She never saw accepting the rides as anything but wholesome. 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. According to a county probation bail report obtained by the San Luis Obispo Tribune, "biological evidence" was found under Ruben's deck. Prosecutors Think Paul Flores Tried to Rape Kristin Smart in Dorm Room Before Killing Her On April 13, Paul's father, Ruben Flores, 80, was also arrested and charged with being an accessory. 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Denise had told Lambert that her daughter had been working as a lifeguard at the university's rec center, and every morning Kristin's watch alarm went off to make sure she was at the pool by 5 a.m. Over the years, law enforcement and the Smarts' lawyers have searched Susan Flores's backyard several times, but nothing has ever been found. The Smarts' younger daughter, Lindsey, described her parents to Vigliotti: "I think they're like carrying boulders on their backs.". Early on, a small group of volunteers also looked for Kristin. Jonathan Vigliotti: Is there any doubt in your mind that Paul Flores is responsible for the disappearance of Kristin Smart? What happened in the privacy of his room that night? Peuvrelle asked the jury. Acerca; Prensa; I dont like to talk about that day.. The woman, whom we'll call Jane, believes she was roofied, raped, and discarded by Paul Flores and his nameless friend when she was a 15-year-old high-school sophomore in 1994. 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. PODCAST EPISODE 2 | WOMAN #2: You wouldn't want to be alone in a room with him. Chris Lambert: So, if you believe Paul's story, he goes into his dorm room here. Janes mother frantically phoned her father. No-no-no. SHERIFF IAN PARKINSON [at press conference]: Forensic physical evidence was located. I believed him but he was probably cheating on me.. Meanwhile, the FBI, who recently excavated earth at Cal Poly to look for Smarts remains, referred comment to the sheriffs office. And these girls are inviting us out. Chris Lambert: Everything else, he took the Fifth Amendment. I always said, He wouldnt do that., Sexually, Laura paints Paul Flores as very experienced and maintaining a very healthy appetite., It would get too aggressive and at times I had to say, Hey, calm down., Laura says that one time they were wrestling in bed and Flores got too aggressive and grabbed a butter knife and pushed it against my face., She says she kept pleading for him to settle down. Flores admitted he promised another student, CherylAnderson, that he would make sure Smart made it back to her dorm room in Muir Hall safely from the party. It would be three more years before the property was searched again. 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. 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. San Luis Obispo County. Margarita Campos: I was expecting her to knock on my door and be, like, "Oh, Margarita, you missed a rager. 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. And Murphy and Sinclair believe they can prove it. Monterey County Weekly photographer Daniel Dreifuss shot these photos during yesterday's opening statements.#KristinSmart pic.twitter.com/Qlanj3fKK6. The detective noticed was Paul was nervous and his heart was beating out of his chest. Five months after Kristin Smart disappeared, Paul Flores was brought before a grand jury but no charges were ever filed. Like the Smart's civil case, theirs also has been on hold. Ermelinda Flores' property in Washington state has been searched by investigators in February 2020. It's been a long night for the Smart family and San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's detectives as they continued to investigate an Arroyo Grande property belonging to Ruben Flores. DAN DOW [press conference]: It is alleged that Mr. Flores caused the death of Kristen Smart while in the commission of or attempted rape. "48 Hours" looks back to their arrests and how the saga began. And she's like, "please come with me. Even worse they never sealed his dorm room. I called my mom. But I've seen it. And yes, we did find physical evidence at, at least two homes. When Anderson looked back one last time at Flores and Smart, she saw that he was leading Smart toward his dorm, Santa Lucia Hall, not Muir Hall, the prosecutor told the jury. A . Ermelinda Flores' property in Washington state has been searched by investigators in February 2020. It had been the focus of widespread speculation for more than two decades especially her planter boxes. 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! 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. Even when law enforcement let them down, they refused to give up. October 22, 2022 / 10:10 PM "48 Hours" agreed. Multiple attempts to reach Flores and his parents to comment on the new accusations were unsuccessful. 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. Deputies seized a mattress cover from the bed with a blood stain. She made a decision that shes regretted ever since. Ruben Flores was released on $50,000 bail to his ex-wife. and offers to help. 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. Chris Lambert: I brought them a number of witnesses that they were very interested in. Facebook gives people the. In June of 1996, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriffs Office brought in four cadaver dogs to sniff dorms on campus. Chris Lambert: I didn't know the scale. I'm going to go back to the dorms. But was there evidence possibly placing Kristin Smart at his mother's home? One day, Jane was congregating in front of the high school when a male friend approached and warned her about one particular junior. He wouldn't answer a single thing. JAMES MURPHY: Your husband have information as to where Kristin Smart's body is located? I was crying.. It wasn't until Kristin's roommate returned to their dorm room, that Margarita realized Kristin never came home. There was no change in the soil consistent with that.. We are grateful to these brave women for having the courage to talk about their experiences and we ask anyone who may have information they think could be helpful to contact the San Luis Obispo County Sheriffs Office. She was too kind-hearted. James Murphy: I'd love to do anything to end their suffering. He would tiptoe around everything. 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? James Murphy: If it was, in fact, a piece of jewelry that matched Kristin's jewelry, it would have been blockbuster evidence. An important tip came in after a February 2020 search of Paul, Susan and Ruben's properties. But remarkably, the same thing happened with three more dogs. Mary Lassiter says the earring she found in the driveway matched the necklace Kristin Smart is seen wearing on this billboard. And I was like, "nah, I have to study." Jonathan Vigliotti: And that weighs on you. We were standing by the washer and dryer and we were arguing and he shouted, No! and slapped my arm, Laura said. Alicia Tejada is the field producer and Addison Briley is the associate producer. Another frustration for the Smarts: at the time Kristin disappeared, investigators weren't aware that Paul Flores's parents were separated and living apart. But 22 years later, when he couldn't find any recent stories about the case, he decided to do something. The murder trial began on Monday with opening statements from prosecutors and Flores defense attorney. Flores father is now charged with helping cover up the homicide by burying Smarts body in his Arroyo Grande homes backyard. Not at all. He grabbed me down there and while Im yelling at him my girlfriend threw a piece of gum at his face and he pushes her down., At this point every male at the party joined in to jump Flores, who fled, she said, adding, Boom, he disappeared., That same year, Sarah said, Flores pursued her again at a friends birthday party. Friday, May 24, 1996, was the start of the Memorial Day weekend. And there were those nonstop tales of Flores being touchy-feely with her friends. JAMES MURPHY: Has your son ever told you that he did not kill Kristin Smart? Paul Flores was lying through his teeth to law enforcement, Peuvrelle told the jury. Murphy immediately filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Flores in civil court. I dont like to talk about it to even him, she said. 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. Chris Lambert: I wish I knew why. Her parents, Denise and Stan were both educators who encouraged their kids' passions. He slammed me and then pushed me up against the inside wall by the toilet, his hands were on my upper arms and he started telling me all these sick things he was going to do to me.. Related to: Ruben R Flores, Ermelinda M Thomas, Paul R Flores, Rachel H Flores, Ruben Flores. The accusations didnt stop with classmates: Flores allegedly couldnt restrain himself around his own kin. I was like It wasnt. (The office hired a detective in 2015 to work on Unsolved Crimes for $15,000 a month: There are four open homicide investigations and Smarts remains an unsolved missing persons case. I don't know if Kristin knew anybody there. She has not been charged with any crimes in connection with the case. Flores spit that he would rape her, she said. 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