Ex-girlfriend of Kristin Smart's accused killer Paul Flores claims he told her to 'get away' from the backyard of his father's home where cops believe the college student's remains were buried before being moved
- The woman, known as Angie Doe, told San Luis Obispo Superior Court Tuesday about an incident at Ruben Flores' Arroyo Grande home in the early 2000s
- She said she went for a stroll in the backyard around the avocado trees when both Paul and Ruben abruptly told her to get away from the area
- Prosecutors say Smart's body was buried in the backyard at the time before the father-and-son team recently moved her remains
- Smart, 19, was last seen alive at around 2am on May 25 1996 as she headed back to her dorm at Cal Poly with Paul after a party
- Paul and Ruben were arrested in April; Paul is accused of killing Smart during an attempted rape while Ruben allegedly helped his son hide her body
The ex-girlfriend of Kristin Smart's accused killer Paul Flores has claimed he told her to 'get away' from the backyard of his father's home where cops now believe the college student's remains were buried.
The woman, identified only as Angie Doe, told San Luis Obispo Superior Court in California Tuesday about an incident where Paul and his father Ruben Flores ordered her out of the yard of the home in Arroyo Grande sometime in the early 2000s.
Prosecutors allege that, at the time, Smart's body was buried in the backyard before the father-and-son team recently moved her remains to an unknown location.
Smart, 19, was last seen alive at around 2am on May 25 1996 when she headed back to her dorm at the California Polytechnic State University University campus with Paul after attending an off-campus party.
For 25 years, her disappearance remained a mystery while Paul was long regarded as the prime suspect.
In April, Paul and Ruben were finally arrested on suspicion of her murder.
Paul, who was also a 19-year-old Cal Poly student at the time and is now 44, is accused of killing Smart during an attempted rape in his dorm room and has been charged with first-degree murder.
Ruben, now 80, allegedly helped his son hide his victim's body and was charged with accessory to murder after the fact. Both have pleaded not guilty to their charges.
Smart's body has never been found.
The ex-girlfriend of Kristin Smart's accused killer Paul Flores (in court on August 3) has claimed he told her to 'get away' from the backyard of his father's home where cops now believe the college student's remains were buried
Kristin Smart (pictured) was last seen on May 25, 1996, with Paul Flores while returning to her dorm at Cal Poly University
Paul's ex-girlfriend testified on day six of the preliminary hearing for the two suspects where a judge will rule whether there is probable cause to take the case to trial, reported the San Luis Obispo Tribune.
She said she dated Paul for about two years from 2003 after meeting in a bar.
The woman, who said she was 21 and he was 28 when they met, recalled a time she went with her boyfriend for a two-day visit at his mother's home in Arroyo Grande.
During the visit, she said she and Paul also visited his father at his home at 710 White Court in Arroyo Grande.
She testified that she went for a stroll in the backyard 'just to look around' and was standing a couple of feet from the avocado trees in the yard.
She said there were about five golden retrievers under the deck at the time.
At that point, she claimed both Paul and Ruben abruptly told her to get away from the area by the trees and out of the yard.
'I don't remember if it was Mr. Flores or Ruben, but they redirected me away from the avocado trees,' she told the court.
The woman - Angie Doe - told San Luis Obispo Superior Court in California Tuesday about an incident where Paul and his father Ruben Flores ordered her out of the yard of the home (seen above) in Arroyo Grande sometime in the early 2000s
Investigators search under the deck of the property in March. Prosecutors allege that Smart's body was buried in the backyard before the father-and-son team recently moved her remains
'They told me to come around [the house] and get away from that area.'
She added that Paul 'just wanted me to get away from the [avocado] trees.'
Prosecutors have alleged in court documents that 'damning' biological evidence proves Smart's body was once buried in the backyard of the home.
One month before Paul and Ruben's arrests in April, investigators searched the property and the grounds around it using ground-penetrating radar and cadaver dogs.
Following their arrests, investigators were seen searching the home again and dismantling a deck that leads underneath the house.
Prosecutors say Smart's body was recently moved and that the two men know where her remains are.
Paul (left) and Ruben Flores (right) have both pleaded not guilty to the charges in connection to Smart's murder
Paul Flores, 44, is seen being arrested in April for Smart's murder 25 years after she vanished
Paul's ex-girlfriend told the court Tuesday she did not know about Smart's disappearance while they were dating and that she was first interviewed by cops in February.
She testified under cross-examination that she contacted the Son of Susan - a website for the Smart case - after she split from Paul and had also spoken to Chris Lambert, the host of popular Spotify podcast Your Own Backyard.
Chris Lambert, the host of popular Spotify podcast Your Own Backyard, was also served a subpoena as a witness by the defense Tuesday
The judge on Monday ruled that other information she told investigators would not be heard in the preliminary hearing because it only speaks to Pal's character.
She allegedly told cops about a time when her then-boyfriend 'snapped' and held a butter knife to her throat.
A former friend of Paul's also took the stand Tuesday testifying that he noticed Paul with a black eye one day after Smart vanished.
Jeromy Moon, who says he knew Paul when he was a senior at Arroyo Grande High School, told the court Paul had the visible mark on May 26 1996 and had claimed 'he woke up with it.'
Podcast host Lambert was also served a subpoena as a witness by the defense and was excluded from sitting in on the hearing until he testifies in the hearing.
Paul and Kristin were both freshmen at Cal Poly in 1996 when she vanished. He was staying in Santa Maria Hall and she was in Muir Hall, which are 0.2miles apart - a four minute walk
The podcast helped revive the investigation and ultimately lead to the arrest of the two suspects.
Last week, the case took a bizarre turn when lawyers for the Flores called for convicted murderer Scott Peterson to testify.
They claim Peterson may have known Smart while they were both in college at Cal Poly University.
The defense has not provided any evidence the two were acquainted.
Peterson was convicted in 2005 for the murder of his wife Laci and their unborn child.
Last week, the case took a bizarre turn when lawyers for the Flores called for convicted murderer Scott Peterson to testify. Peterson was convicted of murdering his wife Laci (pictured together) and their unborn child in 2005
Comments 0
Share what you think
No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards.
