The same day, investigators also served warrants at an undisclosed location in SLO County and at a location in Washington State. In later years, the Examiner reports that the Smart family constantly harassed Flores and his family in order to get him to speak about what he knew about Smarts disappearance. I believed him but he was probably cheating on me.. These new allegations against Paul Flores are very troubling and deserve to be thoroughly investigated. In August 2011, a Facebook page dedicated to the search for Smart published his exact address. Jonathan Vigliotti: How did you know she hadn't been back? Flores dropped out of Cal Poly during the summer of 1996. 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 told her I didn't I didn't want to go. Lindsey Smart Stewart: She had traveled the world before she even made it to college. James Murphy: Every day. 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. By herself, which is pretty amazing. Could answers be coming in Kristin Smarts disappearance? Peterson was a 24-year-old student at Cal Poly at the time of Smarts disappearance. To his credit, the Sheriff both credited Matthew Lamberts podcast series and admitted mistakes (2 weeks B4 any investigation, dorm room cleaned, ignoring roommates pleas the day after she disappeared, wont seek warrant for bank records because shes a 19 y.o. Ruben faces a maximum of three years in jail. Her younger sister Lindsey says their mother urged Kristin to go there. Smart was talking with and socializing with several different males at the party. Last month, deputies conducted a two-day search for Smarts remains at the home of Ruben Flores. It was updated on October 22, 2022.). Denise Pearce | Longtime family friend: Things were gonna get better and, you know, and and they did. First published on November 28, 2020 / 11:10 PM. And when they did . Denise Smart said that she was told, Be ready. The Daily Beast report says that Flores is accused of having an accomplice in the crime. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. 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. I dont like to talk about it to even him, she said. Not to be a cynic but the Republican DA faces a BLM challenge from an increasing Berkeley-esque electorate. We only want our daughter back. At the time of the article, Flores was living in Southern California. Deputies towed the car from Rubin Flores' home. 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. I think they're just waiting to see what the outcome is going to be. Back then, Jane remembered Flores pulling up to her on multiple occasions behind the wheel of a green pickup truck. Powered by. Back in May 1996, Kristin Smart was finishing her freshman year at California Polytechnic State University better known as Cal Poly. And so, she pulled me into this sort of like, "oh come on, let's socialize. Chris Lambert: So, if you believe Paul's story, he goes into his dorm room here. SHERIFF IAN PARKINSON [at press conference]: Forensic physical evidence was located. Ermelinda Macarthur currently lives in Kenmore, WA; in the past Ermelinda has also lived in Long Beach CA, Arroyo Grande CA and Bothell WA. My heart dropped, she said. Ian Parkinson: I committed to them that I was going to go back to the beginning and re-examine every piece of evidence that we had. 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. IF you knew your family member was out raping girls? In exchange, Flores would disclose where Smarts remains are located. Denise Pearce: To be almost there. What's going on? Had Flores been caught and convicted of his alleged sexual assault in 1994, perhaps Smart would still be alive. It had been the focus of widespread speculation for more than two decades especially her planter boxes. During a camping trip in Fresno, California, in the early 1990s, Flores's female cousins playfully swiped and hid his wallet while walking en route to a liquor store to purchase slush puppies. 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. I can show you a video of Paul admitting he knows what happened to Kristin Smart, his letter states. Kristin Smart was dropped in the dumpster and she is in the landfill. I blacked out and didnt consent to anything.. I know Pauls Attorney Mel had many plea agreement talks with the District Attorneys Office and know without a doubt that Paul Flores knows what happened to Kristin Smart and where her body is. After Smart's disappearance, the car was transferred into their parent's names. Paul's sister reportedly lives in that area. You ALWAYS ask your interns about it? San Luis Obispo County Sheriff deputies arrested Paul Flores, the primary suspect in the disappearance of Kristin Smart, and his father, Ruben Flores, at separate locations Tuesday morning.. Unblurred are Paul Flores (top center) and Ermelinda Flores (top right). I guess the answer is yes. You just don't talk, and you get away with it. James Murphy: So why would Susan Flores, her boyfriend, and Ruben Flores be up all night long working under that deck. Janes mother frantically phoned her father. Ian Parkinson: Yes. She did not walk away and dig herself a grave. Another frustration for the Smarts: at the time Kristin disappeared, investigators weren't aware that Paul Flores's parents were separated and living apart. Chris Lambert: I don't think she ever imagined that Kristin would end up dead by the end of the night. In March 2021, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office served a search warrant at the Arroyo Grande home of Ruben Flores. Paul Flores, her former classmate, was named a person of interest in her disappearance shortly after she was last seen, but had never been formally charged in her death until 2021. Paul Flores has long been the lone suspect in Smarts disappearance. Why? Paul Flores Family, Sister. 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. When authorities later confronted him with the two stories, Flores admitted lying and offered a new explanation. Lambert said in January 2019, I believe that Paul Flores is responsible for her death and I believe that he knows where she is currently located. This educated many current residents. Like so many freshmen, Kristin struggled. If you come near her again I will kill you!, His buddy pushed Paul real hard and he fell through a desk before he ran for his life.. With them is a group of FBI evidence response team members and a search warrant. Alicia Tejada is the field producer and Addison Briley is the associate producer. To declare to the public if you stay quiet, you will get away with this. Chris Lambert: A young couple moves into it with their kid. 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. James Murphy: They brought in the first dog and they'd had the dog go through the dorms. James Murphy: If it was, in fact, a piece of jewelry that matched Kristin's jewelry, it would have been blockbuster evidence. We both were kids at the same school and so I felt comfortable. I told him, You never do this again! Flores wasn't talking. I wasnt freaked out.. I now know for sure he is, and Kristin is dead, and so do you.. In 2002, after getting kicked out of Cal Poly, rejected by the Navy, and flipping burgers, Flores matriculated at LA Harbor Community College. Now several women say they were victims before and after her, too. Wow, you must be a real hoot to work for. Flores was subpoenaed before a grand jury in relation to Smarts disappearance but left after just five minutes of questions. This boy walked up to me and said Oh hey, you need to be careful of that Paul Flores, I think hes stalking you. Paul is very soon going to be in a position where he needs to tell us his story, this case will be solved soon. He apparently would tag along with a sloshed friend, crashing off-campus parties together wherever she was. 2020 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. Well let me educate you. Authorities dug up areas around the Arroyo Grande home of Susan Flores, Paul Flores mother, in May 2007 but turned up no evidence of Smarts whereabouts, the Santa Maria Times reported. Smart has long been suspected to have been abducted and killed in May 1996, while she was a freshman at California. In a civil lawsuit, the Smarts' attorney claims that Kristin's remains were buried at one time on Paul Flores' father's property. She loved swimming and skiing. Chris Lambert: It's mostly frat guys from the Kappa Chi fraternity. Chris Lambert: Paul worked with a number of women that he made incredibly uncomfortable girls who he tried to make a pass at sexually, girls that he tried to force to kiss him. I didn't know how many people were gonna listen. The Charley Project said that Flores had been offered a plea deal involving a guilty plea for involuntary manslaughter with a six-year prison term. I never realized its the same guy that harassed [Sarah], he said. The living room had a TV and one sofa and the floor was white, she said. They got to the parking lot of an apartment complex. I was lying down on my back. Apparently one witness may be an Australian exchange student who returned home after finals and was unaware of the case. Like his black eye, seen faintly in a mug shot taken by the Arroyo Grande Police just by chance two days after Kristin vanished. But Mary Lassiter says the earring matched the necklace Kristin is seen wearing on the billboard. Paul Flores and his father both pleaded not guilty to all charges at their arraignment. Critics called. That mother, Mary Lassiter, described it to Chris Lambert. That turned out to be college. Neither the ex-boyfriend nor Sarah saw Flores again until they read The Daily Beast story on Kristin Smarts disappearance, where Floress mugshot appeared. 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. That's when Denise Smart learned her daughter had not been seen all weekend, and all her belongings were still in her dorm room. They might have found evidence in those vehicles. He has a sister whose name is Ermelinda Thomas. Paul Flores. October 22, 2022 / 10:10 PM Brief explanation of how they screwed it up? School was over, so campus police found an empty room that had been sanitized by the university's cleaning crew. Kristin Smart was declared legally dead in May 2002. They also did not focus on Paul Flores immediately, waiting six days to formally interview him. She was looking forward to hearing from Kristin that Sunday. 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. When asked about how he got the injury Flores told three different stories. Authorities allege that Flores instead took Smart to his own dorm room and killed. And Murphy and Sinclair believe they can prove it. Chris Lambert: And that's when they're told that earring has been misplaced. Please come with me." Smart disappeared on her Cal Poly San Luis Obispo campus two decades ago and now the search there is back on. Lambert said, The biggest mistake I think the sheriffs department made was that the first sheriff commented within one year of investigating that if (Flores) didnt talk they would never be able to solve this. His father Ruben Flores charged with being an accessory after the factwas found not guilty. At the time of Smarts disappearance, the vehicle belonged to Paul Flores sister, Ermelinda Flores, who lived near Cal Poly. In 1998, the San Francisco Examiner ran a feature on Flores that included a quote from his former lawyer, Greg Coates, who said that there were no facts to indicate that Paul had anything to do with the disappearance of Kristin Smart.. PODCAST | EPISODE 1: At least once a day I asked myself what are you doing? 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. DAN DOW [press conference]: It is alleged that Mr. Flores caused the death of Kristen Smart while in the commission of or attempted rape. 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. Jonathan Vigliotti: What toll over time did this have on your parents? He lived in the dorm building across from Smarts room. I don't know if Kristin knew anybody there. At the time of Smarts disappearance, Flores was a 19-year-old food science major at Cal-Poly. I have this PTSD fear of someone kicking the door in.. DAN DOW [press conference]: We intend to use evidence of other sexual crimes in this prosecution to prove the facts necessary for the attempted rape in this case. A now-retired FBI agent believes those remains were once buried at the home of Floress mother. Is this Susan posting? Whenever we find more information about his family then we update this information. And I was screaming. PAUL FLORES: On the advice of my attorney . I dont like to talk about that day.. But the investigation is ongoing. The article added that Flores changed his story about how he got the black eye, first saying that he got it playing basketball and then later saying that he got it while fixing his car. James Murphy: That suggests that something bad happened in Paul Flores's dorm room. Lambert says Kristin could not stand on her own, so fellow student Cheryl Anderson who was also at the party began helping her back to campus. LOS ANGELESShe remembers being dragged down Elm Street as she vomited, propped up by a young man and his pal who snickered and cursed her. So, they did not immediately get a warrant to search Susan Flores's home. SHERIFF IAN PARKINSON [to reporters]: It's been a puzzle and it's a very slow process to find each of those little pieces some of that information came to light through the podcast many of you are familiar with. Kristen was last seen leaving a party with Paul Flores on the night of her disappearance on May 25, 1996. Jonathan Vigliotti: She had just 40 yards to go and yet she vanished. Cookie Notice I was like Oh my God. Ann-Marie Christian: Her parents reminded me of my parents. And then months and months later, they'd reach back out and say, can you get us in touch with this person again? In the meantime, Paul Flores moved to Southern California, where he bounced from job to job. That's been our goal. Most knew about it, no thanks to Poly, and now all do thanks to Chris Lambert. In high school he was known as a loner. They were soon joined by another partygoer, Paul Flores. Ann-Marie Christian: She was who she was because of her parents, for sure. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. And they told Lambert they weren't surprised when they heard about Flores's connection to Kristin's disappearance. Amanda Starrantino investigates where her missing person's case stands today. but I knew that I could try to do a small part. Chris Lambert: I brought them a number of witnesses that they were very interested in. Chris Lambert: Around the time Kristin disappeared, they cut out planter boxes in the backyard, so they cut out big chunks of concrete and filled it in with soil. It would be three more years before the property was searched again. And while they did not rush to investigate Flores, Kristin's family says campus police were very quick to judge her. But a massive search did not happen until she'd been gone for more than a month. PODCAST EPISODE 2 [LAMBERT READING REPORT] Smart does not have any close friends at Cal Poly. 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