by the university's cleaning crew. A trailer was reportedly parked at Ruben's residence at odd hours and Paul's mother, Susan Flores, and her boyfriend were there. But it was a local story and the thing that stood out to me is that nobody was talking about it anymore. On October 18, 2022, Paul Flores was found guilty of first-degree murder. By the time Cal Poly police began investigating, Kristin had been gone for four days. Weitere Informationen ber die Verwendung Ihrer personenbezogenen Daten finden Sie in unserer Datenschutzerklrung und unserer Cookie-Richtlinie. James Murphy: He lied to the police about everything. Denise Smart, Kristins mother, has also praised the show. It was on Memorial Day weekend 1996 that their 19-year-old daughter Kristin Smart disappeared. JAMES MURPHY: Your husband have information as to where Kristin Smart's body is located? Flores wasn't talking. The then eighteen-year-old . Margarita Campos: I was expecting her to knock on my door and be, like, "Oh, Margarita, you missed a rager. Kristen Modafferi: Onuma and the Briefcase. Through the years, the Smarts have kept pressure on the Flores family. ", 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.". A very close-knit family. So, I said, "you better turn some lights on right now and let me out or I'm going to scream." James Murphy: They brought in the first dog and they'd had the dog go through the dorms. Paul Flores, right, in court with his attorney Richard Hutton in 1996. 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. 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. 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. So had Margarita Campos, who lived in the next room in Muir Hall. We feel like the stars aligned when the podcast aired, she told Rolling Stone. Paul Flores talks to his attorneys Sara Sanger and Robert Sanger on Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021 in San Luis Obispo, Calif. had been arrested in connection with her disappearance, Paul Flores was found guilty of murdering Ms. Smart, while in the commission of, or attempted, rape. They also uncovered videos in a folder labeled practice that featured women wearing ball gags and in other fetish positions. In a civil lawsuit, the Smarts' attorney claims that Kristin's remains were buried at one time on Paul Flores' father's property.