They might have found evidence in those vehicles. Investigators are currently digging under Rubin Flores home in another apparent attempt to find the missing teens body. In 2002, after getting kicked out of Cal Poly, rejected by the Navy, and flipping burgers, Flores matriculated at LA Harbor Community College. SUSAN FLORES: [Long pause, grabs water bottle] Of course not. The first alleged incident occurred in 1994 when a woman accused Flores, then a high school sophomore is accused of drugging a raping a fellow student. Cal Poly PD, led by incompetent detective Mike Kennedy, refused to investigate her disappearance initially, suggesting that she probably just left town despite her having no car nor leaving any other signs she left town. He needs to swing for the fence to get reelected. Remember, Flores's room had been emptied and thoroughly cleaned. Paul Flores, 44, was charged earlier this week with first-degree murder for the killing that allegedly happened as he tried to rape then 19-year-old Stockton native Smart in his dorm room at. 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? And for a few moments Jane came to and saw Flores having his way with her. 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. And might have connected Kristin to Susan Flores's house, says James Murphy. And she's like, "please come with me. Chris Lambert, who worked as a CBS News consultant, pieced together what he learned from people who were there that night. Investigators searched his father's home a month later, and named Paul a suspect for the first time. No? So had Margarita Campos, who lived in the next room in Muir Hall. Prosecutors argued in court during the September 2021 preliminary . Those dogs led officers to Flores mattress but no hard evidence was found. After Smarts disappearance, the car was transferred into their parents names. And I was, like, "uh OK, fine.". To think that you're going to finally get some resolution, and then it doesn't happen the way it's supposed to. Paul Flores was arrested in February 2021 on unrelated gun charges. I would turn around and he would be right there lurking, the woman, referred to here by a pseudonym, said. Comment Guidelines. Paul's sister reportedly lives in that area. Paul Flores at a St. James classmate's birthday party, 1983. Murphy immediately filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Flores in civil court. She didn't think that was OK. An immunity deal was offered to her in 2020, Paul Flores in court July 18 during opening statements in the Kristin Smart murder trial happening in Salinas, Monterey Co. Superior Court/NBC News Dateline. Like his black eye, seen faintly in a mug shot taken by the Arroyo Grande Police just by chance two days after Kristin vanished. PODCAST | EPISODE 1: At least once a day I asked myself what are you doing? People vs. Flores #1: Motions. 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. And that's what I've been doing for a long, long time, along with a lot of other people. That's when Denise Smart learned her daughter had not been seen all weekend, and all her belongings were still in her dorm room. This boy walked up to me and said Oh hey, you need to be careful of that Paul Flores, I think hes stalking you. She was last seen alive with Paul Flores, a classmate who offered to walk an inebriated Smart to her room. Meanwhile, three other women told The Daily Beast that Flores sexually assaulted them after Janes assault and Smarts disappearance. But Mary Lassiter says the earring matched the necklace Kristin is seen wearing on the billboard. In the meantime, Paul Flores moved to Southern California, where he bounced from job to job. Paul Flores lived in this home from 1992 to late 1996, and sporadically throughout the years since. Pretty sad how Cal Polys upper admin interfered with the PDs work and made this investigation go away. During the search, a cadaver dog showed interest in a 1985 Volkswagen Cabriolet, which is currently registered to Ruben and Susan Flores. 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. And when they did . And these girls are inviting us out. Jonathan Vigliotti: How significant was that? But Sarah kneed Flores in the groin and kicked him in the shin before dashing off into the party. However, Paul (and Ruben) can still say if youre so smart, wheres the body? Susan Flores continues with her book project chronicling her familys victimization. She did not walk away and dig herself a grave. I could not imagine being his mother. D.A. Chris Lambert and it worked. A single woman's earring. And there would be more disappointment in 2007, after the Smart's legal team searched a small portion of Susan Flores's backyard with ground penetrating radar and did not find any evidence. It was only by pure luck that Paul was arrested for a different crime and the arresting agency (not Cal Poly PD) documented him having a black eye a fact that Cal Poly PD apparently never noticed. Even though he'd never investigated anything before, Lambert quit his job to create a podcast about the case. James Murphy: They're interested in seeing Paul Flores get convicted and Ruben Flores get held accountable. Flores sported the injury in his booking photo. 0:04. Margarita Campos: Kristin was like, "come on, let's go, let's go." Smart appeared to be under the influence of alcohol on Friday night. Chris Lambert: He actually hit his eye on his steering wheel in the middle of the night while changing his stereo. Flores spit that he would rape her, she said. Susan's house was finally searched in March 1997 nine months after Kristin disappeared but nothing was found. Someone actually had to fund a newspaper sent to all SLO addresses to tell the truth. But a massive search did not happen until she'd been gone for more than a month. Were after our daughter. I don't know if Kristin knew anybody there. Since speaking with The Daily Beast, at least one of the women who has come forward saying Flores attacked her has been questioned by a detective working the Smart case. It had been the focus of widespread speculation for more than two decades especially her planter boxes. Sources tell us investigators discovered videos and photographs on Flores' computer showing him engaged in sexual activity with at least 10 different women, apparently in various states of consciousness. PODCAST EPISODE 2: So, with Cheryl's account alone, we have an unsettling picture of Paul . Smart has long been suspected to have been abducted and killed in May 1996, while she was a freshman at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. As they soon learned, she had ended up at a party at an off-campus house. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way. A jury acquitted Ruben Flores of the charge of being an accessory after the fact. An important tip came in after a February 2020 search of Paul, Susan and Ruben's properties. Paul Flores was a constant presence during Sarahs time at Cal Poly, where she transferred in as a sophomore back in 1996, after Smarts disappearance shook the school and the community. Denise Pearce: She was becoming more and more alarmed, you know? The sheriff's office still wasn't convinced they had enough evidence against Flores. James Murphy: The question for decades was "Well, where did the body go?". Almost all knew nothing about it, thanks to Poly. October 22, 2022 / 10:10 PM It's fine. There is new hope for answers in the murder mystery of Stockton native Kristin Smart. I blacked out and didnt consent to anything.. Thats when everyone got involved, she said. The letter from the DAs Office has similar wording about the immunity deal. The family attorney refused to comment when reached by The Daily Beast. By this point Sarahs ex-boyfriend arrived and he and his friends scared Flores and his pal, trying to make sure they never showed their faces again. He has a sister whose name is Ermelinda Thomas. That warrant allowed them to dig up the backyard, but deputies chose not to excavate. If Dan Dow prosecutes the case then the Flores have nothing to worry about. He was seeing someone on the side who he called his friend, she said. It might be helpful to the investigation.. Please come with me." It's, like, she has nothing on her. Flores claimed after walking Kristin back from the party, he went to his room in Santa Lucia Hall while she walked alone to her dorm. A hundred percent that was happening. In another case, he was granted probation. But cadaver dogs told a different story. My mom opened the door and she cries, Oh my God!. 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. ", 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.". [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. I also brought them witnesses that they had no interest in whatsoever. Authorities arrested Ruben Flores after San Luis Obispo County Sheriffs deputies served a search warrant at his Arroyo Grande home. Denise Pearce: The phone call never comes. Her parents, Denise and Stan were both educators who encouraged their kids' passions. Another frustration for the Smarts: at the time Kristin disappeared, investigators weren't aware that Paul Flores's parents were separated and living apart. Paul Flores. James Murphy: There has been no other suspect. Then, in April 2021, Paul . After Smart's disappearance, the car was transferred into their parent's names. James Murphy: So why would Susan Flores, her boyfriend, and Ruben Flores be up all night long working under that deck. The report said, citing police records, that Flores had a black eye on the day after Smarts disappearance. SHERIFF IAN PARKINSON [at press conference]: Forensic physical evidence was located. Chris Lambert: The only thing he would confirm on tape is that his name is Paul Flores. Audio from Flores father, Ruben Flores, can be heard on an episode of the podcast in which Ruben says he never spoke to his son about the disappearance of Smart. And there were those nonstop tales of Flores being touchy-feely with her friends. Denise Pearce | Longtime family friend: Things were gonna get better and, you know, and and they did. Me, my sister, my cousinPaul has no limits, she said, requesting anonymity. The letter sent to Thomas by San Luis Obispo County Sheriffs Detective Clint Cole, which was part of the documents Monterey County Superior Court Judge Jennifer OKeefe has allowed to be released, explains that Cole has been working on the Kristin Smart case for more than two years. Hes on top of me. After Smart's disappearance, the car was transferred into their parent's names. Peterson was a 24-year-old student at Cal Poly at the time of Smarts disappearance. JAMES MURPHY: Has your son ever told you that he did not kill Kristin Smart? A month later, Thomas home was reportedly one of four Flores family homes searched by authorities. Meanwhile, the FBI, who recently excavated earth at Cal Poly to look for Smarts remains, referred comment to the sheriffs office. In Feb. 2020, sheriffs deputies served warrants at four locations, including at Paul Floress San Pedro home and the Arroyo Grande home of his mother. Nothing in this portion of the documents states Thomas accepted the offer of immunity or provided any information to authorities. He returned later that Friday night and they drove to his friends home which Jane described as sparely furnished. If convicted, Paul, who has remained in custody since his arrested, faces a sentence of 25 years-to-life in prison. James Murphy: That suggests that something bad happened in Paul Flores's dorm room. That's been our goal. Please, let the guilty be found, and her memory finally be at peace. Hey interns, so back when you did WOW, did they tell you all about the girl that was violently raped and murdered in the dorms?? James Murphy: There's no way to get evidence back once you've lost it. We just, "do you know anything about it". Do a little research before sharing your sage advice. They used cadaver dogs and ground penetrating radar to search Ruben Flores property. But further investigation of the Flores's two trucks seemed impossible. Video by: Laura Dickinson READ MORE: sanluisobispo.com/news/local/article237462089.html More from The Tribune: Subscribe: bit.ly/2HrSD3v Twitter: twitter.com/SLOTribune Facebook: facebook.com/SLOTribune/ Website: sanluisobispo.com/ Digital news subscription: bit.ly/2HGn19E, Teenage Porn Star Controversy Rocks California High School. His father is a businessman. You can go." Investigators are currently digging under Rubin Flores home in another apparent attempt to find the missing teens body. Back then, Jane remembered Flores pulling up to her on multiple occasions behind the wheel of a green pickup truck. Denise Smart told the Examiner in 1998, Were not after Paul Flores; were not trying to persecute Paul Flores. I was like Oh my God. Her dorm entrance is right over here. We would have had this moments years ago if Cal Poly PD hadnt screwed this up. The podcast, "Your Own Backyard,"has drawn millions of listeners and focused renewed attention on this decades old case. Jonathan Vigliotti: Was this case, given the evidence that was lost early on, doomed from the very beginning? Because of the statute of limitations, Dow says, Paul Flores can't be charged with rape. Back in 1996, with classes finished before the long Memorial Day weekend, Smart, a 19-year-old California Polytechnic State University, San . She did not walk away and go kill herself. They had become close friends despite their differences. 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. D.A. Kirsten deserves better and her family deserves to bring her home. One female cousin called Flores a pervert. We would highly recommend that those people get in contact with us as soon as possible so we could investigate this further, he said. One late night at a Hermosa Beach bar Flores courted a 21-year-old student whom well call Laura. most importantly they wanna find their daughter. DAN DOW [press conference]: We don't have evidence sufficient to charge anyone else at this time. 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. Our main goal is to bring Kristin Smart home to her family and end this madness for you and your family. His father, Ruben, is charged as an accessory, accused of helping cover up the crime. Paul had this look on his face, the relative said. Paul Flores was the key witness in the 1996 disappearance of Kristin Smart. James Murphy: Every day. I believe that everyone who is in the Flores family circle including Susan's boyfriend, and Ermelinda's ex-husband Brett MacArthur AND her most recent ex-husband, is "in" on this, and is either directly involved with Kristin's death (Paul) or the concealment of the crime. Have a good day, he said. 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. He later argued that the biological evidence found under the deck was not conclusively human blood. She was she was frantic I don't understand this, you know? But one of those friends told police Flores already had the black eye when he arrived. Five months after Kristin Smart disappeared, Paul Flores was brought before a grand jury but no charges were ever filed. ), A sheriff offices spokesman said his agency couldnt say if investigators working Smarts cold case had been made aware or not of the new alleged victims, citing refusal to comment on an open and active investigation.. They're known for being a really safe school.". 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