Morro Bay Life On Aug. 2, local media reported that Denise Smart, Ms. Smarts mother, spoke at a preliminary hearing, where the judge was deciding whether prosecutors had established probable cause to proceed to trial. They went on trial in July 2022 in Monterey County,. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Weve got you covered. Additionally, Vass was Tennessee Scientist of the Year in 2004 and is an instructor at the National Forensic Academy. Ruben Flores son Paul Flores is accused of murdering Kristin Smart during an attempted rape in 1996. They also testified that soil samples indicated it was possible that a body wrapped in tarp had been stored there at some stage. At the trial, several other women testified that Paul Flores spiked their drinks then sexually assaulted them in the years after Kristin's disappearance. Previous coverage: Prosecution, defense lay out case as Paul Flores trial opens in death of Kristin Smart. During these searches, Dostie was not told whether they knew or not there were remains there. He worked in law enforcement for 30 years. He condemned what he said was a rush to judgement. Paul will be sentenced on December 9. . 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. Both men pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors filed a first-degree murder charge against Paul Flores and an accessory after murder charge against his father, Ruben Flores, for helping him conceal Smart's body, which has never. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. But the jury decided it was. During Rubens' trial in October, Deputy DA Christopher Peuvrelle said during the closing statements: 'Only one spot in that entire backyard happened to have a surface disturbance showing it had been dug down into. That's just a few days after investigators served a search warrant at Ruben's Arroyo Grande home. When he was first questioned in 1996, Paul Flores told police that Kristin had walked all the way to her own dorm room after the party. 'It is a great personal sacrifice to serve as a juror. It was now about 11:00 p.m. Ruben Flores: Where is Paul Flores' Dad Now? San Luis Obispo teen killed in Highway 101 crash, Comparing COVID-19 death rates in California, to other states, Pismo Beach traffic stop nets gun and two arrests, Most of California out of drought, find reservoir levels, Donations raised, but not delivered to Los Osos mudslide victims, Teen arrested for assault, robbery and shooting in SLO, UCSB student dies from fentanyl exposure at Deltopia, Santa Maria man accused of threatening to shoot people, Man airlifted to hospital after Lompoc shooting, Four takeaways from the Paso Robles school board race, Holocaust Remembrance Day, lest we forget, SLO County gas prices increasing, find the lowest prices. They were both 19 at the time. Schafer also speculates that Kristins remains are still in Susans backyard. During a 1997 deposition for that lawsuit, Paul Flores repeatedly cited the Fifth Amendment when declining to comment. That lawsuit resulted in the. The last person seen with her was Paul Flores. Kristin Smart's body has still never been found. Paul Flores (44) and Ruben Flores (80) were taken into custody on April 13, 2021. By Dostie and Smallwood then proceeded back to the truck to get the glass vials and tools to obtain a soil sample for Dr. Arpad Vass to analyze later. Here, DailyMail.com examines the mystery that's gripped the US for nearly three decades. On Oct. 18, Paul Flores was found guilty of murdering Ms. Smart. '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. 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.". Davis was going to walk her home with another student, Cheryl Anderson. Paul then stopped answering questions, invoking his Fifth Amendment right. Once again, Buster gave a strong alert to a spot along the fence bordering Susans backyard. Smart was declared dead in 2002. Cant wait until this is over and likely the flores will sue the County and how much will they be compensated for a DAs office and investigators that lied and falsified evidence. There was also a search warrant that was served at Pauls sisters home in Washington. The eight-episode series investigates the case of Kristin Smart, a 19-year-old college student who went missing in 1996. Chris follows a trail left by a lost piece of evidence, and retraces Paul Flores movements in the years after. 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. He now faces a minimum of 25 years in prison but could spend the rest of his life behind bars. Archeologists put cadaver dogs to similar tests that Noah performed in Croatia. The search for Ms. Smart, who was nicknamed Roxy, took many forms. An additional search did indeed take place - a year later. @KSBY pic.twitter.com/ElsXUdUNcN. Smart was declared legally dead. He told them he got it playing basketball with friends, who denied his account, according to court records. In 1997, civil attorney James Murphy, Kristin Smart's family attorney, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Paul Flores. They had a lead regarding Kristins burial which steered them to excavate part of the university campus, but this was to no avail. 'It's too bad that sometimes the system works on feelings instead of facts, but I am relieved about myself of course.'. and Paul and Ruben, they moved the dirt under their deck to hide her.'. 2020: Neighbors report seeing Paul Flores bring a tractor to his backyard, April 13, 2021: Paul Flores is arrested on suspicion of murder and Ruben Flores is arrested on suspicion of being an accessory to murder, July 18, 2022: Trials for Paul and Ruben Flores begin in Monterey, California, after being moved out of San Luis Obispo, October 17: Jury reaches verdict in case of Ruben Flores, October 18:Jury reaches verdict in case of Paul Flores. He added that he could not get flowers to grow in the box due to the second layer of cement underneath. All Filters. Also heard during the trial was a recorded conversation between Paul Flores and his mother Susan Flores. However, the two were prevented from returning to the backyard by the homes owner (it turned out permission was given by a roommate and not the owner of the home). Vass is currently developing technology to locate clandestine graves by the use of odor mortis. Smart was formally declared dead in 2002, and her body has never been found. He was updating his followers on the closing statements via his Twitter account. Lived In Denver CO, Dearborn Heights MI, Oscoda MI. - On Friday, August 14, 2015, Elmer Rice told Christopher Garland that Ruben Flores (Paul's father) told him that Kristin was rolled up in carpet and buried in concrete. Ruben is charged as an accessory, accused of helping Paul hide Kristin's body. Paul and Ruben Flores appear at the San Luis Obispo Superior Court for the first time, at which time Judge Craig van Rooyen denies Deputy District Attorney Christopher Peuvrelle's request to. We know when police interviewed Paul Flores on Jun. Resides in Southgate, MI. Stan Smart on Tuesday afternoon paid tribute to the sheriffs, detectives and prosecutors who secured Flores's conviction. She was declared dead in 2002. Be part of the news. Ruben likely has huge drug money from his career as a corrupt LEO. Flores . The evidence uncovered, if any, during the course of the search may be used both in any criminal prosecution of Paul Flores and in the wrongful death case against Paul Flores filed by my office. Arroyo Grande, CA 93420 I understand that people are upset that Kristin is missing, I understand they want a person to be responsible for that,' Mesick said. His father Ruben Flores, 81, was charged with acting as an accessory after the fact. 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. longtime person of interest in Smart's disappearance case, was named the prime suspect in the case. 'Know that your spirit lives on in each and every one of us, every day. Adela Morris, Gail LaRoque, Wayne Behrems, and their dogs participated in searching Paul Floress dorm room at Cal Poly in 1996. She left around 2 a.m. and was accompanied by Paul Flores, who was also a student at Cal Poly. That stunt resulted in a murderer going free. As Kristin Smarts body was never found, it is reasonable to assume that Paul Flores received assistance in moving the body in the middle of the night. 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. Buster alerted under 12 inches of at least three burials in the site pictured. Grounds for a mistrial, grounds for a motion to dismiss with prejudice. Harriet Alexander For Dailymail.com Copyright 2021 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. There are typically seven stages of decay: pallor mortis, algor mortis, rigor mortis, liver mortis, putrefaction, decomposition, and finally, skeletonization. They claimed that he was then helped by his father to bury the girl's body under the deck behind his home inArroyo Grande, California. But her family vowed to get justice. Record reporterAaron Leathleycovers business, housing, and land use. He also tried to undercut the prosecution's idea of Smart as a young innocent, insisting she was wild. 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. ', He finished his closing arguments by telling jurors: 'You must decide the case for yourself. Born out of a desire to simply learn about what happened to the missing girl, Lambert embarked on the pet project without knowing the massive impact it would have for Smart's family. Sanger argued the black eye, the cadaver dogs alerting at Paul Flores dorm and the blood found under Ruben Flores home were not evidence Paul Flores killed Kristin Smart. Over the years, judges have allowed the lawsuit to move forward. Ruben Flores lives at a home at 710 White Court, Arroyo Grande, California. For 25 years, you have lived free in the community while Kristins family has lived a nightmare, she said. Over the years, women called him 'Chester the molester' and 'Psycho Paul,' according to a court document. Ruben Flores said he had . Citing the podcast, Your Own Backyard, Parkinson said: 'In 2019, (we) interviewed several witnesses that had not been previously interviewed. The next month, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriffs Office took over from the Cal Poly police as the lead investigators. Paul Flores was living in a dorm at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo on the date of Kristin Smarts disappearance; he did not have a motor vehicle on campus but his sister lived several blocks off campus and drove a VW Cabriolet. Ty Roush Members of History Flight work to find individuals who have been listed as Missing in Action (MIA) or deemed non-recoverable from WWII, the Korean War, the Cold War, and the Vietnam War. When Teschendorf returned to their room, she noticed that Smart's keys and personal belongings that she normally took everywhere were still in the room, untouched, and her roommate was nowhere to be 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. He told the court that there are no witnesses who can corroborate Flores' story of what happened in his dorm room on May 25, 1996. I'm not willing to turn that stuff over because there are so many anonymous sources I'm not willing to jeopardize. The authorities have stated that Kristins remains have not yet been found. The jury rejected that theory, acquitting Ruben on Tuesday. In the History Flight Search, Recovery and Identification Report 45 LT Alexander Bonnyman Jr. Betio, Tarawa, Republic of Kiribati 2006-2015, a map shows where Buster alerted and where remains were found. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. After, there were new latticework and planter boxes that had been cut out of existing cement. Early this week the San Luis Obispo County Sheriffs Department barricaded the road leading to the residence of Ruben Flores, the father of Paul Flores, the suspected killer of Kristin Smart. Wonder who is paying the bill???????? The Flores' defense teams have argued throughout the trial that they are the scapegoats of a police department and prosecution that are more eager to satisfy the public appetite for a conviction than they are to find the true killer. 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. On Thursday, James Murphy, the Smart family's attorney, filed an intentional infliction of emotional distress lawsuit against Ruben Flores less than 24 hours after he was released on bail. Flores was then the only person left helping Smart stagger back from the party at around 2am. It just puts it on hold until the criminal case is resolved or until you are removed from suspicion, explained civil attorney Gordon Bosserman. Searches were conducted on campus and in her Muir Hall dorm room, where they found her wallet and other belongings. Paul Flores and Ruben Flores plead not guilty in connection with Smart's disappearance. According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) Human remains detection dogs (HRDDs) are canines specially trained to find human decomposition scent and alert their handler to its location.. He then noted the $500,000 this case has cost the Flores family. 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. Search warrants for issued for the Arroyo Grande home of Paul Flores' father, Ruben Flores, 80. When it comes to the Kristin Smart case, whodunnit was never the questionno matter how long it took to arrest Paul Floresthe prime suspect and last person seen with Kristin back in 1996. San Luis Obispo County district attorney's officials interviewed Flores in June 1996, but he later invoked his Fifth Amendment right before a grand jury, and then again during a civil disposition. You now know the truth of what happened,' he said, according to those in the court. Flores had been behind bars at the San Luis Obispo County Jail since the morning of April 13 when he and . Over the years, judges have stayed the lawsuit. Flores is represented by attorney Robert Sanger. That lawsuit resulted in the 1997 deposition in which Paul pleads the 5th Amendment to all questions except for his name. 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. However, a jury did not find the evidence credible enough to convict Ruben Flores. But, their most successful mission was in Tarawa, where Buster located over 35 WWII U.S. Marines lost after the Battle of Tarawa 72 years ago. This month, witnesses who knew Smart testified in court and faced cross-examination by Flores' attorney, The Tribune reported. No remains have been found. Judge Jennifer O'Keefe, who is presiding over the trial, unsealed the documents following a request by media outlets, The San Luis Obispo Tribune of reported. 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). Curious to know more about this case? 'We kind of thought it was unusual.'. 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. Helicopters were used to canvas the area. No other information regarding the evidence has been made public, with the police citing the fact that it is an ongoing investigation. 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. Jennifer Smith, Chief Reporter Jennifer Smith, Chief Reporter 'We like to watch shows, and you think, 'I bet I know what happened'. Dostie came back saying there were no remains there. You can have the case stayed as to you, which means it doesn't dismiss the case. A podcast launched by Chris Lambert, 'Your Own Backyard,' brought renewed attention to case. 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