kristen modafferi kristin smart

The lawsuit claims they were moving Kristin's remains. 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. SHERIFF IAN PARKINSON [at press conference]: Forensic physical evidence was located. 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. That young woman was Kristin Smart, and she hasn't been seen since. When Kristin Smart disappeared, Paul Flores's parents Susan and Ruben were separated and living apart. Kristin Smart went missing on May 25, 1996 while attending California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and has not been heard from since. Jonathan Vigliotti: Was this case, given the evidence that was lost early on, doomed from the very beginning? Jonathan Vigliotti: You look at Kristin Smart every day. They also did not focus on Paul Flores immediately, waiting six days to formally interview him. 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. In a civil lawsuit, the Smarts' attorney claims that Kristin's remains were buried at one time on Paul Flores' father's property. Jonathan Vigliotti: There was a lot of focus on how Kristin was drinking what sounded a lot like victim shaming. 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 last person to see her alive,. Please come with me." Ruben Flores and his estranged wife Susan have always denied any role in Kristin Smart's disappearance. And there are more horrifying allegations about what may have happened to Kristin after she was last seen with Paul Flores. Flores was first interviewed by Cal Poly police investigators near the end of May 1996, according to The San Luis Obispo Tribune, and the Cal Poly police didnt search his room until June 10th. His father was found not guilty of helping to hide her body. Cole also testified that the Flores family was wiretapped for 30 days starting on January 5, 2020. 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. We want to hear it. 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: There's no way to get evidence back once you've lost it. PODCAST | EPISODE 1: At least once a day I asked myself what are you doing? Chris Lambert: I didn't know the scale. The jury hearing Paul Floress case began deliberations after closing arguments on Oct. 4. But Paul Flores was never charged with any of these incidents. 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. 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. Copyright 2021 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Was the beeping in a backyard coming from Kristin Smart's watch The Mysterious Disappearance Of Kristen Modafferi - Grunge.com On Oct. 18, Paul Flores was found guilty of murdering Ms. Smart. 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. We just, "do you know anything about it". The authorities began to describe Paul Flores as a prime suspect in the case. 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. In October 2022, Paul Flores, the man long suspected in her disappearance, was found guilty of murder. On Monday, he questioned why investigators needed to keep searching for evidence after making arrests. October 22, 2022 / 10:10 PM They went on trial in July 2022 in Monterey County, Calif. On Oct. 18, 2022, Paul Flores was found guilty of murdering Ms. Smart. They got to the parking lot of an apartment complex. 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? They didn't bring a forensics team. Kristen Modafferi - Unsolved Mysteries According to a county probation bail report obtained by the San Luis Obispo Tribune, "biological evidence" was found under Ruben's deck. Plans & Pricing . Kristin Smart Case Update: Where Is the Investigation Today? - Heavy.com Helicopters were used to canvas the area. He wouldn't answer a single thing. Los Angeles Times via Getty Images Nineteen-year-old Cal Poly student Kristin Smart went missing after a campus party 25. But it was a local story and the thing that stood out to me is that nobody was talking about it anymore. Scott Peterson set to testify in Kristin Smart slay case - New York Post She was declared legally dead in 2002. Greg Fisher and Michelle Fanucci are the development producers. Ruben Flores was acquitted by a separate jury. In October 2022,. But Margarita says, the police did not seem concerned. Even though he'd never investigated anything before, Lambert quit his job to create a podcast about the case. Any evidence that might have been there was long gone. Defense attorney Robert Sanger, in turn, tries to poke holes in Flemmings recollections. Ruben Flores, was arrested at his home on the same day and was charged with being an accessory after the fact. 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. The unsealed documents include two claims from 2011 and 2017 that Flores raped two women while they were drunk in San Pedro. 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. By herself, which is pretty amazing. 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. Kristin Smart's body once buried in suspect's backyard - NBC News The Smart family. Jonathan Vigliotti: They thought she was off possibly having fun. But a massive search did not happen until she'd been gone for more than a month. Shocking allegations in newly unsealed docs in Kristin Smart case "Up and Vanished" led a man to confess to killing a . In the late 1990s, the. We want to especially thank the District Attorneys Office for their relentless efforts. D.A. By the time Cal Poly police began investigating, Kristin had been gone for four days. 2020 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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. Margarita soon decided she'd had enough. Some of those women who did not want their real names used told Lambert about their encounters with him. Peterson. 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. James Murphy: And it's 2:30 and 3 o'clock in the morning at Cal Poly this is not a a location from which Paul alone could easily move a body without a vehicle. I don't think she went back to her dorm at all. 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. And the complaint has some explosive claims about what led investigators to focus under Ruben's deck in the first place. PODCAST EPISODE 2 | WOMAN #2: You wouldn't want to be alone in a room with him. And I was screaming. Margarita Campos: But when we got to the house it was pretty dead too, it was really -- it was like a couple of roommates hanging out playing video games And Kristin was, like oh gosh, there has to be something better than this. When authorities later confronted him with the two stories, Flores admitted lying and offered a new explanation. She was pushing herself out of her comfort zone. 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 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. Billie Eilish Explains Her Complicated Relationship With Social Media: 'I Don't Look at It Anymore', Theres no evidence of a sex crime in the charged crime (the murder case) itself, van Rooyen says. With them is a group of FBI evidence response team members and a search warrant. Judge denies multiple unusual requests in Kristin Smart hearing Murphy and Sinclair promised the Smarts the billboard will stay until their daughter is found. 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. They were after Paul Flores for an outstanding DUI warrant. Man charged with 1996 murder of college student Kristin Smart. The hearing began August 2 and is expected to last into at least next week. Cole said a search of it revealed "suspicious activity.". In high school he was known as a loner. Everyone knew Paul (Flores) was creepy. The defense argued that other skateboarders who were at the San Luis Obispo location said they never saw Paul there, and Hudson's boyfriend denied ever seeing Paul in Huasna or anywhere else. Margarita Campos: I mean, she was gone. Let's go." It was updated on October 22, 2022.). That turned out to be college. Because of the statute of limitations, Dow says, Paul Flores can't be charged with rape. So before leaving, Margarita handed over her keys to get back into Muir Hall. There was no reaction until the dog reached Paul Flores's room. James Murphy: Paul Flores had a reputation amongst the girls that knew him at Cal Poly as being a creeper that he was always trying to hit on women. 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. His father, Ruben, is charged as an accessory. But you have to understand, she was a really independent free spirit. Ann-Marie Christian: became friends with Kristin in elementary school. 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. Susan's house was finally searched in March 1997 nine months after Kristin disappeared but nothing was found. 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. They had become close friends despite their differences. But it's Susan Flores's concrete backyard that initially received a lot of attention. Chris Lambert: They didn't bring cadaver dogs with them. Alex Murdaugh sentenced to life in prison for murders of wife and son, Biden had cancerous skin lesion removed last month, doctor says, White supremacist and Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes kicked out of CPAC, Tom Sizemore, actor known for "Saving Private Ryan" and "Heat," dies at 61, Biden team readies new advisory panel ahead of expected reelection bid, At least 10 dead after winter storm slams South, Midwest, House Democrats unhappy with White House handling of D.C.'s new criminal code. No charges were filed, but Lambert discovered Flores's troubles started at a young age. Like his black eye, seen faintly in a mug shot taken by the Arroyo Grande Police just by chance two days after Kristin vanished. The judge in the case has issued a gag order preventing lawyers, investigators, witnesses and others from speaking about the case or releasing documents. Paul Flores isnt granted bail, with Judge Craig B. Van Rooyen saying that his release could result in great bodily harm to the public. Back in May 1996, Kristin Smart was finishing her freshman year at California Polytechnic State University better known as Cal Poly. I knocked on her door, and I thought she was just sleeping, or she went out and about, you know? She withdrew money from the bank, a surveillance camera capturing what are . Related Stories They might have found evidence in those vehicles. 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. Missing-person posters and billboards offering rewards appeared along roads and in other public places. Today, we make the first move toward bringing justice to Kristin, her family, and the people of San Luis Obispo County.. Police investigated whether Durst, 71, who lived in San Francisco at the time Modafferi went missing, was connected to her disappearance. JAMES MURPHY: Does your son have any information as to where Kristin Smart's body is located? Um, wherever we can punch holes. The next month, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriffs Office took over from the Cal Poly police as the lead investigators. These charges mark a major milestone, Dow says in a statement. I've got her. Axel Koester/Sygma via Getty Images. Chris Lambert: I brought them a number of witnesses that they were very interested in. They took in soil, I assume, for some kind of analysis. Murphy alleges four nights later, strange activity was seen at Ruben's house. Paul Flores was identified as a person of interest early in the case. 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. [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. Meanwhile, the hearing is scheduled to conclude on Friday, when the judge will rule if prosecutors have probable cause to go to trial. Ann-Marie Christian: Her parents reminded me of my parents. most importantly they wanna find their daughter. The next morning, Margarita waited to hear from Kristin. Lindsey Smart Stewart: It just amazes me the amount of evidence that's available, yet nothing has happened. James Murphy: If it was, in fact, a piece of jewelry that matched Kristin's jewelry, it would have been blockbuster evidence. By the time they called the Cal Poly campus police, Kristin had been missing for more than 48 hours. A missing-person report was filed with the campus police on May 28. As they soon learned, she had ended up at a party at an off-campus house. Cole said he has the admission on a digital tape recording. A very close-knit family. The court document was filed before bail arguments Monday in San Luis Obispo Superior Court when the father and son were arraigned. 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. 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. Denise Pearce: Kristin hasn't come home And we're not sure where she is We don't know anything. Kristin Smarts family in 1999, three years after she was last seen walking home from a party in San Luis Obispo, Calif. Earthmovers were used in searches on and near the California Polytechnic State University campus in 2016. The trial got underway with opening statements on July 18 in Monterey County Superior Court in Salinas. Jonathan Vigliotti: There was a lot of evidence that could have been gathered, that wasn't. 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. 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. She was never seen. PODCAST EPISODE 3: Something shiny catches her eye next to the front driver side tire. And it was only 250 miles from Stockton, California, where she grew up with Lindsey and their brother Matt. For more than two decades, her family, friends, and supporters searched for answers and for justice. https://www.nytimes.com/article/kristin-smart-case-timeline.html. Chris Lambert: And that's when they're told that earring has been misplaced. Ms. Smarts acquaintances were interviewed. But to fully understand Chris Lambert's contribution, you have to go back to the beginning. What happened to Kristen Modafferi? One man's 20-year search for It would be three more years before the property was searched again. 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. When asked about how he got the injury Flores told three different stories. That mother, Mary Lassiter, described it to Chris Lambert. What happened to Kristen Modafferi? - AdvertisingRow.com People are watching Ruben Flores and Susan Flores and Paul Flores. PODCAST EPISODE 4: And he had like a butter knife and he like held it to my neck. Five months after Kristin Smart disappeared, Paul Flores was brought before a grand jury but no charges were ever filed. Lindsey Smart Stewart: Right. He'd go through tunnels, under bridges, looking for his daughter and expecting best case scenario. Jonathan Vigliotti: And that weighs on you. Books from this author. Attorney Harold Mesick said Monday that the evidence against the father was so minimal as to shock the conscience.. Margarita Campos: She was absolutely sober when I left her. Witnesses said Smart was intoxicated, and Flores had said he would walk her home after an off-campus party. They told her Kristin had not been seen all weekend and asked if Kristin was with them. The search for Kristin Smart never ends for her family Sie knnen Ihre Einstellungen jederzeit ndern, indem Sie auf unseren Websites und Apps auf den Link Datenschutz-Dashboard klicken. After Paul and Rubens arrests, Sheriff Ian Parkinson revealed that Lamberts podcast helped move the investigation forward. Kristen Modaferri Observer file Family and friends of a Charlotte woman who has been missing for nearly two decades are awaiting results after a possible break in the case came Thursday.. We feel like the stars aligned when the podcast aired, she told Rolling Stone. 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.. Ken Blum is the editor. The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time She left them only after he promised to take Kristin back to her dorm. James Murphy: That suggests that something bad happened in Paul Flores's dorm room. Cadaver dogs trained to detect human decomposition were deployed by the F.B.I. Lambert also interviewed a woman who dated Flores until, she says, he became physically and verbally abusive. In his complaint, Murphy alleges, along with Ruben, there were two other unnamed individuals. "48 Hours" looks back to their arrests and how the saga began. Chris Lambert: That's the upsetting part about it, isn't it? Berkeley. Murphy has filed a new civil suit against Ruben Flores for the intentional infliction of emotional distress. So, I said, "you better turn some lights on right now and let me out or I'm going to scream." He later told investigators that he walked her as far as his dorm, where they parted ways. And when they did . Kristen Modafferi, Kristin Smart & Kent Jacobs. He has not been charged in those incidents. Chris Lambert and it worked. Chris Lambert: They're hopeful, but they've also been let down so many times before. The prosecution upholds the validity of these searches, including one of Flores dorm room that was done after he moved out. James Murphy: Somebody found an earring that they say was Kristin Smart's jewelry in the driveway. Denise Pearce: The investigation was completely botched by the campus police. He said a backhoe had excavated a trench to dump soil that was removed to lay a nearby foundation. Chris Lambert: I think that might have been the biggest misstep that investigators have made to this day. But Lindsey says her sister was happiest when she was traveling. But as Chris Lambert learned, campus police did not act right away. What Chris did was take a local story and turn it into an international story. JAMES MURPHY: Has your son ever told you that he did not kill Kristin Smart?