Flores was named as a key witness in the case in July 1996. This video shows the full deposition given by Paul Flores to the Smart family's attorney, James R. Murphy on November 14, 1997. Those dogs led officers to Flores mattress but no hard evidence was found. In another case, he was granted probation. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. I'm going to go back to the dorms. Those were kind of unspoken things. BUT if she suspected anything she should have turned in her son. 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. Chris Lambert, who worked as a CBS News consultant, pieced together what he learned from people who were there that night. Do a little research before sharing your sage advice. DAN DOW [press conference]: It is alleged that Mr. Flores caused the death of Kristen Smart while in the commission of or attempted rape. In his complaint, Murphy alleges, along with Ruben, there were two other unnamed individuals. Ms. Thomas informs me that she was never a witness to any crime, nor did she hear the defendants speak about any crimes.. James Murphy: they let the dog in, the dog makes a beeline to the bed of Paul Flores. Investigators are currently digging under Rubin Flores home in another apparent attempt to find the missing teens body. And the body's not there now. Her dorm entrance is right over here. The Charley Project goes on to say that Flores would regularly drink heavily and that he was not popular among the student body. After Smart's disappearance, the car was transferred into their parent's names. D.A. Thomas attorney says she accepted the letters, but did not give any statements and later goes on to say that Thomas should not have to testify because she does not have any material testimony to provide during any proceedings in this case and also states she does not qualify as a material witness.. Recently released court documents detail a one-time immunity deal previously offered to Paul Flores' sister, Ermelinda Thomas. The day after my sister disappeared, Paul Flores had a black eye and scratches on him. Before court broke for lunch, Cole also testified about a wiretap of the Flores family conducted by the Sheriff's Office in . PAUL FLORES: On the advice of my attorney, I refuse to answer that question based on the fifth amendment of the United States Constitution. James Murphy: And it says wrongful death and then I put murder. Apparently one witness may be an Australian exchange student who returned home after finals and was unaware of the case. They were soon joined by another partygoer, Paul Flores. I was like Oh my God. Cal Poly student, Kristin Smart, went missing in 1996. But a massive search did not happen until she'd been gone for more than a month. The woman, whom well 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. I find Parkinsons involvement of Cal Poly and their clown of a president in this news conference as distasteful and pandering to Cal Polys interests. In April 2021, investigators finally put the pieces of the puzzle together and decided they had enough to charge the then-44-year-old Paul Flores with Kristin's murder, and his then-80-year-old father with being an accessory after the fact. So maybe he had a crush on me. She returned to the United. Paul Flores was arrested in February 2021 on unrelated gun charges. Despite Flores sporting a black eye the next day (which he admitted to investigators he lied about) and despite police dogs picking up the scent of human decay in his dorm room, Flores was never charged. October 22, 2022 / 10:10 PM But further investigation of the Flores's two trucks seemed impossible. Chris Lambert and it worked. And had law enforcement drilled a handful of holes in Floress mothers backyard to search for evidence that Smart might be buried there, perhaps Floress alleged serial sexual assaults would have been prevented. 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. He threw [my cousin] to the ground and got on top of her and putting his hands down her top even after he got his wallet. I have this PTSD fear of someone kicking the door in.. Chris Lambert: It's hard to take too much credit But I was one piece of the puzzle that helped to make this all come together when it did. San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office. A single woman's earring. ), 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.. It was never like Hey you want to go hookup? He never made advances and he would just say Hi at school.. You wouldn't let any of your friends be drunk around him. Jonathan Vigliotti: And that weighs on you. He needs to swing for the fence to get reelected. Paul and Ruben Flores appeared before a San Luis Obispo Superior Court judge via Zoom on Monday. If you do not want to take this offer now it will not be offered to you again and things will be used against you., He goes on to say in the letter that is not dated but referenced by Galambos that Paul will soon be in a position of needing to tell law enforcement his story and that the case will be solved soon., You can be the one who is responsible for ending this nightmare for everyone and move on with your life. That would be Susan Flores, the owner of the home where Flores is suspected to have buried Smart. I also brought them witnesses that they had no interest in whatsoever. And when they did . The parents. It would be three more years before the property was searched again. When authorities later confronted him with the two stories, Flores admitted lying and offered a new explanation. Produced by Lisa Freed. But one of those friends told police Flores already had the black eye when he arrived. Multiple attempts to reach Flores and his parents to comment on the new accusations were unsuccessful. She was last seen alive with Paul Flores, a classmate who offered to walk an inebriated Smart to her room. I know I didnt have any pants on and he was in me and I could feel him, she said of the three seconds she managed to wake from the slumber that took hold of her. She was kidnapped.. Had Flores been caught and convicted of his alleged sexual assault in 1994, perhaps Smart would still be alive. When asked about how he got the injury Flores told three different stories. PODCAST EPISODE 4: So, I walk him up to his sister's apartment, and all of a sudden, he just like picked me up, carried me inside, turned around and shut the apartment door, and locked it. The moment still haunts her. 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. Flores claimed he walked Smart to her dorm at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo on May 25, 1996 after a night of binge drinking. Her younger sister Lindsey says their mother urged Kristin to go there. I did have guilt about that. Ermelinda Macarthur currently lives in Kenmore, WA; in the past Ermelinda has also lived in Long Beach CA, Arroyo Grande CA and Bothell WA. His father Ruben Flores charged with being an accessory after the factwas found not guilty. He was seeing someone on the side who he called his friend, she said. Often, Sarah would be at one party or another and there was Flores. Jonathan Vigliotti: You look at Kristin Smart every day. Me, my sister, my cousinPaul has no limits, she said, requesting anonymity. D.A. That's been our goal. I was like, Who the hell do you think you are?. Paul's sister reportedly lives in that area. The 19-year-old was last seen in the company of then-fellow student Paul Flores, who claims he escorted Smart to her dorm, which was relatively empty over the Memorial Day weekend. They had become close friends despite their differences. 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. I think they're just waiting to see what the outcome is going to be. to find the next challenge. One of his friends had told authorities that Flores already had a black eye when he showed up to play in a pick-up game. Like so many freshmen, Kristin struggled. Ruben's attorney, Harold Mesick, dismissed the evidence against his client as "so minimal as to shock the conscience.". KSBY Investigates: Kristin Smart Disappearance. Lindsey Smart Stewart: It just amazes me the amount of evidence that's available, yet nothing has happened. Smart was last seen as three fellow students helped her home following a party. In January 2020, Smarts mother, Denise Smart, told the Stockton Record that she had been contacted by the FBI regarding her daughters disappearance. Just weeks later, Kristin's frustrated parents contacted James Murphy, a local civil attorney. ", 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.". DAN DOW [press conference]: We have evidence that we do believe there are other people that are not yet identified that have had some kind of a criminal act perpetrated on them by Mr. Flores. They were after Paul Flores for an outstanding DUI warrant. She spent a summer in London, was an exchange student in Venezuela, and a lifeguard at a camp in Hawaii. She regretfully denounced them as cruel rumors at the time. He has not been charged in those incidents. Deputies also dug in several places in search of remains. D.A. Back in San Luis Obispo, the Smarts, feeling ignored by the sheriff's office, continued a relentless campaign to get them to do more to find their daughter. Another frustration for the Smarts: at the time Kristin disappeared, investigators weren't aware that Paul Flores's parents were separated and living apart. Investigators searched his father's home a month later, and named Paul a suspect for the first time. IF you knew your family member was out raping girls? 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