"Paul's sister lived approximately one mile from campus. "I believe that the family did assist him potentially using one of the vehicles at their disposal," Cole said. Upon questioning by Mesick, Chadwell testified that he used pink mason's twine during construction of the house.Īdditionally, Cole testified that he spoke to a former 10-year tenant of Ruben Flores', who said he was never allowed to access that portion of the deck area.Īfter pausing for a brief moment, Cole continued with his testimony, adding that they also served a Volkswagen that he later found was registered to Paul Flores' sister in May 1996.Ĭole said he considered numerous factors, including knowledge of the case, and Paul Flores' alleged scratches on his knees, a black eye and unaccounted for time between the hours of 5 a.m. In March and April of 2021, sheriff's detectives served a search warrant to use ground-penetrating radar on Ruben Flores' home, where they discovered a 4-foot "anomaly" in the soil located in a spot underneath the deck of the house which contained the presence of human blood and various fibers, including a red fiber, according to Cole. He was one of two witnesses who testified Wednesday, the other being Edward Chadwell, a retired general contractor who built the Flores family home in 1991.Ĭole provided testimony about the trailer search while responding to cross-examination by Ruben Flores' attorney Harold Mesick, who asked how he was able to obtain a warrant for his client's DNA from a buccal swab on May 19, 2021. At the conclusion, a judge will determine whether there is probable cause to uphold the charges in order for the case to proceed to trial. They both have pleaded not guilty.Ĭole's testimony came during Paul and Ruben Flores' preliminary hearing, which began on Aug. They were arrested and charged in April, nearly 25 years after Smart's disappearance.
His 80-year-old father, Ruben Flores, is charged with accessory to murder after the fact and is accused of hiding her body. Paul Flores, 44, of San Pedro is charged with her murder. Paul Flores was last seen with Smart near the intersection of Perimeter Road and Grand Avenue at about 2 a.m., just steps away from their red brick dorms, after walking back from an off-campus party on Crandall Way, according to witness Cheryl Manzer, who walked with them before splitting off from the pair. Smart was a 19-year-old Cal Poly freshman who investigators believe was with Paul Flores, Ruben Flores' son, shortly before she disappeared on May 25, 1996. It said Flores got help moving the body from two unnamed accomplices who will later be added as defendants in the case.The trailer was seized on the detective's belief that it was used in the first week of February 2020, during a clandestine operation to transport Smart's remains from Ruben Flores' residence in the 700 block of White Court, where prosecutors believe Smart had been buried for more than two decades. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages for intentionally causing emotional distress by helping his son cover up the crime. The father and son were arrested last week after investigators said they found “biological evidence” indicating Smart had been buried under Ruben Flores’ deck behind his home in nearby Arroyo Grande and was recently moved, according to a court document.
Ruben Flores, 80, pleaded not guilty to accessory after murder on Monday, and his son, Paul Flores, 44, pleaded not guilty to murder.
The lawsuit filed in San Luis Obispo County Superior Court said Smart’s body was buried in Ruben Flores’s backyard and he moved the body “under cover of darkness” to another location a few days after investigators searched his property in February 2020. The parents of missing California college student Kristin Smart on Thursday sued the father of the man charged with killing their daughter nearly 25 years ago. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated. This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated.
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