A judge on March 30 ruled that the trial would be moved out of San Luis . His parents have always denied knowing anything about Kristin's disappearance and insist their son was not involved. A . "48 Hours" looks back to their arrests and how the saga began. Flores father is now charged with helping cover up the homicide by burying Smarts body in his Arroyo Grande homes backyard. 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. After the four students had walked about halfway back to the dorms, Paul Flores told Davis and Anderson, Dont worry I got her, Ill take her from here, according to prosecutors. DAN DOW [press conference]: We don't have evidence sufficient to charge anyone else at this time. One day, Jane was congregating in front of the high school when a male friend approached and warned her about one particular junior. "48 Hours" has learned these suspicions center around evidence found during that 2020 search of Paul Flores' home. But he entreated each woman who came forward to tell their story to The Daily Beast to reach out to his department. Nineteen-year-old Kristin Smart disappeared Memorial Day weekend of 1996. Susan Flores's backyard has been the focus of widespread speculation. D.A. 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. And for the first time clues about what may have happened to Kristin Smart. So before leaving, Margarita handed over her keys to get back into Muir Hall. Later, he told detectives that Smart was walking just fine and returned to her dorm while he returned to his dorm. 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. In October 1996, Mary and her family moved in. You can go." First published on November 28, 2020 / 11:10 PM. She was she was frantic I don't understand this, you know? Still she stuck around until Flores allegedly laid his hands on her aggressively again. And it all came back to me. When approached about Janes rape claim, an Arroyo Grande Police Department administrator said in an email that their search revealed no such records exist; therefore, there are no responsive documents. Before their findings, another administrator told The Daily Beast on the phone that because the matter was a sexual assault case it fell under a non-disclosure category and therefore they wouldnt be providing any specific information about it. AKA: Susan Flores, Sue P Flores. Remember, Flores's room had been emptied and thoroughly cleaned. I had zero interest in her, according to prosecutors. They were giggling as they were dragging me, the now 39-year-old woman told The Daily Beast. As they soon learned, she had ended up at a party at an off-campus house. Had Flores been caught and convicted of his alleged sexual assault in 1994, perhaps Smart would still be alive. Murphy and his wife, Garin Sinclair, agreed to take the case pro bono promising to go after Paul Flores and put pressure on the sheriff's office. More than two decades later, Chris Lambert, a podcaster who was investigating Kristin's disappearance, tracked down and interviewed Mary Lassiter. And yes, we believe it's linked to Kristin. He believes that meant "the batteries went dead and that the object that was beeping hadn't been there very long.". Devastating. Some of those women who did not want their real names used told Lambert about their encounters with him. 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. 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." Kristin's mother, Denise Smart, spent Memorial Day weekend at a swim meet with her two younger kids. BOE-A-2023-5092 Orden JUS/181/2023, de 21 de febrero, por la que se aprueba la relacin provisional de personas admitidas y excluidas en el proceso selectivo para acceso libre, al Cuerpo de Gestin Procesal y Administrativa de la Administracin de Justicia, convocado por Orden JUS/1254/2022, de 7 de diciembre. Its a fib. They left me there and knock on my moms door really hard and then ran off, Jane, who is telling her story for first time, said. Ann-Marie Christian: She was who she was because of her parents, for sure. Paul Flores escorted Smart back to her dorm after an off-campus party. I don't think she went back to her dorm at all. Flores has never been charged in this case. And there are more horrifying allegations about what may have happened to Kristin after she was last seen with Paul Flores. Meanwhile, three other women told The Daily Beast that Flores sexually assaulted them after Janes assault and Smarts disappearance. Susan P Flores Age 71. He apparently would tag along with a sloshed friend, crashing off-campus parties together wherever she was. Early on, a small group of volunteers also looked for Kristin. James Murphy: The question for decades was "Well, where did the body go?". But the investigation is ongoing. Jonathan Vigliotti: They thought she was off possibly having fun. He'd go through tunnels, under bridges, looking for his daughter and expecting best case scenario. Susan Flores, an Arroyo Grande resident whose son Paul is the prime suspect in Smart's disappearance, broke her silence after new searches in the haunting case last week. Chris Lambert: They're hopeful, but they've also been let down so many times before. The dogs were trained and certified to detect human remains. Some even wondered if she might have been drugged. Like the Smart's civil case, theirs also has been on hold. Garland testifies before Senate panel amid ongoing special counsel probes, Colon cancer rates rising in younger age group, study finds, Firefighter dies battling blaze in downtown Buffalo, mayor says, Prosecution wraps its case at Alex Murdaugh murder trial, Top McCarthy aide, House Oversight chair each met with Ashli Babbitt's mother, What to know about Shigella bacteria as drug-resistant strain spreads, Ex-Georgia star Jalen Carter was racing in deadly crash, arrest warrants allege, Fiery train crash in Greece kills dozens, many of them students, Bipartisan Senate group unveils rail safety bill in response to Ohio derailment, Sneak peek: The Disappearance of Kristin Smart. Investigators could have excavated the yard, but their decision not to was a crushing blow for the Smart family. Ken Blum is the editor. And I was screaming. Laura said Flores worked a construction job while attending school but that he was very secretive and she suspected he was in college forever so that his mommy kept paying for his housing and classes.. It's, like, she has nothing on her. Flores said he suffered the black eye during a basketball game he played with friends in Arroyo Grande on Monday. Margarita Campos: Kristin was like, "come on, let's go, let's go." By herself, which is pretty amazing. Friday, May 24, 1996, was the start of the Memorial Day weekend. 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. Smart appeared to be under the influence of alcohol on Friday night. (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 was like It wasnt. Ermelinda Flores, 81. He noticed Paul Flores would randomly walk through the halls of Muir Dorm. Jonathan Vigliotti: She had just 40 yards to go and yet she vanished. JAMES MURPHY: Does your son have any information as to where Kristin Smart's body is located? My heart dropped, she said. 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. Just two years later Flores was named as the sole suspect in the disappearance of another woman under almost identical circumstances: Kristin Smart. He was writing your name like 150 times on a piece of paper and he kept circling it., High school boys are weird anyway, Jane thought at the time. Even though he'd never investigated anything before, Lambert quit his job to create a podcast about the case. Margarita Campos: To this day, like, I was like, why why did I just let her go by herself? He was the last person seen with her. Nineteen-year-old Kristin Smart disappeared Memorial Day weekend of 1996. Chris Lambert: I think that might have been the biggest misstep that investigators have made to this day. Paul Flores spotted July 29,2017, in Food4Less grocery store located in Arroyo Grande, CA. Lives in: Arroyo Grande CA. Dave Minsky,. SHERIFF IAN PARKINSON [at press conference]: Forensic physical evidence was located. It is believed she is deceased, but there is no evidence of what happened to her after Paul Flores left her. Jonathan Vigliotti | CBS News correspondent: You wanted to go home, and you were trying to find a way to break it to your friend. 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.. Produced by Lisa Freed. That would be Susan Flores, the owner of the home where Flores is suspected to have buried Smart. Lambert began looking into what happened to Kristin, collecting articles and documents, chasing down leads and tracking down anyone with information. He has never talked. When buying cowboy boots, there are a few aspects to consider, such as how far up they go on your legs and their design. Not at all. And the complaint has some explosive claims about what led investigators to focus under Ruben's deck in the first place. I was crying.. We were standing by the washer and dryer and we were arguing and he shouted, No! and slapped my arm, Laura said. I told her I didn't I didn't want to go. Im good, he said in response to questions about Smarts disappearance. He had pinned her down and had his hand down her bathing suit groping her.. Flores defense attorney, Robert Sanger, told the jury, This obviously is a tragic situation in one sense or another. In the months after Kristin's disappearance, one truck was traded in and the other was reported stolen. Mary Lassiter says the earring she found in the driveway matched the necklace Kristin Smart is seen wearing on this billboard. 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." Facts will show law enforcement was aware that they did not have a case. Last month, authorities searched Ruben Flores' home in Arroyo Grande. Denise Pearce: The investigation was completely botched by the campus police. However hard she and her father fought back, there was no chance they were going to get beyond the he said, she said. I was drunk and he had a witness and I didnt, Jane said. They did an interview with the Cal Poly Mustang Daily and explained that they didn't think there was any evidence that a crime had taken place. D.A. Paul Flores - Cal Poly student and Food Science major, Paul Flores lived on campus in room #128 of Santa Lucia Hall Dormitory. Flores replies that he was just fibbing. I dont know of any lying Ive done. Also known as Melinda E Flores. A student named Paul Flores, Susan's son, volunteered to take her back. I blacked out and didnt consent to anything.. But one of those friends told police Flores already had the black eye when he arrived. I also brought them witnesses that they had no interest in whatsoever. Even worse they never sealed his dorm room. Jonathan Vigliotti: How significant was that? Empresa. To declare to the public if you stay quiet, you will get away with this. So, she slowed down and walked with them. James Murphy: He lied to the police about everything. Her dorm entrance is right over here. 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. Once Jane was admitted her story seemed to fall on deaf ears. It was turned over to a detective with the San Luis Obispo Sheriff's Office, but Garin Sinclair says, the Smarts never knew it existed until the Lassiters were deposed in January 1997. Her parents, Denise and Stan were both educators who encouraged their kids' passions. 2020 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. Jonathan Vigliotti [with Lambert outside of the the dorms]: Paul and Kristin then make their way here. Chris Lambert: He actually hit his eye on his steering wheel in the middle of the night while changing his stereo. Ian Parkinson: Yes. Regresar a la bsqueda. Susan Flores and her boyfriend were never charged in the case. Me, my sister, my cousinPaul has no limits, she said, requesting anonymity. She left them only after he promised to take Kristin back to her dorm. JAMES MURPHY: Has your son ever told you that he did not kill Kristin Smart? And they told Lambert they weren't surprised when they heard about Flores's connection to Kristin's disappearance. 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