Roommate of witness left tips alleging Paul Flores murder confession: ‘Just the facts’
The man who submitted anonymous tips alleging that his roommate heard Paul Flores confess to killing Kristin Smart took the stand in the Smart murder trial Monday, saying what he told law enforcement was “only the facts.”
Jennifer Hudson testified Monday in Monterey County Superior Court that Flores admitted to murdering Smart in 1996.
She said she told only one person about the alleged confession: Justin Goodwin, who was her roommate in Santa Maria in 2002.
Goodwin “stewed” on the information for about a year, he testified Monday, and eventually submitted a tip to a website dedicated to solving Smart’s disappearance and to the FBI.
Goodwin said the tip he sent to the website included “conjectures,” while the tips and information he relayed to law enforcement were “just the facts.”
Man leaves tip about alleged confession on Kristin Smart website
On the stand Monday, Goodwin recalled Hudson telling him while the two were drinking in 2002 that Flores confessed to the crime and told her he buried Smart “under his place in Huasna.”
Goodwin said Hudson’s demeanor was “scared” when she told him about the alleged confession, adding that she didn’t want to continue talking about it that night or the next day.
“I stewed on (the information) for a long time,” Goodwin said, weighing “whether I should betray our friendship and our trust because I wasn’t sure if she would talk to me again.”
Goodwin eventually submitted a tip to SonofSusan.com, a website dedicated to solving Smart’s disappearance, in April 2004. The website, which now operates under the name DigUptheYard.com, is run by Dennis Mahon.
Mahon is not affiliated with the Smart family or the “Your Own Backyard” podcast, which traces the investigation into Smart’s disappearance.
In court, Paul Flores’ defense attorney, Robert Sanger, read aloud a paraphrased version of the tip Goodwin sent to the Son of Susan site: “My last roommate used to live near Paul in Huasna near AG and used to stay up all night with him after the murder and because he was involved with methamphetamines.”
Goodwin said the tip to the site was mostly conjecture because Hudson had described the house where Flores allegedly admitted to Smart’s murder as a “tweaker house.”
The witness that the tip Goodwin sent to the FBI, also in 2004, only contained “just the facts,” he said, namely that Flores allegedlyy confessed the crime to Hudson.
When asked if he had a record of the FBI tip, Goodwin told Sanger he could likely subpoena it from the FBI.
Goodwin added that he sent in the same tip to San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office in 2019.
Witness testimony is ‘mostly conjecture,’ defense alleges
Goodwin testified Monday that he reconnected with Hudson when he heard “Your Own Backyard” creator Chris Lambert mention it on his podcast.
Goodwin said he contacted Hudson via Facebook Messenger telling her that he had submitted the tip without her consent and urging her to speak with law enforcement and Lambert.
Hudson agreed to come forward with her tip, Goodwin said on the stand, and he met with her and Lambert in fall 2019.
Hudson said in court that she had seen Flores a second time at a skate ramp in Huasna in the summer of 1996. Goodwin testified he went with her to find the location of the ramp with Lambert sometime between Oct. 29 and Nov. 8, 2019.
When they found the ramp’s location, Hudson “seemed scared for one of the first times,” Goodwin testified.
“I’ve rarely seen her scared,” Goodwin said. “That time (in 2019) and that time in 2002 were the only times I’ve seen her scared, both (when she was) talking about Paul.”
The defense focused on one inconsistency in Goodwin’s story: Goodwin told Sheriff’s Office Det. Clint Cole that Hudson told him she hung out with Flores 10 to 12 times — something Hudson denies. She said in court that she only saw Flores two times.
Goodwin called this another “conjecture.”
“So very little facts, mostly conjecture, (is) your testimony,” Harold Mesick, Ruben Flores’ lawyer, responded during cross-examination.
‘Tick tock’ Facebook posts shown to court
Sanger pointed out in court on Monday that Goodwin had added a ”Kristin Smart’ banner to his profile picture.
According to Goodwin, at the time that screenshot was taken — late 2019 or early 2020 — thousands of people had added that banner to their profile pictures, and there was a selection for the public to choose from.
Sanger alleged Goodwin “became quite interested in seeing Paul Flores convicted,” and Goodwin replied he became passionate in finding justice for Smart, which did not necessarily mean seeing Flores convicted.
In a 2020 Facebook post, Goodwin wrote the words “tick tock motherf--ker,” Sanger showed the court, and at another point posted an alarm clock emoji.
Goodwin confirmed these Facebook posts meant that Flores would hopefully be in court soon. He confirmed that Cole asked him to tone down his social media posts after these posts.
Goodwin said he never connected with or spoke with the Smart family directly, although he and Denise Smart, Kristin Smart’s mother, are both administrators of the “Find Kristin Smart” Facebook page.
Goodwin said he could talk to the Smart family through another administrator on the page, and once wrote a letter the the Smart’s family lawyer.
What’s next in Kristin Smart murder trial?
Before court adjourned Monday, Angela Butler, a senior forensic DNA analyst with the Serological Research Institute in Richmond, took the stand.
She talked about her two decades of experience in the field and was deemed an expert in DNA analysis by the court.
Her testimony is expected to continue on Sept. 19 after the court announced an unexplained delay on Tuesday.
This story was originally published September 13, 2022 at 10:28 AM.
