The trial got underway with opening statements on July 18 in Monterey County Superior Court in Salinas. You took an oath that you would follow the rule of law.'. If Kristin Smart is dead, where did her body end up? We love to hear them,' said Sanger. Over the years, women called him 'Chester the molester' and 'Psycho Paul,' according to a court document. They called him 'Chester the molester' and 'Psycho Paul', they said. 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. You now know the truth of what happened,' he said, according to those in the court. He brought Dostie and Buster to another island of Tarawa, where only he knew there were no graves. Paul Flores was the person who was last seen with her. Ruben Flores, 81, is charged with accessory after the fact, accused of helping cover up the alleged crime. But now there is. Archeologists put cadaver dogs to similar tests that Noah performed in Croatia. It was dropped when the father filed for bankruptcy. She attended a party one night in May 1996, and was never seen again. Paul was charged with the murder of Kristin Smart while Ruben was charged with being an accessory after the fact. The last person seen with her was Paul Flores. He was later praised by San Luis Obispo Sheriff Ian Parkinson for his help bringing attention to the case. Shecan be reached ataleathley@recordnet.comor on Twitter@LeathleyAaron. And honestly once it's done, I think we're all just going to be relieved that it's over, regardless of the outcome. At the time of his search in 2007, there was no technology that could read through the metal wiring. 221 East Branch Street It was now about 11:00 p.m. With no new evidence in the case, Kristin was declared legally dead six years after she first went missing. Besides Tapia-Rubio and Mora-Sanchez, federal agents identified 15 other suspects. What you have to decide is whether Paul Flores committed murder.'. Ms. Smarts acquaintances were interviewed. The paper that attorney Melvin Delamotte repeatedly pointed to during the deposition of his client, Paul Flores, on November 14, 1997. They arrested Paul Flores on suspicion of being a felon in possession of a firearm in February 2021 when his home was searched. The jury rejected that theory, acquitting Ruben on Tuesday. Related . Ian Parkinson became the San Luis Obispo County sheriff. But Paul Flores, then 19, volunteered to help after appearing 'out of nowhere,' Anderson recalled. In opening statements last month, the prosecutionpainted a picture of the now 45-year-old Paul Flores as having hovered around Smart in the run-up to her disappearance, andas having later engaged in a pattern of non-consensual encounters with women. 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.. In 1997, civil attorney James Murphy, Kristin Smarts family attorney, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Paul Flores. Paul Flores was charged with murder, and Ruben Flores with being an accessory after the fact, accused of helping to bury her remains. But you're here as jurors. ', Mesick said he feels there is 'reasonable inference' Smart is still alive and that he thought Paul Flores' attorney will likely file for a new trial since 'there are plenty of grounds.'. Paul Flores talks to his attorneys Sara Sanger and Robert Sanger on during a court appearance in September 2021 in San Luis Obispo, Calif. had been arrested in connection with her disappearance, Paul Flores was found guilty of murdering Ms. Smart, while in the commission of, or attempted, rape, Paul Flores was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. Noah said, He [Buster] alerted within six inches of the biggest recovery of MIAs thats been done since WWII. 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. May 25, 1996: Kristin Smart attends an off-campus party with multiple friends, including Paul Flores, at Cal Poly. She left around 2 a.m. and was accompanied by Paul Flores, who was also a student at Cal Poly. Susans home was searched again on Jun. Justice is coming. Conyers was not given permission to search the cement planters. 'Some of that information came to light through the podcast that was produced and eventually led to our interviewing that witness.'. He also noted concerns over broken cement pieces that he was told were leftover from Paul and Rubens work the summer before. The two alleged culprits are being held at the San Luis Obispo County Jail, awaiting arraignment. Fungi biofilms have been found growing on spacecraft surfaces such as windows, piping, cables, etc. The Smarts filed a $40 million wrongful death lawsuit against Flores in November 1996, alleging that Flores murdered Kristin on the Cal Poly campus . Worried Denise had days earlier called the college president, but was redirected to a residential advisor who refused to give any information about Kristin on 'privacy' grounds. The comments below have not been moderated, By Over the years, judges have stayed the lawsuit. The Smart family filed a $40 million wrongful death lawsuit against Paul Flores in 1997, but he was not immediately charged criminally in the case. Image Credit: ABC10. Ruben is found not guilty of helping his son hide Smart's body. Javascript is required. 'Paul Flores was innocent, and his actions were helpful. In the months after Smart disappeared, her frustrated parents hired attorney James Murphy who filed a wrongful death lawsuit against bothRuben and Paul Flores. Murphy called it compelling evidence they had moved Kristin Smarts body to another location just a few days after deputies searched the home. He then noted the $500,000 this case has cost the Flores family. Closing statements in the case against Ruben Flores begin and end. 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. In plain mans wordstraces of human decomposition may be closer to the surface than at lower depths. Facebook 0 Twitter LinkedIn 0 Reddit Tumblr Pinterest 0 0 Likes. 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. He was also unable to search a garage building that was built on the East side of the home in 1997 because of wire mesh in the floor. Harriet Alexander For Dailymail.com Investigators only searched underneath the deck of his home in 2021. Investigators used cadaver dogs and ground-penetrating radar to search the home. 17:29 BST 19 Oct 2022 Smart was declared dead in 2002. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. On July 21, Kristin Smarts parents and her brother, Matt, testified about how they had searched for her after her disappearance. Paul Flores was identified as a person of interest early in the case. Flores had been behind bars at the San Luis Obispo County Jail since the morning of April 13 when he and . Justice delayed does not have to be justice denied. During the search, officials said they found evidence related to the murder of Smart. That search yielded no new evidence in the criminal investigation. The next morning when Holman left for work, the SUV and the trailer were still at Ruben Flores home, Holman testified. After analyzing Busters reaction, Dostie said it was clear there was human decomposition there. They never found out what it was. His father was then taken into custody. Closing statements conclude and jurors are dismissed for deliberations. This time around, the authorities. 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. Kristin's family were among the first to testify at the trial. Smart never returned to her dorm and was reported missing to the Cal Poly Police Department on May 28. Don Kelsen/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images. Good News Real News Your Hometown News, Atascadero News You cant dispute it.. During his deposition in November 1997, Paul had invoked the 5th Amendment in response to any questions regarding the case. Paso Robles Magazine In March 2021, investigators used cadaver dogs and ground-penetrating radar to search Ruben Floress property in Arroyo Grande, Calif. Paul Flores was taken into custody at his home in the San Pedro section of Los Angeles on April 13, 2021, and was charged with murder. Paul Flores sued by Kristin Smart's family. Episode 04: Son Of Susan. In the criminal case, [Simpson] was found to be not guilty and yet the civil case was able to proceed," he said. He continued: 'That's wrong, that's bad, that's a crime he can be convicted of, but that's not your job. Three dog handlers were brought in to testify during the preliminary hearing for Paul and Ruben Flores in August 2021. The West side of the home is the same side, where the Lassiters heard the watch beeping and where the six feet by three feet cement planters are. Be part of the news. The authorities stated that sometime in 2016, they had recovered evidence that had pointed towards Paul as being the prime suspect in Kristins missing case. Paul Dostie retired in 2009 from Mammoth Lakes Police Department, where he worked as a detective sergeant on the narcotics task force. ', Mesick said the case has been the one he is 'most invested in on a personal level.'. Peuvrelle then focused on the numerous lies Paul Flores told investigators in the weeks following Smarts disappearance. They had attended the off-campus frat party with other friends, and their dorms were close to each other. When Cal Poly San Luis Obispo student Kristin Smart suddenly vanished without a trace left behind on May 25, 1996, no one could've ever imagined her case would span nearly three decades. A podcast launched by Chris Lambert, 'Your Own Backyard,' brought renewed attention to case. It was like he ran into a brick wall. Behrems and his dog Sierra also had the same findings. Kristin's cheerful call home was a weekly ritual, she said. This time around, the authorities stated that they retrieved evidence regarding the murder of Kristin. Holman later met with Lambert and Murphy at Murphys office to tell her story, which did not include the later reports that she saw people under the home, she testified. His father Ruben Flores was found not guilty by a separate jury. and Kristin Smarts family in 1999, three years after she was last seen walking home from a party in San Luis Obispo, Calif. Earthmovers were used in searches on and near the California Polytechnic State University campus in 2016. Next, he brought the duo to an area where he knew there were recently recovered graves. Smart's family and friends plan to hold a celebration of her life at her memorial at Dinosaur Caves in Shell Beach at 6pm on Tuesday, with a music jam session celebrating the guilty verdict. 18:05 BST 19 Oct 2022, The father of Kristin Smart's convicted killer said there was 'no evidence' tying his son to her murder, suggesting the court 'works on feelings instead of facts.'. The whole thing about the black eye doesnt prove anything, Sanger said. The two men arrived at Branch Street around 1:45 p.m. Buster was brought to the backyard of Lot 29. At the trial, several other women testified that Paul Flores spiked their drinks then sexually assaulted them in the years after Kristin's disappearance. Dostie came back saying there were no remains there. The authorities have stated that Kristins remains have not yet been found. During his deposition in November 1997, Paul had invoked the 5th Amendment in response to any questions regarding the case. Police searched the family home and yard. There is always more than one side to a story, especially when it comes to an unsolved case. Previous coverage: Prosecution, defense lay out case as Paul Flores trial opens in death of Kristin Smart. Peuvrelle is a deputy district attorney for San Luis Obispo County, where the case against Flores was first filed. GPR detects anomalies in the groundin other words, it shows spots in the soil that have been disturbed. Over the years, judges have allowed the lawsuit to move forward. Flores's father, Ruben Flores, is also on trial for allegedly helping dispose of Smart's body, which has never been found. In March 2021, further searches of Rubens home led to more evidence and the eventual arrests of Paul and Ruben Flores. The Outback Steakhouse in Irvine, where Paul . 'They're trying to poke holes in the witnesses' credibility and they want to do it through me, and I think that's improper.'. The jury in Ruben's case reached a decision on Monday but were told they could not announce the decision until Paul's case was closed. She said that she and the other girls in the dorm grew uneasy when none of them heard from Smart as they decided to make their first call to police on Sunday, May 26. , updated 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. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Paul was then named a person of interest in Kristins disappearance. to search on and near the Cal Poly campus. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way. The authorities removed items from Paul Floress home in Los Angeles in February 2020. 'We now put our faith in the justice system and move forward, comforted in the knowledge that Kristin has been held in the hearts of so many and that she has not been forgotten.'. Schafer also speculates that Kristins remains are still in Susans backyard. A sheriff at the local San Luis Obispo Police Department then told Denise he had no jurisdiction over the college campus. There has been significant speculation that Ruben Flores was involved in discarding the body of Kristin Smart. Despite over two decades without an answer, her heartbroken mother and father never gave up hope. Sanger spoke about 'uncharged acts' witnesses that were presented, referring to the two women who came forward alleging Paul Flores raped or attempted to rape them. 'This has been an agonizingly long journey, with more downs than ups, but we are grateful and appreciate the diligence and energy of the two juries to thoroughly review the facts and reach their decision.'. 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