James Murphy: And it says wrongful death and then I put murder. The moment still haunts her. He would tiptoe around everything. And she's like, "please come with me. More than two decades later, Chris Lambert, a podcaster who was investigating Kristin's disappearance, tracked down and interviewed Mary Lassiter. During opening statements of Flores murder trial this week, prosecutors played a video of Flores stumbling over questions from Cal Poly campus police detectives inside an interrogation room. JAMES MURPHY: Your husband have information as to where Kristin Smart's body is located? Also known as Melinda E Flores. Paul Flores spotted July 29,2017, in Food4Less grocery store located in Arroyo Grande, CA. But while campus police weren't doing much, Kristin's parents were doing whatever they could to find their daughter. Authorities made clear that they plan to use Flores' alleged predatory behavior against him. San Luis Obispo County. E Branch St, Arroyo Grande, CA Plus Addresses In Torrance, CA | San Pedro, CA Relatives Paul Ruben Flores Ermelinda Marie Flores Susan P Flores Paul F Gil View details Phone Numbers (805) nay - peek (805) nay - peek + 1 more View Details AGE 40s Ruben D Flores Santa Barbara, CA (Mesa) Aliases Ruben Flores-Diazchavez Ruben D Flores Espinoza Little is known since the proceedings are kept secret, but no charges were ever filed. so eventually he unlocked you know, the apartment door, and I left. PODCAST EPISODE 4: And he had like a butter knife and he like held it to my neck. In the fall of 1996, a young mother named Mary Lassiter was looking for a house to rent in Arroyo Grande, California. I called my mom. A student named Paul Flores, Susan's son, volunteered to take her back. They are aware that they had no eye witnesses, a body was not recovered, there is no physical evidence, and no forensic evidence, Sanger said. During one interrogation with campus police on May 28, 1996, Flores story changed about what happened after Anderson left. Not at all. Lourdes Aguiar is the senior producer. Chris Lambert: That's the upsetting part about it, isn't it? Chris Lambert: I wish I knew why. Please come with me." In 1997 when Paul Flores was deposed for the civil suit, the only thing he would confirm on tape was his name. Instead, on Monday, May 27, Denise Pearce says the Smarts got a call from Cal Poly's campus police asking if Kristin was with them. / CBS News, (This story previously aired on May 8, 2021. I blacked out and didnt consent to anything.. In a civil lawsuit, the Smarts' attorney claims that Kristin's remains were buried at one time on Paul Flores' father's property. With them is a group of FBI evidence response team members and a search warrant. Authorities arrested Ruben Flores after San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's deputies served a search warrant at his Arroyo Grande home. But Murphy says there were other incidents that should have raised alarm bells about him with law enforcement from the very beginning. That's how the Lassiters learned that their landlord's son, Paul, was the prime suspect in the disappearance of a young college student in nearby San Luis Obispo. Chris Lambert: They didn't bring cadaver dogs with them. Denise Pearce: The investigation was completely botched by the campus police. There was no change in the soil consistent with that.. Flores defense attorney, Robert Sanger, told the jury, This obviously is a tragic situation in one sense or another. They didn't bring a forensics team. Eventually they moved in together along with a male roommate in a two-bedroom apartment in nearby Lawndale. Nineteen-year-old Kristin Smart disappeared Memorial Day weekend of 1996. They asked him not to use their names: PODCAST EPISODE 2 | WOMAN #1: Well his nickname was "Scary Paul.". Just days after taking over the investigation, the San Luis Obispo Sheriff's Office brought several dogs trained to detect human remains, to the Cal Poly dorms. James Murphy: I'm not at liberty to describe how it was documented. every piece of evidence points directly at Paul Flores. So now you've got three different stories about how he got that black eye. Last month, authorities searched Ruben Flores' home in Arroyo Grande. Meanwhile, three other women told The Daily Beast that Flores sexually assaulted them after Janes assault and Smarts disappearance. Margarita Campos: To this day, like, I was like, why why did I just let her go by herself? JAMES MURPHY: Has your son ever told you that he did not kill Kristin Smart? Lawyers representing Paul Flores, a man found guilty last year of murdering Kristin Smart in San Luis Obispo in 1996, filed motions last week to dismiss the jury verdict and for a new trial. 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. And it all came back to me. But 22 years later, when he couldn't find any recent stories about the case, he decided to do something. Chris Lambert: He told those friends he just woke up with the black eye. Empresa. Kristin's parents have spent more than two decades hoping for any clue that would lead them to their beloved daughter. Those were kind of unspoken things. Kristin Smart and Paul Flores were briefly seen speaking to each other during the party. There's no question about it. 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. I wasnt freaked out.. I was like It wasnt. There was no reaction until the dog reached Paul Flores's room. Later, he told detectives that Smart was walking just fine and returned to her dorm while he returned to his dorm. At a Halloween party back in 1995before Smart had gone missingFlores allegedly grabbed Sarahs crotch on the dance floor. As she told Chris Lambert, "In the master bedroom, I'm hearing this 'beep beep' every night at 4:20, or 4:20 in the morning." Flores and Smart were both 19-year-old freshmen Cal Poly students who attended the same party the night she vanished, on May 25, 1996. 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. Once the dogs were let inside the room, they alerted to a corner of Flores bed mattress. But you have to understand, she was a really independent free spirit. Murphy has filed a new civil suit against Ruben Flores for the intentional infliction of emotional distress. When they reached the turnoff to Cheryl's dorm, she says Flores tried to hug and kiss her. Dave Minsky,. Kristin Denise Smart (born February 20, 1977, legally presumed dead May 25, 2002) was an American woman who is presumed to have been abducted, raped, and killed at the end of her freshman year of college on the campus of California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo. After almost 25 years of suspicion, on April 13, 2021, San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Ian Parkinson announced the arrest ofPaul Flores in the disappearance of Kristin Smart. Ruben Flores defense attorney is slated to deliver his opening statements when the two trials resume on Thursday in a Monterey County courtroom. At least one, since The Daily Beast began reporting, said she has been interviewed by the San Luis Obispo Sheriffs Office. To declare to the public if you stay quiet, you will get away with this. They were after Paul Flores for an outstanding DUI warrant. Kristin Smart has been missing since 1996 and the San Luis County Obispo District Attorney allege she was killed during a rape. He hired a detective to work full time on the case, and over the past nine years deputies have carried out searches, conducted new interviews, and gathered additional evidence. PAUL FLORES: On the advice of my attorney, I refuse to answer that question based on the fifth amendment of the United States Constitution. The charming blue house with the picket fence on East Branch Street seemed perfect. After seizing an old car, digging in the back yard and taking evidence San Luis Obispo County sheriff deputies concluded a two search of an Arroyo Grande home related to the 1996. This boy walked up to me and said Oh hey, you need to be careful of that Paul Flores, I think hes stalking you. Lived In Dublin CA, King Of Prussia PA, Norristown PA. Related To Cooper Flores. He lived in the dorm building across from Smart's room. I told her I didn't I didn't want to go. The dogs were trained and certified to detect human remains. 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. He invoked the Fifth Amendment 27 times. Just weeks later, Kristin's frustrated parents contacted James Murphy, a local civil attorney. Related to: Ruben R Flores, Ermelinda M Thomas, Paul R Flores, Rachel H Flores, Ruben Flores. Flores said he suffered the black eye during a basketball game he played with friends in Arroyo Grande on Monday. 2020 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. So before leaving, Margarita handed over her keys to get back into Muir Hall. Some of those women who did not want their real names used told Lambert about their encounters with him. Chris Lambert says they're cautiously optimistic. They were meant for Susan Flores asking her to cooperate with police and have her son come forward. I drank this drink and I dont know what it was but let me tell you something the next thing you know I was passed out, Jane said. They might have found evidence in those vehicles. Denise Pearce says that was a crushing blow for the Smart family. Her parents, Denise and Stan were both educators who encouraged their kids' passions. When The Daily Beast tracked Flores down outside his home last month, he didnt mount much of a defense. Even though he'd never investigated anything before, Lambert quit his job to create a podcast about the case. Witnesses said she didnt smell like alcohol, but she quickly became so incapacitated that she passed out face-down on the houses front lawn. She was gone. Ian Parkinson: Yes. The interrogation was recorded just days after Smarts college friends alerted police that she was missing. One of Kristins closest college friends, Steve Fleming, noticed that Paul Flores would linger around Smarts dorm hall even though he didnt live there. All four dogs, including one who was considered the best of the best, separately signaled an alert indicating the presence of human remain odors only in Flores room. Still to this day I am afraid to go to the bathroom by myself in public places, she said, admitting she still asks her husband every time to stand sentry at the door when she has to go. It wasnt like some older guy or anything.. Susan Flores's backyard has been the focus of widespread speculation. She loved swimming and skiing. And she was growing as an individual. 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. Chris Lambert: Everything else, he took the Fifth Amendment. Jonathan Vigliotti | CBS News correspondent: You wanted to go home, and you were trying to find a way to break it to your friend. Neither the ex-boyfriend nor Sarah saw Flores again until they read The Daily Beast story on Kristin Smarts disappearance, where Floress mugshot appeared. He gets his arm around her torso and her arm around his neck, and he's helping her walk. She told Lambert that after several months, the beeping stopped. Jonathan Vigliotti: Is there any doubt in your mind that Paul Flores is responsible for the disappearance of Kristin Smart? It was never like Hey you want to go hookup? He never made advances and he would just say Hi at school.. He called his father at 9:47 a.m. on Sunday, May 26, 1996. When buying cowboy boots, there are a few aspects to consider, such as how far up they go on your legs and their design. Over the years, Susan Flores's backyard has been the focus of widespread speculation because of stories like the ones Mary Lassiter told Chris Lambert. This 9-room home sits on 40,000 square feet of land, which was purchased by the Flores family in 1990. That turned out to be college. 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. Nearly a week after their arrests, father and son both pleaded not guilty in San Luis Obispo County Superior Court. James Murphy: Having a black eye doesn't make you guilty of anything but if the person you were with disappeared from the planet that's physical evidence. Four months earlier, Kristin Smart, a freshman at California Polytechnic State University better known as Cal Poly had gone to a party on Friday, May 24 the start of the Memorial Day weekend. His father Ruben Flores charged with being an accessory after the factwas found not guilty. It was updated on October 22, 2022.). PODCAST EPISODE 5: If you were making a film about a new law enforcer who's coming to a small town to save the day, you'd probably cast Parkinson. It is also what the Smarts have been waiting for for more than a quarter of a century. They didn't look at the Flores family's vehicles. The National Read Across America Day takes place every year on March 2, Geisels birthday. 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. Paul Flores and his father both pleaded not guilty to all charges at their arraignment. And I was screaming. James Murphy: So why would Susan Flores, her boyfriend, and Ruben Flores be up all night long working under that deck. 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