>> TONIGHT, THERE'S BEEN A MAJOR BREAK IN A 25-YEAR-OLD MYSTERY,
THE 1996 DISAPPEARANCE AND MURDER OF COLLEGE STUDENT
KRISTIN SMART.
>> IT'S A LANDMARK DAY IN THIS VERY HIGH-PROFILE CASE.
[ OVERLAPPING TALKING] >> THE SAN LUIS OBISPO SHERIFF'S
OFFICE IS SET TO RELEASE DETAILS ABOUT THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS...
>> TODAY IS A DAY THAT MANY HAD HOPED FOR, WISHED FOR, AND
PRAYED FOR.
>> THIS IS WHERE IT ALL BEGAN, ON THE CAMPUS OF CAL POLY
UNIVERSITY.
THE LAST PLACE THAT KRISTIN SMART WAS SEEN ALIVE.
IT'S MY HOPE THAT WE'RE ABLE TO TAKE THE FIRST STEP TOWARDS
JUSTICE FOR THE SMART FAMILY.
>> I GREW UP NO FAR FROM WHERE KRISTIN DISAPPEARED.
THE BILLBOARD IN ARROYO GRANDE IS VISIBLE.
IT'S GOT KRISTIN'S PHOTO ON IT.
DRIVING PAST THAT BILLBOARD WAS A PERIODIC REMINDER THAT, OH,
YEAH, THEY STILL HAVEN'T FOUND THAT GIRL.
I'M CHRIS LAMBERT.
I CREATED THE PODCAST, "YOUR OWN BACKYARD," WHICH FOCUSED ON THE
DISAPPEARANCE OF KRISTIN SMART.
>> INVESTIGATORS SAY SMART AND TWO OTHER STUDENTS LEFT THE
PARTY THAT NIGHT AND WALKED BACK TO THEIR ON-CAMPUS DORMITORY
BUILDINGS.
>> Reporter: WE'RE HERE SURROUNDED BY DORMS, AND YET
NOBODY SAW ANYTHING?
>> IT WAS A VERY DEAD HOLIDAY WEEKEND.
A LOT OF PEOPLE HAD GONE HOME.
IN THE AMOUNT OF TIME THAT THEY WERE ALONE AND WHATEVER
HAPPENED THAT HER LIFE ENDED, I THINK THERE WAS PLENTY OF
OPPORTUNITY TO HIDE HER BODY WITHOUT ANYBODY NOTICING.
>> MY SISTER TURNED 19 IN FEBRUARY.
SHE DISAPPEARED IN MAY.
WHEN SHE DISAPPEARED, I WAS ABOUT TO GRADUATE EIGHTH GRADE.
BUT MY PARENTS DID A REALLY GOOD JOB OF SHIELDING US.
>> STAN AND DENISE, THEY'RE WONDERFUL PARENTS.
>> A VERY LARGE GROUP OF FRIENDS WENT DOWN TO CAL POLY TO HELP
SEARCH FOR HER.
STAN WAS THERE.
DENISE STAYED BACK.
AND I STAYED BACK WITH HER IN CASE KRISTIN CAME HOME.
>> NEVER WOULD HAVE DREAMED IN A MILLION YEARS THAT SHE
WOULD NOT RETURN.
AND CAL POLY IS A SAFE PLACE.
YOU DO NOT THINK OF THIS HAPPENING.
>> THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITES OF HER, WITH THIS GREAT SMILE
THAT SHE HAS.
I JUST LOVE THAT.
IT'S JUST, TO ME, THAT'S JUST-- THAT CAPTURES HER.
I REMEMBER HER WANTING TO, LIKE, TRAVEL THE WORLD AND
BE AN ARCHITECT.
I REALLY MISS HER, AND SHE SHOULD BE HERE.
>> ORIGINALLY, WHEN WE FIRST TOOK THE CASE, I WAS DETERMINED
I WOULD BE ABLE TO FIND HER IN SIX MONTHS.
>> IF YOU'VE EVER BEEN ON ONE OF THESE SEARCHES, YOU WALK UP A
CANYON HERE IN SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY, AND THEN THERE'S ANOTHER
CANYON OFF THAT.
AND YOU GET TO THE END OF THAT ONE, THERE'S ANOTHER CANYON.
THERE'S BILLIONS OF PLACES TO HIDE A BODY.
>> IT'S IMPORTANT TO EXPLAIN HERE THAT KRISTIN'S CASE HAS
NEVER BEEN DECLARED COLD.
A CASE IS ONLY CONSIDERED COLD WHEN LAW ENFORCEMENT DECIDES
THAT THEY'VE EXHAUSTED ALL OF THEIR LEADS.
BUT WHAT MAKES IT INTERESTING TO ME IS THAT THEY'VE HAD A SUSPECT
SINCE PRETTY MUCH DAY ONE.
>> HI, PAUL.
GOOD MORNING.
I'M JONATHAN VIGLIOTTI WITH CBS NEWS.
WERE YOU INVOLVED IN THE DISAPPEARANCE OF KRISTIN SMART?
PAUL, CAN YOU TELL US WHAT HAPPENED THAT NIGHT BETWEEN YOU
AND KRISTIN?
>> GO [ BLEEP] YOURSELF.
>> IT'S IMPORTANT THAT THERE'S AN ARREST MADE.
YOU'VE GOT TO MOVE, AND YOU'VE GOT TO DO IT NOW.
>> I'M HERE THIS AFTERNOON TO ANNOUNCE THE ARREST OF
PAUL FLORES...
FOR THE MURDER OF KRISTIN SMART.
Captioning sponsored by CBS
>> Reporter: AFTER ALMOST 25 YEARS OF SUSPICION, ON APRIL 13,
2021, SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY SHERIFF IAN PARKINSON ANNOUNCED
THE ARREST OF PAUL FLORES IN THE DISAPPEARANCE OF KRISTIN SMART.
>> IT'S BEEN A PUZZLE, AND IT'S A VERY SLOW PROCESS TO FIND EACH
OF THOSE LITTLE PIECES.
SOME OF THAT INFORMATION CAME TO LIGHT THROUGH THE PODCAST MANY
OF YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH.
>> Reporter: IN THE CROWD, TAKING IT ALL IN, WAS THAT
PODCASTER, CHRIS LAMBERT.
>> IT'S HARD TO TAKE TOO MUCH CREDIT, BUT I WAS ONE PIECE
OF THE PUZZLE THAT HELPED TO MAKE THIS ALL COME TOGETHER
WHEN IT DID.
>> Reporter: BUT TO FULLY UNDERSTAND CHRIS LAMBERT'S
CONTRIBUTION, YOU HAVE TO GO BACK TO THE BEGINNING.
LAMBERT WAS JUST EIGHT YEARS OLD WHEN KRISTIN SMART VANISHED ON
HER WAY HOME FROM A COLLEGE PARTY IN SAN LUIS OBISBO,
CALIFORNIA.
>> I REMEMBER SEEING IT ON THE NEWS.
>> KRISTIN IS A FRESHMAN AT CAL POLY, BUT HASN'T BEEN
TO CLASS SINCE BEFORE THE MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND.
>> AND KRISTIN SMART LEFT A PARTY ON THE CAL POLY CAMPUS...
>> IT WAS SOMETHING SCARY, AND THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT IT
PRETTY REGULARLY.
>> Reporter: BUT 22 YEARS LATER, WHEN HE COULDN'T FIND ANY RECENT
STORIES ABOUT THE CASE, HE DECIDED TO DO SOMETHING.
>> IT'S A COLD AND CLOUDY WINTER AFTERNOON IN SAN LUIS OBISPO,
AND I'M RETRACING MISSING CAL POLY STUDENT KRISTIN SMART'S
LAST KNOWN STEPS.
>> Reporter: EVEN THOUGH HE'D NEVER INVESTIGATED ANYTHING
BEFORE, LAMBERT QUIT HIS JOB TO CREATE A PODCAST.
>> AT LEAST ONCE A DAY, I ASKED MYSELF, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?
>> Reporter: LAMBERT BEGAN LOOKING INTO WHAT HAPPENED TO
KRISTIN, COLLECTING ARTICLES AND DOCUMENTS, CHASING DOWN LEADS,
AND TRACKING DOWN ANYONE WITH INFORMATION.
>> I DIDN'T KNOW THE SCALE, I DIDN'T KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE WERE
GOING TO LISTEN, BUT I KNEW THAT I COULD TRY TO DO A SMALL PART.
I GOOGLED KRISTIN SMART'S NAME EVERY FEW YEARS.
>> Reporter: HE NEVER EXPECTED IT WOULD BE A HIT, BUT HIS
PODCAST CAUGHT THE ATTENTION OF MILLIONS OF LISTENERS AND
SPARKED NEW INTEREST IN THIS DECADES-OLD UNSOLVED CASE.
BACK IN MAY 1996, KRISTIN SMART WAS FINISHING HER FRESHMAN YEAR
AT CALIFORNIA POLYTECHNIC STATE UNIVERSITY, BETTER KNOWN AS
CAL POLY.
HER YOUNGER SISTER, LINDSEY, SAYS THEIR MOTHER URGED KRISTIN
TO GO THERE.
>> "YOU SHOULD GO TO CAL POLY.
THEY'RE KNOWN FOR BEING A REALLY SAFE SCHOOL."
>> Reporter: AND IT WAS ONLY 250 MILES FROM STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA,
WHERE SHE GREW UP WITH LINDSEY AND THEIR BROTHER, MATT.
HER PARENTS, DENISE AND STAN, WERE BOTH EDUCATORS WHO
ENCOURAGED THEIR KIDS' PASSIONS.
>> SHE WAS WHO SHE WAS BECAUSE OF HER PARENTS, FOR SURE.
>> Reporter: ANNE MARIE CHRISTIAN BECAME FRIENDS WITH
KRISTIN IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
>> HER PARENTS REMINDED ME OF MY PARENTS, JUST VERY INVOLVED WITH
THEIR CHILDREN.
A VERY CLOSE-KNIT FAMILY.
>> Reporter: KRISTEN LOVED SWIMMING AND SKIING, BUT LINDSEY
SAYS HER SISTER WAS HAPPIEST WHEN SHE WAS TRAVELING.
>> SHE HAD TRAVELED THE WORLD BEFORE SHE EVEN MADE IT TO
COLLEGE-- BY HERSELF, WHICH IS PRETTY AMAZING.
>> Reporter: SHE SPENT A SUMMER IN LONDON, WAS AN EXCHANGE
STUDENT IN VENEZUELA, AND A LIFEGUARD AT A CAMP IN HAWAII.
>> SHE DEFINITELY, LIKE, TOOK ADVANTAGE OF LIFE, SEIZED THE
DAY.
SHE WAS SUPER AMBITIOUS AND WAS DETERMINED, YOU KNOW, TO FIND
THE NEXT ADVENTURE, TO FIND THE NEXT CHALLENGE.
>> Reporter: THAT TURNED OUT TO BE COLLEGE.
LIKE SO MANY FRESHMEN, KRISTIN STRUGGLED.
CLASSES WERE DIFFICULT.
SHE WAS TRYING TO FIT IN, AND SHE MISSED HER FAMILY.
>> KRISTEN BROKE DOWN, BEGGING HER MOTHER TO LET HER DROP OUT
AND GO SOMEWHERE ELSE.
>> Reporter: BUT EVERY SUNDAY, WHEN SHE CALLED HER PARENTS,
THEY ENCOURAGED HER TO STICK IT OUT.
LONG-TIME FAMILY FRIEND, DENISE PEARCE:
>> THINGS WERE GOING TO GET BETTER, AND, YOU KNOW, AND-- AND
THEY DID.
>> Reporter: FRIDAY MAY 24, 1996, WAS THE START OF THE
MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND.
MOST STUDENTS HAD TAKEN OFF, BUT KRISTIN HAD STAYED ON CAMPUS.
SO HAD MARGARITA CAMPOS, WHO LIVED IN THE NEXT ROOM IN
MUIR HALL.
THEY HAD BECOME CLOSE FRIENDS, DESPITE THEIR DIFFERENCES.
>> I WAS A LITTLE BIT MORE INTROVERTED AND INHIBITED, AND
SHE WAS LIKE, "NO, WE HAVE TO GO OUT, AND WE HAVE TO GO, LIKE,
LIVE LIFE."
AND SHE WAS GROWING AS AN INDIVIDUAL.
SHE WAS PUSHING HERSELF OUT OF HER COMFORT ZONE, AND I WAS
LIKE, "“NO!"” >> Reporter: SO, WHEN THEY
WERE INVITED TO A PARTY THAT FRIDAY NIGHT, KRISTIN WAS
EXCITED TO GO.
>> KRISTIN WAS LIKE, "COME ON, LET'S GO, LET'S GO," AND I WAS
LIKE, "NAH, I HAVE TO STUDY."
AND SO, SHE PULLED ME INTO THIS SORT OF, LIKE, "OH, COME ON,
LET'S SOCIALIZE.
AND THESE GIRLS ARE INVITING US OUT.
LET'S GO."
AND I WAS LIKE, "OKAY, FINE."
BUT WHEN WE GOT TO THE HOUSE, IT WAS PRETTY DEAD, TOO.
IT WAS REALLY-- IT WAS LIKE A COUPLE OF ROOMMATES HANGING OUT
PLAYING VIDEO GAMES.
AND KRISTIN WAS LIKE, "OH, GOSH, THERE HAS TO BE SOMETHING BETTER
THAN THIS."
>> Reporter: THE TWO GIRLS WALKED TO AN AREA OFF CAMPUS
WHERE THERE WERE FRATERNITIES, SORORITIES AND RESIDENTIAL
HOUSING FOR STUDENTS.
MARGARITA SOON DECIDED SHE'D HAD ENOUGH.
YOU WANTED TO GO HOME, AND YOU WERE TRYING TO FIND A WAY TO
BREAK IT TO YOUR FRIEND.
>> THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT.
>> Reporter: THEY GOT TO THE PARKING LOT OF THIS APARTMENT
COMPLEX.
>> I WAS LIKE, "KRISTIN, I'M GOING TO GO BACK HOME.
I'M GOING TO GO BACK TO THE DORMS.
YOU CAN GO."
AND SHE'S LIKE, "PLEASE COME WITH ME, PLEASE COME WITH ME."
I TOLD HER I DIDN'T-- I DIDN'T WANT TO GO.
>> Reporter: KRISTIN DID NOT HAVE A PURSE, MONEY, HER I.D.
OR EVEN HER KEYS, SO, BEFORE LEAVING, MARGARITA HANDED OVER
HER KEYS TO GET BACK INTO MUIR HALL.
>> SHE WAS ABSOLUTELY SOBER WHEN I LEFT HER.
I'LL NEVER FORGET HER SHADOW AGAINST THE BUILDING, THIS
APARTMENT COMPLEX, JUST STANDING, LIKE, KIND OF
CROSS-ARMED WITH THE LONG LEG.
AND SHE WAS JUST KIND OF LIKE LOOKING AT ME LIKE, "[ SIGHS],
YOU'RE REALLY WALKING AWAY NOW.
LIKE, YOU'RE REALLY-- YOU'RE LEAVING."
>> Reporter: THE NEXT MORNING, MARGARITA WAITED TO HEAR FROM
KRISTIN.
>> I WAS EXPECTING HER TO KNOCK ON MY DOOR AND BE LIKE, "OH,
MARGARITA, YOU MISSED A RAGER, AND HERE'S YOUR KEY."
I KNOCKED ON HER DOOR, AND I THOUGHT SHE WAS JUST SLEEPING,
OR SHE WENT OUT AND ABOUT, YOU KNOW?
>> Reporter: IT WASN'T UNTIL KRISTIN'S ROOMMATE RETURNED
TO THEIR DORM ROOM THAT MARGARITA REALIZED KRISTIN
NEVER CAME HOME.
HOW DID YOU KNOW SHE HADN'T BEEN BACK?
>> NOTHING HAD MOVED.
>> Reporter: ALL OF KRISTIN'S PERSONAL BELONGINGS, INCLUDING
HER PURSE, HER MONEY, HER I.D., WERE IN THE ROOM, EXACTLY WHERE
SHE HAD LEFT THEM.
>> I MEAN, SHE WAS GONE.
SHE WAS GONE.
>> Reporter: BY THE TIME THEY CALLED THE CAL POLY CAMPUS
POLICE, KRISTIN HAD BEEN MISSING FOR MORE THAN 48 HOURS.
BUT MARGARITA SAYS THE POLICE DID NOT SEEM CONCERNED.
CAMPUS POLICE, THEY WERE LIKE, "ARE YOU SURE SHE DIDN'T GO OUT
OF TOWN?" IT'S LIKE, SHE HAS NOTHING ON
HER.
HOW COULD SHE HAVE GONE OUT OF TOWN?
>> Reporter: THEY THOUGHT SHE WAS OFF POSSIBLY HAVING FUN.
>> OH, YEAH.
>> Reporter: BUT THEY COULD NOT HAVE BEEN MORE WRONG.
>> TO THIS DAY, LIKE, I WAS LIKE, WHY?
WHY DID I JUST LET HER GO BY HERSELF?
I DID HAVE GUILT ABOUT THAT.
BUT YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND, SHE WAS A REALLY INDEPENDENT,
FREE SPIRIT.
>> Reporter: KRISTIN'S MOTHER, DENISE SMART, SPENT MEMORIAL DAY
WEEKEND AT A SWIM MEET WITH HER TWO YOUNGER KIDS.
SHE WAS LOOKING FORWARD TO HEARING FROM KRISTIN THAT
SUNDAY.
AND THAT PHONE CALL NEVER COMES.
>> THE PHONE CALL NEVER COMES.
>> Reporter: INSTEAD, ON MONDAY, MAY 27, DENISE PEARCE SAYS THE
SMARTS GOT A CALL FROM CAL POLY'S CAMPUS POLICE, ASKING IF
KRISTIN WAS WITH THEM.
>> KRISTIN HASN'T COME HOME, AND WE'RE NOT SURE WHERE SHE IS.
WE DON'T KNOW ANYTHING.
>> Reporter: THAT'S WHEN DENISE SMART LEARNED HER DAUGHTER HAD
NOT BEEN SEEN ALL WEEKEND, AND ALL HER BELONGINGS WERE STILL IN
HER DORM ROOM.
>> SHE WAS BECOMING MORE AND MORE ALARMED.
YOU KNOW, SHE WAS-- SHE WAS FRANTIC, "I DON'T UNDERSTAND
THIS," YOU KNOW?
"WHAT'S GOING ON?" IT IS EVERY PARENT'S WORST
NIGHTMARE.
>> Reporter: THE SMARTS SAY THEY TRIED TO FILE A MISSING PERSON'S
REPORT WITH THE LOCAL POLICE, BUT WERE TOLD IT WAS TOO EARLY,
AND THE F.B.I. TOLD THEM CAL POLY POLICE WERE IN CHARGE.
BUT AS CHRIS LAMBERT LEARNED, THE CAMPUS POLICE DID NOT ACT
RIGHT AWAY.
>> AT THAT POINT, I DON'T THINK THEY HAD EVER DEALT WITH A
MISSING PERSON, A POSSIBLY MURDERED PERSON.
>> Reporter: BY THE TIME THAT CAL POLY POLICE BEGAN
INVESTIGATING, KRISTIN HAD BEEN GONE FOR FOUR DAYS.
AS THEY SOON LEARNED, SHE HAD ENDED UP AT A PARTY AT THIS
HOUSE.
>> IT'S MOSTLY FRAT GUYS FROM THE KAPPA CHI FRATERNITY.
I DON'T KNOW IF KRISTIN KNEW ANYBODY THERE.
>> Reporter: CHRIS LAMBERT IS A CBS NEWS CONSULTANT, AND HE'S
PIECED TOGETHER WHAT HE LEARNED FROM PEOPLE WHO WERE THERE THAT
NIGHT.
>> KRISTIN BECAME INCREDIBLY INTOXICATED.
WHETHER SHE WAS DRUGGED OR WHETHER SHE JUST HAD A LOT TO
DRINK IN A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME.
SHE ENDS UP PASSED OUT ON THE LAWN NEXT DOOR.
>> Reporter: LAMBERT SAYS KRISTIN COULD NOT STAND ON
HER OWN, SO FELLOW STUDENT CHERYL ANDERSON, WHO WAS ALSO
AT THE PARTY, BEGAN HELPING HER BACK TO CAMPUS.
THEY WERE SOON JOINED BY ANOTHER PARTYGOER, PAUL FLORES.
>> AS THEY DESCRIBE IT, PAUL FLORES JUST SORT OF APPEARS OUT
OF NOWHERE AND OFFERS TO HELP.
HE GETS HIS ARM AROUND HER TORSO AND HER ARM AROUND HIS NECK, AND
HE'S HELPING HER WALK.
PAUL KEEPS STOPPING ALONG THE WAY AND LETTING CHERYL ANDERSON
KNOW, "YOU CAN GO ON AHEAD, I'VE GOT HER, IT'S FINE."
SHE DIDN'T THINK THAT WAS OKAY, SO SHE SLOWED DOWN AND WALKED
WITH THEM.
>> Reporter: WHEN THEY REACHED THE TURNOFF TO CHERYL'S DORM,
SHE SAYS FLORES TRIED TO HUG AND KISS HER.
SHE LEFT THEM ONLY AFTER HE PROMISED TO TAKE KRISTIN BACK TO
HER DORM.
>> I DON'T THINK SHE EVER IMAGINED THAT KRISTIN WOULD END
UP DEAD BY THE END OF THE NIGHT.
>> Reporter: PAUL AND KRISTIN THEN MAKE THEIR WAY HERE.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
>> SO, IF YOU BELIEVE PAUL'S STORY, HE GOES INTO HIS DORM
ROOM HERE, AND HE LEAVES HER TO WALK UP THIS WALKWAY.
HER DORM ENTRANCE IS RIGHT OVER HERE.
I PERSONALLY THINK THAT WHEREVER KRISTIN WENT, PAUL WAS THERE
WITH HER.
I DON'T THINK THAT SHE WENT BACK TO HER DORM AT ALL.
>> Reporter: WHATEVER HAPPENED IN THOSE EARLY HOURS, ONE THING
IS INDISPUTABLE: KRISTIN SMART HAS NEVER BEEN SEEN AGAIN.
SHE HAD JUST 40 YARDS TO GO, AND YET SHE VANISHED.
>> THAT'S THE UPSETTING PART ABOUT IT, ISN'T IT?
>> Reporter: THE INVESTIGATION SEEMED TO BE HAMPERED FROM THE
START BY A SERIES OF MISSTEPS BY CAMPUS POLICE, BEGINNING WITH
THEIR ASSUMPTION THAT KRISTIN WAS OFF HAVING FUN AND IGNORING
WORRIED FRIENDS WHO SAID SHE WAS MISSING.
>> SO MUCH WAS LOST IN THOSE FIRST FEW DAYS, WHERE, IF THAT
VERY FIRST PHONE CALL WAS TAKEN SERIOUSLY, ANSWERS MIGHT HAVE
BEEN UNCOVERED THE FIRST WEEK.
>> Reporter: THEY ALSO DID NOT FOCUS ON PAUL FLORES
IMMEDIATELY, WAITING SIX DAYS TO FORMALLY INTERVIEW HIM.
EVEN WORSE, THEY NEVER SEALED HIS DORM ROOM.
THERE WAS A LOT OF EVIDENCE THAT COULD HAVE BEEN GATHERED THAT
WASN'T.
WHY?
>> I WISH I KNEW WHY.
THEY DID AN INTERVIEW WITH THE CAL POLY "MUSTANG DAILY" AND
EXPLAINED THAT THEY DIDN'T THINK THERE WAS ANY EVIDENCE THAT A
CRIME HAD TAKEN PLACE.
>> Reporter: BY THE TIME THEY INSPECTED FLORES' ROOM, KRISTIN
HAD BEEN GONE FOR 16 DAYS.
SCHOOL WAS OVER, SO CAMPUS POLICE FOUND AN EMPTY ROOM THAT
HAD BEEN SANITIZED BY THE UNIVERSITY'S CLEANING CREW.
ANY EVIDENCE THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN THERE WAS LONG GONE.
>> THE INVESTIGATION WAS COMPLETELY BOTCHED BY THE CAMPUS
POLICE.
THERE'S NO QUESTION ABOUT IT.
>> Reporter: AND WHILE THEY DID NOTRUSH TO INVESTIGATE FLORES,
KRISTIN'S FAMILY SAYS CAMPUS POLICE WERE VERY QUICK TO JUDGE
HER.
JUST DAYS AFTER SHE DISAPPEARED, AN INCIDENT REPORT SEEMED TO
IMPLY THAT KRISTIN'S BEHAVIOR CONTRIBUTED TO HER
DISAPPEARANCE.
THERE WAS A LOT OF FOCUS ON HOW KRISTIN WAS DRINKING--
WHAT SOUNDED A LOT LIKE VICTIM SHAMING.
>> RIGHT.
100% THAT WAS HAPPENING.
>> Reporter: THE REPORT SAID: >> "SMART DOES NOT HAVE ANY
CLOSE FRIENDS AT CAL POLY."
"SMART APPEARED TO BE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL ON FRIDAY
NIGHT."
"SMART WAS TALKING WITH AND SOCIALIZING WITH SEVERAL
DIFFERENT MALES AT THE PARTY."
>> Reporter: BUT WHILE CAMPUS POLICE WEREN'T DOING MUCH,
KRISTIN'S PARENTS WERE DOING WHATEVER THEY COULD TO FIND
THEIR DAUGHTER.
>> KRISTIN'S FATHER WOULD COME DOWN AND HIKE EVERY TRAIL HE
COULD FIND ON THE CENTRAL COAST.
HE'D GO ANYWHERE.
HE'D GO THROUGH TUNNELS, UNDER BRIDGES, LOOKING FOR HIS
DAUGHTER AND EXPECTING, BEST-CASE SCENARIO, HE'S GOING
TO FIND HER BODY, WHICH IS AWFUL FOR A PARENT.
>> Reporter: EARLY ON, A SMALL GROUP OF VOLUNTEERS ALSO LOOKED
FOR KRISTIN, BUT A MASSIVE SEARCH DID NOT HAPPEN UNTIL
SHE'D BEEN GONE FOR MORE THAN A MONTH.
THAT'S WHEN THE CAMPUS POLICE FINALLY HANDED THE INVESTIGATION
OVER TO THE SAN LUIS OBISPO SHERIFF'S OFFICE.
BUT THEY DID NOT FIND KRISTIN.
FOUR MONTHS AFTER THAT FUTILE SEARCH, PAUL FLORES WAS BROUGHT
BEFORE A GRAND JURY.
LITTLE IS KNOWN, SINCE THE PROCEEDINGS ARE KEPT SECRET, BUT
NO CHARGES WERE EVER FILED.
JUST WEEKS LATER, KRISTIN'S FRUSTRATED PARENTS CONTACTED
JAMES MURPHY, A LOCAL CIVIL ATTORNEY.
>> IT WAS JUST A SAD PHONE CALL TO HAVE SOMEBODY SAY, "OUR
DAUGHTER DISAPPEARED AND WE THINK SHE'S THE VICTIM OF
FOUL PLAY, AND WE'D LIKE TO PURSUE THE GUY THAT WE THINK IS
RESPONSIBLE."
>> Reporter: MURPHY AND HIS WIFE, GARIN SINCLAIR, AGREED TO
TAKE THE CASE PRO BONO, PROMISING TO GO AFTER PAUL
FLORES AND PUT PRESSURE ON THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE.
>> WE HAD TO BE THE INITIATORS.
YOU WOULD HAVE THOUGHT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN THE OTHER WAY AROUND.
>> Reporter: MURPHY IMMEDIATELY FILED A WRONGFUL DEATH LAWSUIT
AGAINST FLORES IN CIVIL COURT.
>> AND IT SAYS "WRONGFUL DEATH," AND THEN I PUT "MURDER."
PUTTING MURDER ON THE LAWSUIT WAS SENDING A MESSAGE TO PAUL
FLORES AND HIS FAMILY THAT WE BELIEVE THAT HE KILLED KRISTIN,
AND THAT WE'RE COMING FOR HIM.
>> Reporter: BUT TRYING TO GET HIM HASN'T BEEN EASY.
>> IT JUST AMAZES ME, THE AMOUNT OF EVIDENCE THAT'S AVAILABLE,
YET NOTHING HAS HAPPENED.
THE DAY AFTER MY SISTER DISAPPEARED, PAUL FLORES HAD A
BLACK EYE AND SCRATCHES ON HIM.
>> Reporter: YOU LOOK AT KRISTIN SMART EVERY DAY.
>> EVERY DAY.
>> Reporter: THE SMARTS' ATTORNEY, JAMES MURPHY, AND HIS
WIFE AND OFFICE MANAGER, GARIN SINCLAIR, HAVE HAD KRISTIN'S
BILLBOARD IN THEIR FRONT YARD SINCE LATE 1997.
>> IT'S JUST A MOTIVATOR FOR ME.
I WILL GO OUTSIDE AT NIGHTTIME, AND I'LL LOOK UP AT THE FULL
MOON, AND I'LL THINK THAT THAT KID'S BURIED SOMEWHERE REAL
CLOSE.
>> Reporter: MURPHY AND SINCLAIR PROMISED THE SMARTS THE
BILLBOARD WILL STAY UNTIL THEIR DAUGHTER IS FOUND.
>> I'D LOVE TO DO ANYTHING TO END THEIR SUFFERING.
>> Reporter: AND THAT WEIGHS ON YOU.
>> YEP.
>> Reporter: IS THERE ANY DOUBT IN YOUR MIND THAT PAUL FLORES IS
RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DISAPPEARANCE OF KRISTIN SMART?
>> NO.
>> Reporter: AND MURPHY AND SINCLAIR BELIEVE THEY CAN PROVE
IT.
THEY HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO PROCEED WITH THE CIVIL CASE
WHILE THERE'S AN ONGOING CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION, BUT THAT
HAS NOT STOPPED THEM FROM FOLLOWING EVERY LEAD AND
PREPARING FOR AN EVENTUAL TRIAL.
>> THERE HAS BEEN NO OTHER SUSPECT.
EVERY PIECE OF EVIDENCE POINTS DIRECTLY AT PAUL FLORES.
>> Reporter: LIKE HIS BLACK EYE.
YOU CAN SEE IT FAINTLY IN THIS MUG SHOT TAKEN BY THE ARROYO
GRANDE POLICE JUST BY CHANCE, TWO DAYS AFTER KRISTIN VANISHED.
AT THE TIME, THEY DID NOT KNOW ABOUT A MISSING COLLEGE STUDENT.
THEY WERE AFTER PAUL FLORES FOR AN OUTSTANDING D.U.I. WARRANT.
>> HAVING A BLACK EYE DOESN'T MAKE YOU GUILTY OF ANYTHING.
BUT IF THE PERSON YOU WERE WITH DISAPPEARED FROM THE PLANET,
THAT'S PHYSICAL EVIDENCE.
>> Reporter: CHRIS LAMBERT SAYS TWO DAYS AFTER THAT, WHEN FLORES
WAS INTERVIEWED BY CAMPUS POLICE, THEY ASKED HOW HE GOT
HIS BLACK EYE, AS WELL AS SCRATCHES ON HIS HANDS AND
KNEES.
>> AND HE SAYS HE GOT A BLACK EYE PLAYING BASKETBALL
WITH HIS FRIENDS.
>> Reporter: BUT ONE OF THOSE FRIENDS TOLD POLICE FLORES
ALREADYHAD THE BLACK EYE WHEN HE ARRIVED.
>> HE TOLD THOSE FRIENDS HE JUST WOKE UP WITH THE BLACK EYE.
>> Reporter: WHEN AUTHORITIES LATER CONFRONTED HIM WITH THE
TWO STORIES, FLORES ADMITTED LYING AND OFFERED A NEW
EXPLANATION.
>> HE ACTUALLY HIT HIS EYE ON HIS STEERING WHEEL IN THE MIDDLE
OF THE NIGHT WHILE CHANGING HIS STEREO.
SO, NOW YOU'VE GOT THREE DIFFERENT STORIES ABOUT HOW HE
GOT THAT BLACK EYE.
>> HE LIED TO THE POLICE ABOUT EVERYTHING.
>> Reporter: FLORES CLAIMED AFTER WALKING KRISTIN BACK FROM
THE PARTY, HE WENT TO HIS ROOM IN SANTA LUICIA HALL WHILE SHE
WALKED ALONE TO HER DORM.
BUT CADAVER DOGS TOLD A DIFFERENT STORY.
JUST DAYS AFTER TAKING OVER THE INVESTIGATION, THE SAN LUIS
OBISBO SHERIFF'S OFFICE BROUGHT SEVERAL DOGS LIKE THESE, TRAINED
TO DETECT HUMAN REMAINS, TO THE CAL POLY DORMS.
>> THEY BROUGHT IN THE FIRST DOG, AND THEY'D HAD THE DOG GO
THROUGH THE DORMS.
>> Reporter: THERE WASNO REACTION, UNTIL THE DOG REACHED
PAUL FLORES' ROOM.
>> WHY IS A DOG THAT IS TRAINED TO SMELL HUMAN REMAINS,
ALERTING ON, AMAZINGLY, PAUL FLORES' DORM ROOM?
THEY LET THE DOG IN.
THE DOG MAKES A BEELINE TO THE BEDOF PAUL FLORES.
>> Reporter: REMEMBER, FLORES' ROOM HAD BEEN EMPTIED AND
THOROUGHLY CLEANED.
BUT REMARKABLY, THE SAME THING HAPPENED WITH THREE MORE DOGS.
>> THAT SUGGESTS THAT SOMETHING BADHAPPENED IN PAUL FLORES'
DORM ROOM.
>> Reporter: THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE STILL WASN'T CONVINCED
THEY HAD ENOUGH EVIDENCE AGAINST FLORES, BUT MURPHY SAYS THERE
WERE OTHER INCIDENTS THAT SHOULD HAVE RAISED ALARM BELLS ABOUT
HIM WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT FROM THE VERY BEGINNING.
>> PAUL FLORES HAD A REPUTATION AMONGST THE GIRLS THAT KNEW HIM
AT CAL POLY AS BEING A CREEPER, THAT HE WAS ALWAYS TRYING TO HIT
ON WOMEN.
>> Reporter: IN FACT, CHERYL ANDERSON, WHO TRUSTED FLORES TO
WALK KRISTIN BACK TO HER DORM ALONE, TOLD POLICE THAT HER
FRIENDS CALLED HIM "CHESTER THE MOLESTER" BECAUSE HE WAS KNOWN
FOR GROPING GIRLS.
>> SO, WITH CHERYL'S ACCOUNT ALONE, WE HAVE AN UNSETTLING
PICTURE OF PAUL.
>> Reporter: JUST FIVE MONTHS BEFORE KRISTIN DISAPPEARED,
SAN LUIS OBISPO POLICE RECEIVED A CALL FROM A STUDENT LIVING
OFF CAMPUS.
>> THERE WAS A MAN CLIMBING HER TRELLIS AND TRYING TO GET INSIDE
HER BALCONY, VERY INTOXICATED AND REFUSING TO LEAVE.
WHEN THEY SHOWED UP, IT WAS PAUL FLORES.
>> Reporter: NO CHARGES WERE FILED, BUT LAMBERT DISCOVERED
FLORES' TROUBLES STARTED AT A YOUNG AGE.
IN HIGH SCHOOL, HE WAS KNOWN AS A LONER.
CHRIS LAMBERT SPOKE WITH SOME WOMEN WHO KNEW FLORES BACK THEN.
THEY ASKED HIM NOT TO USE THEIR NAMES.
>> WELL, HIS NICKNAME WAS "SCARY PAUL."
>> YOU WOULDN'T WANT TO BE ALONE IN A ROOM WITH HIM.
YOU WOULDN'T LET ANY OF YOUR FRIENDS BE DRUNK AROUND HIM.
THOSE WERE KIND OF UNSPOKEN THINGS.
>> Reporter: AND THEY TOLD LAMBERT THEY WEREN'T SURPRISED
WHEN THEY HEARD ABOUT FLORES' CONNECTION TO KRISTIN'S
DISAPPEARANCE.
>> I WASN'T SURPRISED, BUT THERE'S ALSO THAT SHOCK VALUE
OF KIND OF, "OH, MY GOD, I KNEW IT!"
>> Reporter: ALTHOUGH SUSPICION SURROUNDED FLORES ALMOST FROM
THE BEGINNING, ANY HOPES FOR AN ARREST WERE DASHED IN MAY 1997
WHEN THEN-SHERIFF ED WILLIAMS MADE AN ADMISSION TO THE "SAN
LUIS OBISPO TELEGRAPH": "WE NEED PAUL FLORES TO TELL US
WHAT HAPPENED TO KRISTIN SMART.
SO, ABSENT SOMETHING FROM MR. FLORES, I DON'T SEE US
COMPLETING THIS CASE."
HOW SIGNIFICANT WAS THAT?
>> I THINK THATMIGHT HAVE BEEN THE BIGGEST MISSTEP THAT
INVESTIGATORS HAVE MADE TO THIS DAY, TO DECLARE TO THE PUBLIC,
"IF YOU STAY QUIET, YOU WILL GET AWAY WITH THIS."
>> Reporter: AND SIX MONTHS LATER, WHEN FLORES WAS DEPOSED
BY JAMES MURPHY FOR THE SMARTS' CIVIL SUIT, HE KEPT QUIET.
>> WOULD YOU STATE YOUR FULL NAME FOR THE RECORD, PLEASE.
>> PAUL RUBEN FLORES.
>> THE ONLY THING HE WOULD CONFIRM ON TAPE IS THAT HIS NAME
IS PAUL FLORES.
>> WHAT IS YOUR PRESENT RESIDENCE ADDRESS?
>> ON THE ADVICE OF MY ATTORNEY, I REFUSE TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION
BASED ON THE FIFTH AMENDMENT OF THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION.
>> EVERYTHING ELSE, HE TOOK THE FIFTH AMENDMENT.
HE WOULDN'T ANSWER A SINGLE THING.
>> IN MAY OF '96, WERE YOU A STUDENT AT CAL POLY?
>> ON THE ADVICE OF MY ATTORNEY...
>> Reporter: HE INVOKED THE FIFTH 27 TIMES.
>> WHAT IS THE NAME OF YOUR FATHER?
>> ON THE ADVICE OF MY...
>> AND IT WORKED.
YOU JUST DON'T TALK, AND YOU GET AWAY WITH IT.
>> Reporter: FLORES WASN'T TALKING, BUT WAS THERE EVIDENCE
POSSIBLY PLACING KRISTIN SMART AT HIS MOTHER'SHOME?
>> SOMEBODY FOUND AN EARRING THAT THEY SAY WAS KRISTIN
SMART'S JEWELRY IN THE DRIVEWAY.
>> Reporter: AN EARRING THAT APPEARED TO MATCH THE NECKLACE
KRISTIN IS WEARING ON THIS BILLBOARD.
>> Reporter: WHEN KRISTIN SMART DISAPPEARED, PAUL FLORES'
PARENTS, SUSAN AND RUBEN, WERE SEPARATED AND LIVING APART.
FOUR MONTHS LATER, WHILE ATTEMPTING TO RECONCILE, SUSAN
RENTED OUT HER HOUSE IN ARROYO GRANDE.
>> A YOUNG COUPLE MOVES INTO IT WITH THEIR KID.
THE MOTHER IS WASHING HER CAR IN THE DRIVEWAY AT ONE POINT.
>> SOMETHING SHINY CATCHES HER EYE NEXT TO THE FRONT DRIVER
SIDE TIRE, A SINGLE WOMAN'S EARRING.
>> Reporter: THAT MOTHER, MARY LASSITER, DESCRIBED IT TO CHRIS
LAMBERT.
>> IT WAS, LIKE, A RED THING.
AND IT WAS, LIKE, A SMUDGE, LIKE, FINGERPRINTED LOOK ON THE
BACK.
JUST RED, LIKE, MAROON, LIKE, OLD LOOKING.
AND THE SMUDGE THAT-- IT WAS, LIKE, HALF A FINGERPRINT.
>> Reporter: IT WAS TURNED OVER TO A DETECTIVE WITH THE SAN LUIS
OBISPO SHERIFF'S OFFICE, BUT GARIN SINCLAIR SAYS THE SMARTS
NEVER KNEW IT EXISTED UNTIL THE LASSITERS WERE DEPOSED IN
JANUARY 1997.
>> HE NEVER ONCE TURNED TO THE SMART FAMILY AND SAID, "HEY, WE
HAVE AN EARRING, WE'D LIKE TO SHOW IT TO YOU TO SEE IF IT
MATCHES ANY OF YOUR DAUGHTER'S JEWELRY."
>> Reporter: THE SMARTS THEN DEMANDEDTO SEE IT.
>> AND THAT'S WHEN THEY'RE TOLD THAT EARRING HAS BEEN MISPLACED.
>> Reporter: MISPLACED?
>> IT WAS NEVER MARKED AS EVIDENCE, APPARENTLY.
>> Reporter: BUT MARY LASSITER SAYS THE EARRING MATCHED THE
NECKLACE KRISTIN IS SEEN WEARING ON THIS BILLBOARD.
>> IF IT WAS, IN FACT, A PIECE OF JEWELRY THAT MATCHED
KRISTIN'S JEWELRY, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN BLOCKBUSTER
EVIDENCE.
>> Reporter: AND MIGHT HAVE CONNECTED KRISTIN TO SUSAN
FLORES' HOUSE, SAYS JAMES MURPHY.
>> THERE'S NO WAY TO GET EVIDENCE BACK ONCE YOU'VE LOST
IT.
>> Reporter: ANOTHER FRUSTRATION FOR THE SMARTS: AT THE TIME
KRISTIN DISAPPEARED, INVESTIGATORS WEREN'T AWARE THAT
PAUL FLORES' PARENTS WERE SEPARATED AND LIVING APART,
SO THEY DID NOT IMMEDIATELY GET A WARRANT TO SEARCH SUSAN
FLORES' HOME.
EVEN MORE DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND WAS WHY THEY WAITED
TWO MONTHS TO SEARCH THISHOUSE, THE FAMILY HOME WHERE PAUL
FLORES WAS LIVING WITH HIS FATHER, RUBEN.
AND WHEN THEY DID...
>> THEY DIDN'T BRING CADAVER DOGS WITH THEM.
THEY DIDN'T BRING A FORENSICS TEAM.
THEY DIDN'T LOOK AT THE FLORES FAMILY'S VEHICLES.
>> Reporter: THEY MIGHT HAVE FOUND EVIDENCE IN THOSE
VEHICLES.
PAUL FLORES DID NOT HAVE A CAR ON CAMPUS, SO MURPHY SURMISES HE
HAD TO HAVE HAD HELP.
>> AND IT'S 2:30 AND 3:00 IN THE MORNING AT CAL POLY.
THIS IS NOT A LOCATION FROM WHICH PAUL ALONE COULD EASILY
MOVE A BODY WITHOUT A VEHICLE.
>> Reporter: BUT FURTHER INVESTIGATION OF THE FLORES'
TWO TRUCKS SEEMED IMPOSSIBLE.
IN THE MONTHS AFTER KRISTIN'S DISAPPEARANCE,
ONE TRUCK WAS TRADED IN; THE OTHER WAS REPORTED STOLEN.
BUT IT'S SUSAN FLORES' CONCRETE BACKYARD THAT HAS GOTTEN THE
MOST ATTENTION.
IT HAS BEEN THE FOCUS OF WIDESPREAD SPECULATION FOR
MORE THAN TWO DECADES, ESPECIALLY HER PLANTER BOXES.
>> AROUND THE TIME KRISTIN DISAPPEARED, THEY CUT OUT
PLANTER BOXES IN THE BACKYARD.
SO, THEY CUT OUT BIG CHUNKS OF CONCRETE AND FILLED IT IN WITH
SOIL.
IN ONE OF PAUL'S POLICE INTERVIEWS, HE MENTIONED THAT HE
WANTED TO BE LET OUT OF THE INTERVIEW BECAUSE HE NEEDED TO
HELP CLEAN UP CONCRETE AT HIS MOM'S HOUSE.
SO, WHAT WAS BEING DONE IN SUSAN FLORES' BACKYARD IN THE WEEKS
AFTER KRISTIN WENT MISSING?
>> Reporter: SUSAN'S HOUSE WAS FINALLY SEARCHED IN MARCH 1997,
NINE MONTHS AFTER KRISTIN DISAPPEARED, BUT NOTHING WAS
FOUND.
>> I THINK IT'S VERY POSSIBLE THAT KRISTIN WAS AT SUSAN
FLORES' HOUSE AT SOME POINT EARLY ON.
I THINK THAT ANYBODY REASONABLE WOULD HAVE MOVED HER SOMEWHERE
SAFER.
>> Reporter: IT WOULD BE THREE MORE YEARS BEFORE THE PROPERTY
WAS SEARCHED AGAIN.
>> AT 8:00 A.M. ON JUNE 19, 2000, A TEAM OF SHERIFF'S
INVESTIGATORS KNOCKS ON THE FRONT DOOR OF SUSAN FLORES'
EAST BRANCH STREET HOME.
WITH THEM IS A GROUP OF F.B.I.
EVIDENCE RESPONSE TEAM MEMBERS AND A SEARCH WARRANT.
>> Reporter: THAT WARRANT ALLOWED THEM TO DIG UP THE BACK
YARD, BUT DEPUTIES CHOSE NOT TO EXCAVATE.
DENISE PEARCE SAYS THATWAS A CRUSHING BLOW FOR THE SMART
FAMILY.
>> TO BE ALMOSTTHERE, TO THINK THAT YOU'RE GOING TO FINALLY
GET SOME RESOLUTION, AND THEN, YOU KNOW, IT DOESN'T HAPPEN THE
WAY IT'S SUPPOSED TO?
DEVASTATING.
>> Reporter: AND THERE WOULD BE MORE DISAPPOINTMENT IN 2007,
AFTER THE SMART'S LEGAL TEAM SEARCHED A SMALL PORTION OF
SUSAN FLORES' BACKYARD WITH GROUND-PENETRATING RADAR AND DID
NOT FIND ANY EVIDENCE.
>> THEY JUST HAVE NEVER GIVEN UP AND ARE NEVER GOING TO GIVE UP
ON THEIR DAUGHTER.
>> Reporter: RUBEN FLORES AND HIS ESTRANGED WIFE, SUSAN, HAVE
ALWAYS DENIED ANY ROLE IN KRISTIN SMART'S DISAPPEARANCE.
>> DO YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION AS TO WHERE KRISTIN SMART'S BODY
IS LOCATED?
>> OF COURSE NOT.
>> DOES YOUR HUSBAND HAVE ANY INFORMATION AS TO WHERE KRISTIN
SMART'S BODY IS LOCATED?
>> NO.
>> Reporter: WHEN THEY WERE DEPOSED BY JAMES MURPHY, THEY
ALSO INSISTED THEIR SON WAS NOT INVOLVED.
>> DOES YOUR SON HAVE ANY INFORMATION AS TO WHERE KRISTIN
SMART'S BODY IS LOCATED?
>> NOPE.
>> HAS YOUR SON EVER TOLD YOU THAT HE DID NOTKILL KRISTIN
SMART?
>> WE NEVER ASKED THAT QUESTION.
WE JUST, "DO YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT IT?"
HE SAYS NO.
>> Reporter: THROUGH THE YEARS, THE SMARTS HAVE KEPT PRESSURE ON
THE FLORES FAMILY.
BUT THE FLORES HAVE FOUGHT BACK, SUING THE SMARTS FOR
INTENTIONALLY INFLICTING EMOTIONAL DISTRESS ON THEM.
LIKE THE SMARTS' CIVIL CASE, THEIRS IS ALSO ON HOLD.
IN THE MEANTIME, PAUL FLORES MOVED TO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA,
WHERE HE HAS BOUNCED FROM JOB TO JOB.
BUT AS CHRIS LAMBERT LEARNED, FLORES' PATTERN OF BEHAVIOR WITH
WOMEN DIDN'T STOP.
>> A COUPLE OF TIMES, I'D TAKE HIM HOME, AND HE WOULD JUST,
"OH, COME ON, JUST GIVE ME A KISS, JUST GIVE ME A KISS."
>> Reporter: PAUL FLORES MAY HAVE WANTED A FRESH START IN
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, BUT CHRIS LAMBERT SAYS HE COULD NOT SEEM
TO BREAK OLD HABITS.
>> PAUL WORKED WITH A NUMBER OF WOMEN THAT HE MADE INCREDIBLY
UNCOMFORTABLE, GIRLS WHO HE TRIED TO MAKE A PASS AT
SEXUALLY, GIRLS THAT HE TRIED TO FORCE TO KISS HIM.
>> Reporter: SOME OF THOSE WOMEN-- WHO DID NOT WANT THEIR
REAL NAMES USED-- TOLD LAMBERT ABOUT THEIR ENCOUNTERS WITH HIM.
>> SO, I WALK HIM UP TO HIS SISTER'S APARTMENT, AND, ALL OF
A SUDDEN, HE JUST, LIKE, PICKED ME UP, CARRIED ME INSIDE, TURNED
AROUND AND SHUT THE APARTMENT DOOR AND LOCKED IT.
SO, I SAID, "“YOU BETTER TURN SOME LIGHTS ON RIGHT NOW AND LET
ME OUT OR I'M GOING TO SCREAM."” SO, EVENTUALLY, HE UNLOCKED,
YOU KNOW, THE APARTMENT DOOR, AND I LEFT.
>> Reporter: LAMBERT ALSO INTERVIEWED A WOMAN WHO DATED
FLORES UNTIL, SHE SAYS, HE BECAME PHYSICALLY AND VERBALLY
ABUSIVE.
>> AND HE HAD, LIKE, A BUTTER KNIFE, AND HE LIKE HELD IT TO MY
NECK, AND I WAS SCREAMING.
AND MY ROOMMATE ACTUALLY KICKED DOWN THE DOOR TO MAKE HIM STOP.
>> Reporter: BUT PAUL FLORES WAS NEVER CHARGED WITH ANY OF
THESE INCIDENTS.
BACK IN SAN LUIS OBISPO, THE SMARTS, FEELING IGNORED BY THE
SHERIFF'S OFFICE, CONTINUED A RELENTLESS CAMPAIGN TO GET THEM
TO DO MORE TO FIND THEIR DAUGHTER.
WHAT TOLL OVER TIME DID THIS HAVE ON YOUR PARENTS?
>> I THINK THEY'RE, LIKE, CARRYING BOULDERS ON THEIR BACK.
>> Reporter: THEN, IN 2011, IAN PARKINSON WAS ELECTED SHERIFF.
>> IF YOU WERE MAKING A FILM ABOUT A NEW LAW ENFORCER WHO'S
COMING TO A SMALL TOWN TO SAVE THE DAY, YOU'D PROBABLY CAST
PARKINSON.
>> Reporter: HE PROMISED THE SMARTS THAT SOLVING KRISTIN'S
CASE WOULD BE A PRIORITY.
>> I COMMITTED TO THEM THAT I WAS GOING TO GO BACK TO THE
BEGINNING AND REEXAMINE EVERY PIECE OF EVIDENCE THAT WE HAD.
>> Reporter: BUT PARKINSON ACKNOWLEDGES IT HASN'T BEEN
EASY.
>> THERE WAS EARLY MISTAKES MADE THAT YOU CAN'T RECOVER FROM WHEN
YOU'RE MISSING THOSE VITAL PIECES.
>> Reporter: IS THIS A CASE THAT TAKES A MIRACLE TO SOLVE?
>> I HOPE NOT.
>> Reporter: SINCE PARKINSON CAME ON THE SCENE, INVESTIGATORS
HAVE DUG UP HILLSIDES, SEARCHED THE HOMES AND PROPERTIES OF ALL
THE FLORES, COLLECTED EVIDENCE, SEIZED PAUL FLORES' COMPUTERS,
MONITORED HIS CELL PHONE AND TEXT MESSAGES, AND FOUND NEW
WITNESSES-- SOME WITH THE HELP OF CHRIS LAMBERT.
>> I BROUGHT THEM A NUMBER OF WITNESSES THAT THEY WERE VERY
INTERESTED IN.
I ALSO BROUGHT THEM WITNESSES THAT THEY HAD NO INTEREST IN
WHATSOEVER.
AND THEN, MONTHS AND MONTHS LATER, THEY'D REACH BACK OUT AND
SAY, "CAN YOU GET US IN TOUCH WITH THIS PERSON AGAIN?"
>> Reporter: LAST MONTH, INVESTIGATORS FINALLY PUT
ALL THE PIECES OF THE PUZZLE TOGETHER AND DECIDED THEY
HAD ENOUGH TO CHARGE THE NOW 44-YEAR-OLD PAUL FLORES WITH
KRISTIN'S MURDER, AND HIS 80-YEAR-OLD FATHER AS AN
ACCESSORY AFTER THE FACT.
>> THE ALLEGATION AGAINST RUBEN IS THAT HE HELPED TO CONCEAL
KRISTEN'S BODY AFTER THE MURDER WAS COMMITTED.
>> Reporter: SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY DAN
DOW: >> WE DON'T HAVE EVIDENCE
SUFFICIENT TO CHARGE ANYONE ELSE AT THIS TIME, BUT THE
INVESTIGATION IS ONGOING.
>> Reporter: AND FOR THE FIRST TIME, CLUES ABOUT WHAT MAY HAVE
HAPPENED TO KRISTIN SMART.
>> FORENSIC PHYSICAL EVIDENCE WAS LOCATED, AND, YES, WE
BELIEVE IT'S LINKED TO KRISTIN.
AND, YES, WE DID FIND PHYSICAL EVIDENCE AT AT LEAST TWO HOMES.
>> Reporter: ALTHOUGH THERE'S A GAG ORDER AND SEARCH WARRANTS
HAVE BEEN SEALED, SOME INFORMATION HAS LEAKED OUT.
>> THIS IS THE THIRD TIME THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE HAS SEARCHED
THE HOUSE...
>> Reporter: LIKE WHAT MAY HAVE BEEN DISCOVERED THIS PAST MARCH
WHEN INVESTIGATORS SEARCHED RUBEN FLORES' HOUSE USING
CADAVER DOGS AND GROUND PENETRATING RADAR.
>> THEY DID A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF DIGGING UNDERNEATH THE HOUSE.
THEY TOOK IN SOIL, I ASSUME, FOR SOME KIND OF ANALYSIS.
>> Reporter: ACCORDING TO A COUNTY PROBATION BAIL REPORT
OBTAINED BY THE "SAN LUIS OBISPO TRIBUNE," "“BIOLOGICAL EVIDENCE"”
WAS FOUND UNDER RUBEN'S DECK.
>> THE QUESTION FOR DECADES WAS, WELL, WHERE DID THE BODY GO?
>> Reporter: THE SMARTS' CIVIL ATTORNEY, JAMES MURPHY, THINKS
HE KNOWS.
>> HE THREW HER IN A HOLE FOR 24 YEARS, AND, THEN, DURING THAT
PERIOD OF TIME, HE SIPPED HIS MORNING COFFEE OUT ON THE DECK.
>> Reporter: MURPHY HAS FILED A NEW CIVIL SUIT AGAINST RUBEN
FLORES FOR THE INTENTIONAL INFLICTION OF EMOTIONAL
DISTRESS, AND THE COMPLAINT HAS SOME EXPLOSIVE CLAIMS ABOUT WHAT
LED INVESTIGATORS TO FOCUS UNDER RUBEN'S DECK IN THE FIRST PLACE.
>> THE PODCAST IS OUT.
PEOPLE ARE WATCHING RUBEN FLORES AND SUSAN FLORES AND PAUL
FLORES.
SUDDENLY, MAJOR PIECES OF EVIDENCE CAME FORWARD.
>> Reporter: AN IMPORTANT TIP CAME IN AFTER A FEBRUARY 2020
SEARCH OF PAUL, SUSAN AND RUBEN'S PROPERTIES.
MURPHY ALLEGES FOUR NIGHTS LATER, STRANGE ACTIVITY WAS SEEN
AT RUBEN'S HOUSE.
>> AN EYEWITNESS ACTUALLY DOCUMENTED THE FACT THAT--
THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT, THAT THERE WAS ACTIVITY IN THE AREA OF THE
UNDERSIDE OF THAT DECK.
>> I'M NOT AT LIBERTY TO DESCRIBE HOW IT WAS DOCUMENTED,
BUT I'VE SEEN IT.
>> Reporter: THAT WITNESS INITIALLY CAME FORWARD TO CHRIS
LAMBERT, WHO PASSED THE INFORMATION TO THE SHERIFF'S
OFFICE AND MURPHY.
IN HIS COMPLAINT, MURPHY ALLEGES, ALONG WITH RUBEN, THERE
WERE OTHER TWO UNNAMED INDIVIDUALS.
BUT HE SAYS THEY ARE RUBEN'S EX-WIFE, SUSAN, AND HER
BOYFRIEND.
>> SO, WHY WOULD SUSAN FLORES, HER BOYFRIEND, AND RUBEN FLORES
BE UP ALL NIGHT LONG, WORKING UNDER THAT DECK?
>> Reporter: THE LAWSUIT CLAIMS THEY WERE MOVING KRISTIN'S
REMAINS.
>> THE LOCATION WHERE ALL THIS ACTIVITY OCCURRED IS WHERE THEY
FOUND THE BIOLOGICAL MATERIAL.
AND THE BODY'S NOT THERE NOW.
>> Reporter: THE COUNTY PROBATION REPORT SAYS
INVESTIGATORS FOUND "“DAMNING EVIDENCE THAT A BODY HAD BEEN
BURIED IN THAT LOCATION AND THEN RECENTLY MOVED."
AND THERE ARE MORE HORRIFYING ALLEGATIONS ABOUT WHAT MAY HAVE
HAPPENED TO KRISTIN AFTER SHE WAS LAST SEEN WITH PAUL FLORES.
>> IT IS ALLEGED THAT MR. FLORES CAUSED THE DEATH OF KRISTEN
SMART WHILE IN THE COMMISSION OF OR ATTEMPTED RAPE.
>> Reporter: BECAUSE OF THE STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS, DOW
SAYS, PAUL FLORES CAN'T BE CHARGED WITH RAPE.
>> BUT THE ALLEGATION THAT HE WAS COMMITTING OR ATTEMPTING TO
COMMIT A RAPE WHEN HE KILLED HER IS THE BASIS FOR WHICH WE ARE
ABLE TO FILE FIRST-DEGREE FELONY MURDER CHARGES.
>> Reporter: AUTHORITIES MADE CLEAR THAT THEY PLAN TO USE
FLORES' ALLEGED PREDATORY BEHAVIOR AGAINST HIM.
>> WE INTEND TO USE EVIDENCE OF OTHER SEXUAL CRIMES IN THIS
PROSECUTION TO PROVE THE FACTS NECESSARY FOR THE ATTEMPTED RAPE
IN THIS CASE.
>> Reporter: AND, ACCORDING TO THAT PROBATION REPORT, "“DOZENS
OF WOMEN HAVE RECOUNTED PAUL FLORES' SEXUAL ASSAULTS AND
PREDATORY BEHAVIOR, THAT DOCUMENT HIS 25 YEARS AS A
SERIAL RAPIST."” FOR THE MOMENT, HE HAS NOT BEEN
CHARGED IN THOSE INCIDENTS.
>> WE HAVE EVIDENCE THAT WE DO BELIEVE THERE ARE OTHER PEOPLE
THAT ARE NOT YET IDENTIFIED THAT HAVE HAD A...
SOME KIND OF A CRIMINAL ACT PERPETRATED ON THEM BY MR.
FLORES.
>> Reporter: "48 HOURS" HAS LEARNED THESE SUSPICIONS CENTER
AROUND EVIDENCE FOUND DURING THAT 2020 SEARCH OF PAUL FLORES'
HOME.
SOURCES TELL US INVESTIGATORS DISCOVERED PHOTOGRAPHS AND
VIDEOS ON FLORES' COMPUTER SHOWING HIM ENGAGED IN SEXUAL
ACTIVITY WITH AT LEAST TEN DIFFERENT WOMEN, APPARENTLY IN
VARIOUS STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS.
PAUL FLORES AND HIS FATHER BOTH PLEADED NOT GUILTY TO ALL
CHARGES AT THEIR ARRAIGNMENT.
RUBEN'S ATTORNEY DISMISSED THE EVIDENCE AGAINST HIS CLIENT AS
"SO MINIMAL AS TO SHOCK THE CONSCIENCE."
RUBEN FLORES WAS RELEASED ON $50,000 BAIL TO HIS EX-WIFE.
HE'S REQUIRED TO WEAR AN ELECTRONIC ANKLE BRACELET.
BUT THEIR SON WON'T BE GOING ANYWHERE.
HE'S BEING HELD ON NO BAIL.
>> TO SEE THEM IN CUSTODY WAS A FEELING OF GREAT JOY FOR ME.
MY JOB WAS TO HUNT THEM, AND THAT'S WHAT I'VE BEEN DOING,
FOR A LONG, LONG TIME, ALONG WITH A LOT OF OTHER PEOPLE.
THAT'S BEEN OUR GOAL.
>> Reporter: IT IS ALSO WHAT THE SMARTS HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR,
FOR ALMOST A QUARTER OF A CENTURY.
CHRIS LAMBERT SAYS THEY'RE CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC.
>> THEY'RE HOPEFUL, BUT THEY'VE ALSO BEEN LET DOWN SO
MANY TIMES BEFORE.
I THINK THEY'RE JUST WAITING TO SEE WHAT THE OUTCOME IS GOING
TO BE.
>> THEY'RE INTERESTED IN SEEING PAUL FLORES GET CONVICTED AND
RUBEN FLORES GET HELD ACCOUNTABLE.
THEN, MOST IMPORTANTLY, THEY WANT TO FIND THEIR DAUGHTER.
>> Reporter: KRISTIN'S BILLBOARD REMAINS IN FRONT OF THE MURPHY'S
LAW FIRM...
...NOW WITH A NEW MESSAGE.
>> THINGS ARE CHANGING RAPIDLY, SO IT WAS APPROPRIATE, I THINK,
THAT THE BILLBOARD CHANGE, TOO.
WE'VE GOT HIM.
NOW, WHAT WE WANT IS JUSTICE FOR KRISTIN.
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>> A MOTHER DISAPPEARS, TEXTING FRIENDS AND FAMILY THAT SHE HAS
COVID.
>> THEY'VE ONLY TALKED TO HER VIA TEXT.
AND SHE NEVER ANSWERED HER PHONE.
>> WAS SOMEONE USING THE PANDEMIC TO COVER UP A KILLING?
>> SHE HEARD A BLOODCURDLING SCREAM.