You're listening to a special bonus series of the your own backyard podcast titled people versus Flores, a weekly recap of the murder trial of Paul and Ruben Flores.
Since filming and audio recording aren't currently allowed inside the courtroom, these episodes will recount handwritten notes taken by host Chris Lambert, breaking from our typical documentary format in an effort to get updates out as regularly and succinctly as possible.
These recaps will likely contain subject matter that may be graphic and disturbing to some listeners.
Listener discretion is advised.
Week four began with the testimony of Tim, one of the last three people to see Kristen smart alive.
On May 24, 1996.
Tim said he attended a party at 135 Crandall Way, a party he helped to organize to celebrate the shared birthdays of his friends Ryan and Tom.
Tim estimated he arrived at the Crandall house around 07:00 p.m.
that night, when only about 20 people were present for the first 40 minutes of court, Tim helped the prosecution establish a general layout of the house and yard, drawing on recent photos to show what the house looked like back in 1996.
The crandall house is small, about a thousand square feet if you dont include the garage, which was converted into a bedroom sometime later.
A few steps lead up from the driveway onto a small concrete porch where the front door is located.
Inside the living room in 1996 was the majority of the floor space, with a pool table just as you walk in and a makeshift bar in a back corner near the kitchen, which was cordoned off with a dirty gray curtain.
In the kitchen, a side door leads to the backyard.
Tim described the house as college, decorated with a Budweiser sign alongside stolen street signs on the walls.
Tim testified that he first noticed Paul Flores present at the party around 09:30 p.m.
playing pool.
At one point, Tim said he heard a thud of and looked over to see that Kristen Smartt and Paul Flores had fallen to the ground together near the curtain area that separated the kitchen from the hallway.
All of this testimony, while it can feel slow and repetitive, is critical to establishing for the jury why investigators honed in on Paul Flores during those initial days.
In his interview with Cal Poly police and a follow up with DA investigators, Paul denied that he had any contact with Kristen at the party, including this fall in the hallway, which he was asked about directly.
Several witnesses have now testified to seeing the two of them fall to the floor together, as well as seeing them speaking near the bar area.