Then, in 2021 the SLO County Sheriffs searched Ruben Floress home on White Court. Paul was convicted of murdering her while trying to rape her after the pair attended a party at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo. Dostie commanded Buster to go find, and the canine did as trained. Paul Flores was charged with murder, and Ruben Flores with being an accessory after the fact, accused of helping to bury her remains. The last person seen with her was Paul Flores. Adela Morris, Gail LaRoque, Wayne Behrems, and their dogs participated in searching Paul Floress dorm room at Cal Poly in 1996. On Jun. Flores is the father of Paul Flores, who has been charged with Kristin's murder. He liked to play pool and he liked to drink. Ms. Smart, 19, was a freshman at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo when she disappeared in 1996. Love our system of justice.'. Morro Bay Life It has been almost 25 years since the disappearance of Kristin Smart; every day the Smart family continues to suffer; every day, Paul Flores has been looking over his shoulder. They described dropping her off at the party at an unofficial fraternity house, and said that when it was over, she needed support to walk as she was being accompanied home by Paul Flores. Neighbors testified at the trial that Ruben Flores did yard work that year, after the podcast cast suspicion on his family. There's so much hate, and I really have never understood it. 'He's charged with murder, not rape or attempted rape,' he said. Vasss technology works similarly to cadaver dogs. Evidence from previous search warrants led detectives to serve an additional warrant at Paul's home. In his closing, defense attorney Sanger blamed Your Own Backyard podcast, the media and billboards for promoting Paul Flores guilt without sufficient evidence. According to Smallwood, they were told the sheriffs office did not look further into the findings, stating the evidence was insufficient to obtain a search warrant. His father is charged as an . 'Conspiracy theories can be fun. Kristin's cheerful call home was a weekly ritual, she said. She was under their deck. The question that still remains iswhere are Kristin Smarts remains? Next. There were about 70 people at the gathering and everyone was 'shoulder-to-shoulder,' Ketchum said. And it was very rewarding at the same time because we found what we were looking for, said Noah. Buster alerted under 12 inches of at least three burials in the site pictured. In addition, Morris said both her dogs, Cholla and Cirque, strongly alerted to the mattress and desk on the left side of the room. The police searched her dorm room in Muir Hall, finding her wallet and reminders to turn in assignments. Later, Dostie mailed the soil samples to Dr. Vass in Tennessee to be analyzed for human decomposition. Recalling moments from 1996, Smart's heartbroken mother Denise said she contacted police shortly after Kristin failed to call home on Sunday, May 26. Immediately Dostie knew as an investigator a cadaver dog could be an immense help to him. Ranch Life/Equine Enthusiast, Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress, Twin Cities Community Hospital Receives Award for Maternity Care, Colony Days and the Worlds Greatest Margarita By Barbie Butz, SLO County Bids Fond Farewell to Longtime Chief Probation Officer, North County Wakes Up to Snow Saturday Morning, Open for Business? Kristin Smart timeline: 24 years from the Cal Poly student's disappearance to a suspect's arrest. On Oct. 18, Paul Flores was found guilty of murdering Ms. Smart. They went on trial in July 2022 in Monterey County, Calif. On Oct. 18, 2022, Paul Flores was found guilty of murdering Ms. Smart. Resides in Southgate, MI. He said the family's 'faith in the justice system has been renewed,' and thanked the jury and podcast maker Chris Lambert. During the call, the mother tells her son he needed to tell her where they can 'punch holes' in the 'Your Own Backyard' podcast because 'only you can.'. In March 2021, further searches of Rubens home led to more evidence and the eventual arrests of Paul and Ruben Flores. Your Own Backyard is a podcast series hosted by Chris Lambert, a freelance journalist and podcaster from California. Freshman Kristin Smart disappeared without a trace after a Californian college party 26 years ago - and now the prime murder suspect has been found guilty after a crime podcast helped cops crack the case. He used the OJ Simpson trial as an example. It has never been resolved. Kristin was last seen alive walking home to her dorm with Paul Flores on May 25, 1996. Refine Your Search Results. Paul's next Los Angeles County court appearance is scheduled for June 10 for his charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm. 'You took an oath that you would follow the rule of law,' Paul's attorney pleaded with them in closing arguments. We love to hear them. Besides Tapia-Rubio and Mora-Sanchez, federal agents identified 15 other suspects. Professor Lawrence Conyers was able to search almost all of Susans backyard. fromStockton, California, was in her freshmen year at college when she disappeared after a party on May 25, 1996. That lawsuit resulted in the 1997 deposition in which Paul pleads the 5th Amendment to all questions except for his name. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. Other witnesses included students who were at the party. It was also believed that the first sample was taken at a shallower depth, which resulted in a weak positive due to vegetation drawing bio-marker chemicals through cracks in the wall of the footer. And it was during the announcement of the arrest thatSan Luis Obispo County Sheriff Ian Parkinson gave credit to the tireless work of podcast host Chris Lambert. Copyright 2021 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Ruben Flores, 81, was acquitted of being an accessory to the first-degree 1996 murder his 45-year-old son, Paul Flores, was convicted of on Tuesday. Schafer speculates that evidence was found at Rubens home because, after Kristins disappearance, the Flores family put her there, only to later move her to Susans home that summer when Paul and Ruben did the concrete work. Titled 'Your Own Backyard', the host was a local man who said he felt compelled to investigate the case. Kristin's remains have never been found. The blood was too degraded to extract a DNA sample. Among the over 200 pages of documents are appeals by Flores's attorney to . It was so strong, said Dostie. Paul Flores (44) and Ruben Flores (80) were taken into custody on April 13, 2021. Davis was going to walk her home with another student, Cheryl Anderson. With this new information, police gained permission to intercept Pauls electronic communications. After nearly three months of testimony, delays, closing statements begin in Monterey County Superior Court in Salinas, California. RIGHT NOW: The Smart Family attorney, James Murphy, filed a lawsuit against Ruben Flores and is suing Flores for emotional damages associated with Kristin Smarts 1996 disappearance. and Not long after Dostie and Buster were heading home, Smallwood called saying he got permission from the owner at another neighboring property, Lot 27. The Superior Court judge, Jennifer OKeefe, was blunt in her remarks, telling him that he had been a cancer to society who deserved to spend the rest of his life behind bars. Ruben also answers to Ruben J Flores, and perhaps a couple of other names. In an interview, Murphy tells KSBY News that witnesses saw Ruben Flores, Susan Flores and her boyfriend, Mike McConville, (named as Doe defendants 1 and 2 in the lawsuit) working under Ruben's house during the night on or around February 9, 2020. The authorities have stated that Kristins remains have not yet been found. When there is a possibility of a criminal case being brought, the person who is a witness can go on the record and say, 'I decline to answer that on grounds it could incriminate me,' Bosserman said. Former student Ross Ketchum recalled speaking to 19-year-old Smart about surfing and school at the Memorial Day weekend party, held at 135 Crandall Way. The GPR search geologist said he found an anomaly under the cement but told police he thought it was likely naturally made. His father Ruben Flores, 81, was charged with acting as an accessory after the fact. 'Paul Flores was innocent, and his actions were helpful. Paul Dostie retired in 2009 from Mammoth Lakes Police Department, where he worked as a detective sergeant on the narcotics task force. There was also a search warrant that was served at Pauls sisters home in Washington. It also led to the 2007 dig of Susan Floress East Branch Street home. Before she vanished on May 25, Kristin sent her parents an excited voicemail claiming to have good news. In 1997, Murphy filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Paul Flores on behalf of the Smart family. During the search, officials said they found evidence related to the murder of Smart. They suggested that the pair moved the body years later. So if Vass finds human-specific chemicals in the soil sample, that means there are human remains in the area. While several biofilm forming species, including Penicillium rubens, have been identified in spacecraft, the effect of microgravity on fungal biofilm formation is unknown. Justice is coming. Soil samples were then retrieved from the backyard corner bordering Susans home. Atascadero News Magazine Paul was then named a person of interest in Kristins disappearance. Peuvrelle then focused on the numerous lies Paul Flores told investigators in the weeks following Smarts disappearance. Judge van Rooyen announced in April that the trial would be moved to Monterey County, about 140 miles north of San Luis Obispo, after the defense team requested the change of venue because of extensive publicity around the case. Ruben Flores was arrested as an accessory at his Arroyo Grande home, where sheriff's investigators conducted another search. If Paul is convicted of murder and Ruben convicted of accessory after the fact as charged, the Smart Family attorney James Murphy will then ask a judge to lift the stay on the wrongful death lawsuit and move forward with both civil cases. The California Polytechnic State University freshman was last seen around 2 a.m. on May 25 when she walked back to her to her dorm room after an off-campus party in San Luis Obispo. Constructive debate is good; mockery, taunting, and name calling is not. Lambert forensically interviewed Smart's parents, best friend, college roommate, and others who knew Flores. Later, Dostie became involved with History Flighta privately operated 501(c)3 Non-Profit organization dedicated to researching, recovering, and repatriating Americas service members back to the United States. Judge Jennifer O'Keefe thanked the jury for their service, after reading out the verdict. Paul was then named a person of interest in Kristins disappearance. Noah uses several methods when searching for burial sitesall used to cross-reference each other. Ruben Flores is the father of Paul Flores, who "remains the prime suspect" in Smart's disappearance in 1996, the Sheriff's Office said in a news release. Paul Flores was then named by police as the "prime suspect" in March of this year, and cadaver dogs were seen scouring Ruben Flores' property the following day. https://www.nytimes.com/article/kristin-smart-case-timeline.html. Fungi biofilms have been found growing on spacecraft surfaces such as windows, piping, cables, etc. She was never seen again. Ruben Flores was released from jail after posting bail at about 11 p.m. Wednesday night. Ruben Flores is 'relieved' after being acquitted of helping son Paul Flores bury Kristin Smart's body under decking in his backyard - but slams his son's murder conviction: 'It was about. Both Paul Flores and his father Ruben Flores were arrested in connection to Smart's murder. Dostie and David Smallwood of the California Register newspaper were given permission to search the yard directly in the back of the Susan Flores home. 'It'd be nice to just preserve this idea that everything was fine and she was angelic, but the reality is she engaged in at-risk behavior and you have to interpret how that affects the events that may have transpired,' he said. Not the Flores boys. 'The community moved Heaven and Earth to try to find her. He added that Zoom court appearances could give Paul a chance to waive his right to a speedy trial in that case. But the jury found Ruben not guilty. 'We had talked about possible scenarios of why she would not have come back to the dorms,' Teschendorf said of the concerned students. During these searches, Dostie was not told whether they knew or not there were remains there. Noah said, He [Buster] alerted within six inches of the biggest recovery of MIAs thats been done since WWII. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Joe Johnston/The Tribune (of San Luis Obispo), via Associated Press. The West side of the home is also where Paul Dosties cadaver dog Buster alerted to human remainstwice. He refused to answer questions during a deposition in November 1997, citing the Fifth Amendment. By More than two and a half decades after Kristin's disappearance, the younger Flores was found guilty of the crime atMonterey County Superior Court in Salinas, California. The civil attorney for Kristin Smart's family is suing Ruben Flores for emotional damages in connection to the Cal Poly student's 1996 disappearance. So, are we saying the investigators and DAs office put forth false allegations to secure an arrest warrant and the put forth lies at trial. Paul Flores allegedly lied about how he got a black eye, not having any contact with Smart at the party, Smart not having trouble walking and not forcing a kiss on anyone the night Smart disappeared. There is always more than one side to a story, especially when it comes to an unsolved case. Paul is found guilty of first-degree murder. Court is set to resume Wednesday, when the judge will determine if Paul Flores should be put on trial for murder and if his father should go on trial for helping his son dispose of Smarts body. 'Too much made up stuff, that's all I can say. In the lawsuit, Murphy alleges "Ruben Flores and Doe defendants 1 and 2 worked through the night, under the cover of darkness, to remove the remains of Kristin Smart to avoid having those remains at 710 White Ct. in the event of an additional search of the property.". Avila Beach Life The whole thing about the black eye doesnt prove anything, Sanger said. But on April 13, 2021, after an investigation that spanned nearly a quarter of a century, the authorities announced that two California men Paul Flores, now 45, and his father, Ruben Flores, 81 had been arrested in connection with her disappearance. This time around, the authorities stated that they retrieved evidence regarding the murder of Kristin. In 1997, Murphy filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Paul Flores on behalf of the Smart family. He started asking simple questions to people close to Kristin in 2019 - and soon garnered over 12 million downloads across the globe. That's just a few days after investigators served a search warrant at Ruben's Arroyo Grande home. Charged with accessory after the fact, Ruben Flores is suspected of helping his son dispose of Smarts body, which prosecutors believe was buried under a deck at his home. "If that coordination occurs for him and that some lawyer does get authority to appear for him, then that case down there would just get continued, continued, continued until his case is solved up here.". Does anyone know where Kristin is? In total, over 100 American remains were found where Buster alerted. Citing the podcast, Your Own Backyard, Parkinson said: 'In 2019, (we) interviewed several witnesses that had not been previously interviewed. Speaking about his journey documenting aspects of the unsolved case, Lambert said: 'This didn't seem like it was ever going to happen. Sanger said the case was straightforward: 'There is no evidence of a murder, so that is really the end of it. His father was found not guilty of helping to hide her body. They handed Paul Flores a guilty verdict. Ruben Flores said he had . Buster returned to search Lot 27. He wasn't arrested, despite the fact that four cadaver dogs singled out his dorm room as having a scent of death when they searched the entire dorm building of 120 rooms. As a result, Buster became State Certified in Cadaver and Avalanche Rescue. San Luis Obispo attorneys weighed in on the legal processes and said civil cases usually take a backseat when a defendant is also facing a criminal case. Kristin Smart, 19, of Stockton, California vanished. For example, if Dosties dog makes a hit, he collects soil samples and sends them to a lab for Vass to later read the results for traces of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) referred to as odor mortis. Please enable javascript before you are allowed to see this page. 'We like to watch shows, and you think, 'I bet I know what happened'. During the prosecution's rebuttal,Peuvrelle asked the jury to find Paul Flores guilty of first-degree murder and summarized the evidence that had been presented during the trial that started on July 18. Now, partly thanks to the podcast and its hostChris Lambert, Smart's family have finally received some measure of the closure they have been seeking after their daughter's death. The East side of the home was not properly searched because of this. Ty Roush Essentially, if human remains are encased in concrete, over time, the bio-markers will escape through cracks and porous holes in the concrete and then migrate through the soil. Paul Flores, right, in court with his attorney Richard Hutton in 1996. If Kristin Smart is dead, where did her body end up? This study sent seven . Ruben Flores Deposition Early this week the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Department barricaded the road leading to the residence of Ruben Flores, the father of Paul Flores, the suspected killer of Kristin Smart. In the spring of 1996, Kristin Smart, a 19-year-old college student, left an off-campus party in San Luis Obispo, Calif., and walked home to her dormitory. San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow said that Smart was killed during an attempted rape by Paul Flores in his dorm room and his father helped hide her body. Smart was formally declared dead in 2002, and her body has never been found. Here is his Dad, Ruben Flores' 1997 deposition. Within these discoveries, Buster alerted next to a building with a concrete slab. The two men arrived at Branch Street around 1:45 p.m. Buster was brought to the backyard of Lot 29. Ruben Flores stares down the Google Street View car, Susan Flores house, when it was rented by Mary and Joe Lassiter, December 1996 (Photo by Joe Lassiter), Mary Lassiters son stands in front of their rental house, December 1996 (Photo by Joe Lassiter), Joe Lassiter stands near garbage cans in the spot where his driveway meets the backyard, December 1996, Mary Lassiter stands in front of a planter box in her backyard, with her mother, Sharon, and stepfather, Richard, December 1996, Mary Lassiter holds up an earring similar to the one she found in her driveway in October of 1996, Kristin Smarts necklace in her senior photo, shown alongside an earring similar to the one Mary Lassiter found in her driveway in October of 1996, The paper that attorney Melvin Delamotte repeatedly pointed to during the deposition of his client, Paul Flores, on November 14, 1997, The Outback Steakhouse in Irvine, where Paul Flores worked from 1997-1998 (now closed). 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