Over the years, he was considered the prime suspect in her disappearance and was arrested in April 2021, along with his father, Ruben Flores. The comments below represent the opinion of the writer and do not represent the views or policies of CalCoastNews.com. 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. 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. Record reporterAaron Leathleycovers business, housing, and land use. 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. Paso Robles Press 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. 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. Describing Paul Flores during the final statements, Rubens' attorney Harold Mesick said: 'He was an awkward freshman who liked to wear baseball caps. DA may possibly offer either defendant a plea bargain before or during trial ,meanwhile hoping one of them will crack under pressure of a trial .In my opinion if none of the above occurs, and there is a conviction at trial it would be a conviction based on emotions with what evidence that has been made public so far .A trial could be an alternate plan of DAs office /county to avoid being sued for malicious prosecution against the suspects if proceedings were halted at this point based on the fact suspects attorney stated in court that he is billing his clients over $500k. He used the OJ Simpson trial as an example. In another deposition with Murphys Office, Joe Lassiter said one of the planter boxes measured six feet long by three feet wide. 'We like to watch shows, and you think, 'I bet I know what happened'. Everything he found led him to Paul Flores being the prime suspect and Kristins remains at Susan Floress home. Kriti Mehrotra. She was declared dead in 2002. The search of Ruben Flores' home took place about a month after Paul . 'It's too bad that sometimes the system works on feelings instead of facts, but I am relieved about myself of course.'. Peuvrelle said: 'Now you know where she was all along. 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. There has been significant speculation that Ruben Flores was involved in discarding the body of Kristin Smart. 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. Then in April 2021, Flores was charged for her murder. Prosecutors would later say that Flores killed Smart while trying to rape her in his dorm room. On Thursday, Ruben Flores was hit with his own lawsuit and that civil case moves forward with discovery until Ruben's attorney asks for a stay, too. 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. Next month, the judge is scheduled to discuss potentially enabling online access to documents filed in Flores's trial, according to The Tribune. Despite over two decades without an answer, her heartbroken mother and father never gave up hope. Lived In Denver CO, Dearborn Heights MI, Oscoda MI. They went on trial in July 2022 in Monterey County, Calif. On Oct. 18, 2022, Paul Flores was found guilty of murdering Ms. Smart. In an interview withPaso Robles Press, Schafer said, I gave them the opportunity to dig up the backyard, but they didnt do it.. San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Ian Parkinson said Paul Flores was. But you're here as jurors. Next, he brought the duo to an area where he knew there were recently recovered graves. Three dog handlers were brought in to testify during the preliminary hearing for Paul and Ruben Flores in August 2021. 221 East Branch Street Additionally, Vass was Tennessee Scientist of the Year in 2004 and is an instructor at the National Forensic Academy. Copyright 2021 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Ruben Flores was acquitted by a separate jury. Flores also invoked the Fifth Amendment during a 1997 deposition, after Smart's family sued him for the wrongful death of Kristin. During his deposition in November 1997, Paul had invoked the 5th Amendment in response to any questions regarding the case. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. 'After 26 years, with today's split verdicts, we learned that our quest for justice for Kristin will continue,' Stan Smart told a press conference - during which a reporter fainted. As Paul's conviction was read aloud in court, Kristin's father smiled and placed an arm around her mother, who quietly wept, The Tribunereported. Missing-person posters and billboards offering rewards appeared along roads and in other public places. Kristin Smart, 19, of Stockton, California vanished. Love our system of justice.'. San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office, via Associated Press. Paul Flores, 45, is charged with first-degree murder for allegedly killing Smart in his dorm room while he and the victim were students at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. All three handlers testified that they knew Kristin disappeared but did not know any further details on the case. Breaking news, commentary, comprehensive coverage, and local profiles. Criminal attorney Scott Taylor said a defendant is required to appear in person for your first felony court hearing so you can waive time. The search for Ms. Smart, who was nicknamed Roxy, took many forms. In 1996, Cal-Poly student Kristin Smart vanished while walking home from an off-campus party. He posted bail and left the jail with his wife, Susan Flores, KSBY-TV reports. In 1996, Cal-Poly student Kristin Smart vanished while walking home from an off-campus party. 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. As a result, Buster became State Certified in Cadaver and Avalanche Rescue. FAX: (805) 489-0663, If you have any information, please call Murphy Law Corporation at, James R. Murphy, Jr. And John D. Barron, A Law Corporation. Kristin Smart's body has still never been found. Paso Robles Magazine Paul Flores sued by Kristin Smart's family. I'm not willing to turn that stuff over because there are so many anonymous sources I'm not willing to jeopardize. 'Conspiracy theories can be fun. In plain mans wordstraces of human decomposition may be closer to the surface than at lower depths. and
'A lot of this had an influence on testimony,' Sanger said. Smart never returned to her dorm and was reported missing to the Cal Poly Police Department on May 28. Paul then stopped answering questions, invoking his Fifth Amendment right. Ruben Flores was released from jail after posting bail at about 11 p.m. Wednesday night. He added that he could not get flowers to grow in the box due to the second layer of cement underneath. But Paul Flores, then 19, volunteered to help after appearing 'out of nowhere,' Anderson recalled. For the next 25 years, I did whatever I could and looked for answers wherever I could, Denise Smart told the court, according to CBS 13, a local television station. Anyone can read what you share. After nearly three months of testimony, delays, closing statements begin in Monterey County Superior Court in Salinas, California. Archeologists put cadaver dogs to similar tests that Noah performed in Croatia. This time around, the authorities. And he said that at the time, Paul Flores and his father did not join in the community hunt for the missing teenager. Avila Beach Life The GPR search geologist said he found an anomaly under the cement but told police he thought it was likely naturally made. Ms. Smarts acquaintances were interviewed. ', The breakthrough - Flores men are arrested. 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. Ruben Flores attorney Harold Mesick argued the prosecution had not met their burden, and that it appeared Paul Flores was being accused of murder because he was the last person who saw Kristin Smart alive. 'There is just so much animosity towards this man and his family. and
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. Resides in Southgate, MI. 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. The West side of the home is also where Paul Dosties cadaver dog Buster alerted to human remainstwice. The whole thing about the black eye doesnt prove anything, Sanger said. The authorities began to describe Paul Flores as a prime suspect in the case. Copyright 2021 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Paul Flores (44) and Ruben Flores (80) were taken into custody on April 13, 2021. Based on that, we are not going to submit more evidence, said Robert Sanger, one of Paul Flores attorneys. This month, witnesses who knew Smart testified in court and faced cross-examination by Flores' attorney, The Tribune reported. Behind lattice work beneath the deck of his large house on a dead end street off Tally Ho Road, archaeologists working for police in March found a soil disturbance about the size of a casket and the presence of human blood, prosecutors said. The 19-year-old was last seen with Flores walking back. KSBY News reached out to Ruben Flores's attorney for comment and has not yet heard back. 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. So are We, and Updating Weekly. There are typically seven stages of decay: pallor mortis, algor mortis, rigor mortis, liver mortis, putrefaction, decomposition, and finally, skeletonization. Together, Vass and Dostie have used each other almost as a cross-reference. It was like he ran into a brick wall. 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. 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. Speaking about his journey documenting aspects of the unsolved case, Lambert said: 'This didn't seem like it was ever going to happen. Paul is found guilty of first-degree murder. However, cadaver dogs were used in the early days of the case in Paul Floress dorm room. 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. It depends on all 12 of you to deliberate to show whether there's proof beyond a reasonable doubt. The jury is out to deliberate on his fate. Then, in March 1997, Susan Floress backyard is searched using Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR). 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 sued by Kristin's family as part of a civil wrongful death lawsuit, but wasn't charged until April 2021. There is huge defense money being paid here. His father Ruben Flores was found not guilty by a separate jury. Cadaver dogs trained to detect human decomposition were deployed by the F.B.I. Shortly after the April 13 arrests of Paul and Ruben Flores, Smart family attorney James Murphy filed an emotional distress lawsuit against Ruben Flores, and told the media that neighbors had witnessed Ruben Flores, Susan Flores and her boyfriend Mike McConville working under Ruben Flores home at 710 White Court in Arroyo Grande. In her deposition, with Stan and Denise Smart present in the room, Anderson tried to explain her decision to leave Kristin in Flores' care for the final leg home: . Flores was previously accused of moving Smart's remains from the burial site 'in the event of an additional search of the property.'. 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. He said the family's 'faith in the justice system has been renewed,' and thanked the jury and podcast maker Chris Lambert. Teschendorf said she and several other residents in the dorm contacted police two days after Smart failed to return to her room, and then, again, two days later when she didn't show up for class. Ruben Flores, was arrested at his home on the same day and was charged with being an accessory after the fact. Paso Robles Press is the communitys top-ranked news source for Paso Robles, since 1889. Paul was found guilty of murder, whereas his father was acquitted of one count of being an accessory after the fact. Paul Flores was identified as a person of interest early in the case. The man from Orcutt, California, started the podcast in 2019, and has since been credited with renewing worldwide interest in the unsolved case. The next morning when Holman left for work, the SUV and the trailer were still at Ruben Flores home, Holman testified. According to Smallwood, from there, he took the information to Mark Connely, one of the Smart familys attorneys. In an interview withPaso Robles Press, Mark Noah, the founder of History Flight and director of the Tarawa project, said he put Buster and Dostie through some accuracy tests in Tarawa before doing an official search. The sheriff's department dispatched a deputy to take Elmer's statement apparently instructing him to speak with no one about this matter. Behrems and his dog Sierra also had the same findings. 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. 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. During the search, officials said they found evidence related to the murder of Smart. He brought Dostie and Buster to another island of Tarawa, where only he knew there were no graves. Smart 's body has still never been found answering questions, invoking his Fifth Amendment right were used the... Press is the communitys top-ranked news source for paso Robles Magazine Paul Flores was as..., we are not going to submit more evidence, said Robert,. 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