Paul Flores was then named by police as the "prime suspect" in March of this year, and cadaver dogs were seen scouring Ruben Flores' property the following day. The authorities have stated that Kristins remains have not yet been found. 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. During the deposition for the civil suit, he only spoke to confirm his name and invoke the Fifth Amendment 27 times. Currently, Ruben lives in Abilene, TX. In total, over 100 American remains were found where Buster alerted. Fungi biofilms have been found growing on spacecraft surfaces such as windows, piping, cables, etc. You can have the case stayed as to you, which means it doesn't dismiss the case. The dogs, which are trained to pick up the smell ofhuman remains, alerted to the corner of a mattress on Flores side of the room. He now faces a minimum of 25 years in prison but could spend the rest of his life behind bars. to search on and near the Cal Poly campus. The Sheriff's office has also been surveying Paul Flores' phone calls and text messages for the last two years, which officials said helped uncover "helpful" evidence. Unlike most cadaver dogs, Buster was trained to detect clandestine gravesan unrecorded burial grave. It is also where dogs alerted to the same spot a metal trash can sat that Ruben insisted on picking up while the Lassiters lived there. There's so much hate, and I really have never understood it. Among the over 200 pagesofdocuments are appeals byFlores's attorney to exclude DNA-related evidence from the trial, including a stainedmattress cover from Flores's dorm room; its validity as proof that Smart had been in theroom is disputed by the two sides, the filings show. Paul was then named a person of interest in Kristins disappearance. @KSBY pic.twitter.com/ElsXUdUNcN. 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. He added that Zoom court appearances could give Paul a chance to waive his right to a speedy trial in that case. She was declared legally dead in 2002. Jennifer Smith, Chief Reporter There are typically seven stages of decay: pallor mortis, algor mortis, rigor mortis, liver mortis, putrefaction, decomposition, and finally, skeletonization. From there, Murphy said there is "compelling evidence" that Kristin's remains were removed from Ruben's property and scattered in the Huasna area. The San Luis Obispo Sheriffs Office said, As a result of Judge Van Rooyens suppression order, in this case, the Sheriffs Office is unable to comment at this time., https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7401519/, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/dogs-archaeologists-detect-3000-year-old-graves-croatia-180973409/. 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. Paul Flores, her classmate who walked her home from the party, was the last person she was seen with. In another deposition with Murphys Office, Joe Lassiter said one of the planter boxes measured six feet long by three feet wide. Buster alerted right on top of grave sights where two Marines were recovered the year before. Three cadaver dogs lead investigators to the dorm of 19-year-old Paul Flores during a search. During decomposition, humans release specific chemicals that essentially plume through the soil. But Paul Flores, then 19, volunteered to help after appearing 'out of nowhere,' Anderson recalled. Here, DailyMail.com examines the mystery that's gripped the US for nearly three decades. LaRoque had a similar testimony regarding her dog Torrey who alerted to the same areas, including Paul Floress trash can. So are We, and Updating Weekly. In addition, Morris said both her dogs, Cholla and Cirque, strongly alerted to the mattress and desk on the left side of the room. Smart was declared legally dead. The two alleged culprits are being held at the San Luis Obispo County Jail, awaiting arraignment. For my friend @Dsjmnz thank you for the request :)I APOLOGIZE in advance for the really low volume on Flores' deposition. 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. Please address the Policies, events and arguments, not the person. The trailer was then pulled up along the side of the home near where prosecutors say Smart was buried. That's just a few days after investigators served a search warrant at Ruben's Arroyo Grande home. Over the years, judges have allowed the lawsuit to move forward. '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.'. The podcast Your Own Backyard saw the host interview those close to the cold case, leading to a breakthrough with Paul Flores, now 45, charged with Smart's murder. She left around 2 a.m. and was accompanied by Paul Flores, who was also a student at Cal Poly. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 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). If Kristin Smart is dead, where did her body end up? Authorities also said that they linked two other attacks on women in Los Angeles to Paul Flores. In plain mans wordstraces of human decomposition may be closer to the surface than at lower depths. 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. Besides Tapia-Rubio and Mora-Sanchez, federal agents identified 15 other suspects. Anyone can read what you share. Avila Beach Life The eight-episode series investigates the case of Kristin Smart, a 19-year-old college student who went missing in 1996. Schafer was assigned to the Smart case. During the call, the mother tells her son he needed to tell her where they can 'punch holes' in the 'Your Own Backyard' podcast because 'only you can.'. They were moved out of the town where Kristin disappeared in the interest of giving the Flores men a fair trial. 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. He said: 'Sometimes we tell our kids monsters do not exist, but they do. ', He finished his closing arguments by telling jurors: 'You must decide the case for yourself. 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. In an interview withPaso Robles Press, Schafer said, I gave them the opportunity to dig up the backyard, but they didnt do it.. It is also the same area where the Lassiters found an earring with what they believed to be blood on it. In his closing, defense attorney Sanger blamed Your Own Backyard podcast, the media and billboards for promoting Paul Flores guilt without sufficient evidence. His father Ruben Flores was taken into custody in the city of Arroyo Grande, accused of being an accessory, according to ABC 10. . 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. Grounds for a mistrial, grounds for a motion to dismiss with prejudice. After excavation, Noahs team realized they found the largest missing grave recovered since WWII. Buster alerted under 12 inches of at least three burials in the site pictured. 'He's charged with murder, not rape or attempted rape,' he said. After nearly three months of testimony, delays, closing statements begin in Monterey County Superior Court in Salinas, California. '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. By 2007 Dostie began training his new black labrador, Buster, in detecting human remains. The search of Ruben Flores' home took place about a month after Paul . His father is charged as an . 2, 2014, Paul Dosties cadaver dog Buster made his first hit for human decomposition around the perimeter of 529 East Branch Street in Arroyo Grandethe home of Susan, Paul Floress mother. Morris testified that her dog alerted to a door on the left side of Santa Lucia Hall, specifically room #128Paul Floress dorm room. There is huge defense money being paid here. After, there were new latticework and planter boxes that had been cut out of existing cement. Previous coverage: Prosecution, defense lay out case as Paul Flores trial opens in death of Kristin Smart. It depends on all 12 of you to deliberate to show whether there's proof beyond a reasonable doubt. His father was then taken into custody. 'You took an oath that you would follow the rule of law,' Paul's attorney pleaded with them in closing arguments. Otherwise, your speedy trial rights are affected. Smart added: 'To our Kristin: Almost three decades ago, our lives were irreparably changed on the night you disappeared. Based on that, we are not going to submit more evidence, said Robert Sanger, one of Paul Flores attorneys. Noah said, He [Buster] alerted within six inches of the biggest recovery of MIAs thats been done since WWII. They never found out what it was. The last person seen with her was Paul Flores. The Sheriffs Office investigators and forensic specialists assigned to Ms. Smarts case executed 18 search warrants, submitted 37 items that were collected in the early days of the case for DNA testing, recovered 140 new items of evidence and conducted 91 interviews from 2011 to 2020, the office said. Breaking news, commentary, comprehensive coverage, and local profiles. The question that still remains iswhere are Kristin Smarts remains? Record reporterAaron Leathleycovers business, housing, and land use. This is a case that should not go any further.. 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. Later, Flores invoked his 5th Amendment right against self-incrimination before a grand jury and during a civil deposition. 'Paul Flores is guilty as sin. He told them he got it playing basketball with friends, who denied his account, according to court records. They used ground-penetrating radar and a cadaver dog during the probe. Over the years, the separate homes of Pauls parents, Susan and Ruben Flores, were, Furthermore, the searches at the homes of Ruben, Susan, Paul, and his sister had led to enough evidence to warrant a second search of Pauls home. The podcast first launched in 2019. The comments below have not been moderated, By Not the Flores boys. Then in March, detectives served a search warrant for his father's home. Both Paul Flores and his father Ruben Flores were arrested in connection to Smart's murder. The jury is out to deliberate on his fate. Smart's former roommate Crystal Teschendorf claimed police didn't take her seriously when she reported the 19-year-old missing twice before police finally filed a report. Ruben was fired from the Orange County Sheriffs Department for corruption. ', The breakthrough - Flores men are arrested. This month, witnesses who knew Smart testified in court and faced cross-examination by Flores' attorney, The Tribune reported. Paul Flores and Ruben Flores plead not guilty in connection with Smart's disappearance. Ms. Smarts acquaintances were interviewed. He brought Dostie and Buster to another island of Tarawa, where only he knew there were no graves. 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