But now there is. In the criminal case, [Simpson] was found to be not guilty and yet the civil case was able to proceed," he said. There are typically seven stages of decay: pallor mortis, algor mortis, rigor mortis, liver mortis, putrefaction, decomposition, and finally, skeletonization. You cant dispute it.. Joe Johnston/The Tribune (of San Luis Obispo), via Associated Press. Next. Ruben also answers to Ruben J Flores, and perhaps a couple of other names. Paul Flores, her classmate who walked her home from the party, was the last person she was seen with. LaRoque had a similar testimony regarding her dog Torrey who alerted to the same areas, including Paul Floress trash can. Ruben is charged as an accessory, accused of helping Paul hide Kristin's body. Soon after her disappearance, a sheriffs search party combed remote parts of the Cal Poly campus on horseback, archival video from KCRA-TV shows. Buster spun around and locked up like a bird dog alongside the fence bordering Susans home. Evidence from previous search warrants led detectives to serve an additional warrant at Paul's home. Mesick said Ruben Flores now has to go home 'and rebuild the deck that was destroyed. The comments below have not been moderated, By But Dostie didnt know much about cadaver dogs until a homicide case he worked on in 2006 when a narcotics dog handler mentioned training a cadaver dog when she retired. You took an oath that you would follow the rule of law.'. If you have any information, please call Murphy Law Corporation at 805-489-8929 or San Luis Obispo Sheriff at 805-781-4500. 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. He posted $50,000 bond shortly after his arrest and was released from custody. So Dostie contacted Smallwood, and soon a plan was set to search for Kristins remains. Ruben Flores, was arrested at his home on the same day and was charged with being an accessory after the fact. 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. San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Ian Parkinson said Paul Flores was. Grounds for a mistrial, grounds for a motion to dismiss with prejudice. Murphy called it compelling evidence they had moved Kristin Smarts body to another location just a few days after deputies searched the home. He faces a minimum of 25 years in jail. Tim Davis, a senior who helped host the party, told investigators that towards the end of the night he spotted Smart sprawled on the lawn, apparently passed out. Kristin's remains have never been found. Unlike most cadaver dogs, Buster was trained to detect clandestine gravesan unrecorded burial grave. The authorities began to describe Paul Flores as a prime suspect in the case. Investigators used cadaver dogs and ground-penetrating radar to search the home. Then in April 2021, Flores was charged for her murder. An additional search did indeed take place - a year later. We have reached out to Mark Connely for comment but have not received a response. Two of the warrants were served in San Luis Obispo, another in Los Angeles County and the fourth one in the state of Washington. "Defendant Ruben Flores and Doe defendants 1 and 2, through their actions in removing the remains of Kristin Smart from its location, and moving same to an undisclosed location or locations, committed acts of such viciousness, depravity and cruelty as to, by their very definition, cause severe emotional distress to Plaintiffs, the natural mother and father of Kristin Smart," Murphy said in the lawsuit. He continued: 'That's wrong, that's bad, that's a crime he can be convicted of, but that's not your job. It was just, does anyone know what happened? 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. During the trial, San Luis Obispo County Deputy District Attorney Christopher Peuvrelle sensationally pointed at Ruben Flores and his ex-wife, Susan Flores, and said of Kristin: 'She was under their deck.'. 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. They never found out what it was. fromStockton, California, was in her freshmen year at college when she disappeared after a party on May 25, 1996. Dostie turned around and got ready to obtain a soil sample. Next, he brought the duo to an area where he knew there were recently recovered graves. Smart was declared dead in 2002. He was handed his verdict on October 18. Phone: (805) 489-8929 You can have the case stayed as to you, which means it doesn't dismiss the case. 2019: Your Own Backyard podcast airs on Spotify with host Chris Lambert. In 1996, Cal-Poly student Kristin Smart vanished while walking home from an off-campus party. He said that during the trial, defense attorneys have said 'a number of times' that the podcast was 'designed to convict Paul Flores.'. 'Conspiracy theories can be fun. This time around, the authorities stated that they retrieved evidence regarding the murder of Kristin. Officials obtain four search warrants for Paul Flores. He had a black eye when he was questioned, but he told police it had come from a basketball injury. Sanger demeaned Hudsons reputation, calling the witness who said she heard Paul Flores admit to the crime a troubled person. Sanger said Hudson was only able to remember facts after reminders from Lambert. 'They're trying to poke holes in the witnesses' credibility and they want to do it through me, and I think that's improper.'. Teschendorf said it was odd because although they weren't particularly close, Smart would usually tell her if she was going to spend the night out of their dorm. 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. More than two and a half decades after Kristin's disappearance, the younger Flores was found guilty of the crime atMonterey County Superior Court in Salinas, California. Filed less than 12 hours since Ruben posted bail and was released from jail. Here, DailyMail.com examines the mystery that's gripped the US for nearly three decades. 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. They arrested Paul Flores on suspicion of being a felon in possession of a firearm in February 2021 when his home was searched. Justice is coming. He later changed his story to say he bumped his head while working on his car. No other information regarding the evidence has been made public, with the police citing the fact that it is an ongoing investigation. 'Happened to be the perfect size for a human burial site,' he said. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record athttps://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow. By They said that they later dug up her remains and moved them when law enforcements returned to search the house in 2020. 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. Ruben is found not guilty of helping his son hide Smart's body. They also testified that soil samples indicated it was possible that a body wrapped in tarp had been stored there at some stage. Investigators only searched underneath the deck of his home in 2021. And again, Susans backyard was searched in March 2007 using GPR. 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. Titled 'Your Own Backyard', the host was a local man who said he felt compelled to investigate the case. Paul was then named a person of interest in Kristins disappearance. Smart, 19, was a 'bright' student at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. His father was then taken into custody. 'But just the 'let's lynch 'em, let's burn 'em, let's hang 'em, let's kill 'em,' I don't know where that came from in this country. You have been very attentive and conscientious throughout this case. There is always more than one side to a story, especially when it comes to an unsolved case. Anyone can read what you share. Previous. For 25 years, you have lived free in the community while Kristins family has lived a nightmare, she said. The property was searched by the Sheriffs Department; in addition, cadaver dogs and ground penetrating radar were employed to locate the remains of Kristin Smart. New witnesses were interviewed which led detectives to securing a court order to monitor Paul Flores' cellphone activity. Not long after Dostie and Buster were heading home, Smallwood called saying he got permission from the owner at another neighboring property, Lot 27. And it was very rewarding at the same time because we found what we were looking for, said Noah. Resides in Southgate, MI. As a result, Buster became State Certified in Cadaver and Avalanche Rescue. Prosecutors suggested that this was how he seized on Kristin, a popular blonde who he'd admired but could never win over. 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. Avila Beach Life 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). Kristin Smart, 19, of Stockton, California vanished. Over the years, women called him 'Chester the molester' and 'Psycho Paul,' according to a court document. That's just a few days after investigators served a search warrant at Ruben's Arroyo Grande home. 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. 'Conspiracy theories can be fun. Flores had been behind bars at the San Luis Obispo County Jail since the morning of April 13 when he and . Prosecutors had argued Paul killed Kristin then hid her body in his father's yard. She was under their deck. It would be one of several home searches . At a preliminary hearing, prosecutors presented evidence that four cadaver dogs stopped at Flores' room and alerted to the scent of death near his bed. This time around, the authorities. Ruben Flores lives at a home at 710 White Court, Arroyo Grande, California. Shecan be reached ataleathley@recordnet.comor on Twitter@LeathleyAaron. That changed Tuesday when San Luis Obispo County sheriff's detectives arrested Flores, 44, on suspicion of murder. The GPR search geologist said he found an anomaly under the cement but told police he thought it was likely naturally made. The case was cold for decades until a podcast drummed up fresh public interest in the case. He then noted the $500,000 this case has cost the Flores family. Over the years, judges have allowed the lawsuit to move forward. 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. Paul was found guilty of murder, whereas his father was acquitted of one count of being an accessory after the fact. Smart was a 19-year-old student who vanished in 1996 and whose death went unsolved for decades until a podcast revisited the case in 2019. Flores' father, Ruben Ricardo Flores, 80, was also arrested and is accused. He requested a complete review of all the evidence in relation to Kristin Smart's missing person case. 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. 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' father, now 81, was alleged to have helped bury Kristin behind his home in Arroyo Grande, and later dug up the remains and moved them. He was later praised by San Luis Obispo Sheriff Ian Parkinson for his help bringing attention to the case. 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. Flores is accused of killing Smart of Stockton, while attempting to sexually assault her after a party, when both were students atCalifornia Polytechnic State University in 1996. We love to hear them. On Friday, Aug. 1, 2014, Buster and Dostie returned to Arroyo Grande for another search. You have to decide whether or not a murder was committed, beyond a reasonable doubt,' Sanger told the jury. According to the police, Paul, who was a freshman at the time, walked Kristin to her California Polytechnic State University dorm, but she never got to her room and was not heard from by her family or friends after that. It also led to the 2007 dig of Susan Floress East Branch Street home. That 'good deed,' it now transpires, was the murder of 19-year-old Kristin Smart. In response, Lambeth said afterwards: 'I know that's just smear, that's their angle on it, but it couldn't be further from the truth. Four days after her disappearance, police filed a missing persons report. March 31, 2023. 'Paul Flores is guilty as sin. Adela Morris, Gail LaRoque, Wayne Behrems, and their dogs participated in searching Paul Floress dorm room at Cal Poly in 1996. 221 East Branch Street Three dog handlers were brought in to testify during the preliminary hearing for Paul and Ruben Flores in August 2021. 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.". Image Credit: ABC10. 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. It was now about 11:00 p.m. 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. The last witness on Monday, Jamilyn Holman testified she contacted Your Own Backyard podcast creator Chris Lambert after seeing Ruben Flores, Susan Flores and McConville having trouble backing a trailer down Ruben Flores driveway on Feb. 9, 2020. He added that Zoom court appearances could give Paul a chance to waive his right to a speedy trial in that case. On the night she was last seen, Smart and her friends from California Polytechnic State University grabbed a ride in a truck and arrived at an unofficial fraternity house near 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. Stan Smarts statement following the verdicts in the murder trial of his daughter, #kristinsmart pic.twitter.com/biFgN0auBj. Ruben was fired from the Orange County Sheriffs Department for corruption. 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