I just watched the episode with Matt Flores tonight. And I've long had this theory that he was a marked man, and that his military career had something to do with it. While the tv show doesn't make any inferences into anything, his father in a news peice from a year ago does.
http://www.eastbaytimes.com/2016/05/16/matt-flores-killing-a-22-year-old-santa-clara-mystery/

It's easy to draw that conclusion because not much else could is as logical as the military. But he'd only been with Applied Materials for a few months, so we throw that out the window. A case of mistaken identity, possible, but something tells me that he was the target. I think that he either was privy to some classified info, he stumbled upon something he wasn't supposed to know, or he had an argument with someone in a powerful position that he was going to expose.

Not sure if there was already a thread in this,

I just watched the episode with Matt Flores tonight. And I've long had this theory that he was a marked man, and that his military career had something to do with it. While the tv show doesn't make any inferences into anything, his father in a news peice from a year ago does.
http://www.eastbaytimes.com/2016/05/16/matt-flores-killing-a-22-year-old-santa-clara-mystery/

It's easy to draw that conclusion because not much else could is as logical as the military. But he'd only been with Applied Materials for a few months, so we throw that out the window. A case of mistaken identity, possible, but something tells me that he was the target. I think that he either was privy to some classified info, he stumbled upon something he wasn't supposed to know, or he had an argument with someone in a powerful position that he was going to expose.

Not sure if there was already a thread in this,

This is one of the most interesting cases on unsolved mysteries. Him stumbling on something he wasn't supposed to is a good theory. I think road rage from a previous day or two earlier is a good possibility also. I know everyone liked him so that makes both of these theories possible. Just because everyone liked him doesn't mean he couldn't piss somebody off driving or know a forbidden secret.

I released a podcast episode (http://trailwentcold.com/2017/03/22/the-trail-went-cold-minisode-15-matt-flores/) about this case earlier this year and I'm inclined to think this was a case of mistaken identity. I came to this conclusion after looking at this map of the layout for Applied Materials:
https://californiadiversitycouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/santaclara_map_1_.pdf

Applied Materials has over a dozen different buildings in Silicon Valley which are spread out over multiple campuses and Matt was murdered in the parking lot of Building 12 on the Bowers Campus. It sounds like police looked into the "mistaken identity" angle and investigated the backgrounds of the other employees who worked in Building 12 and didn't find anything to suggest any of them were potential murder victims, but what if the killer's real target didn't even work there? I think the most likely explanation is that the killer was targeting someone else from one of the other buildings in the area, but showed up at the wrong address. There are so many similar-looking buildings and parking lots in Silicon Valley that it would have been easy for the killer to get confused. It's possible the real target didn't even work for Applied Materials and it probably would have been impossible for investigators to check every building and delve into the backgrounds of every single person who worked in that area. If the killer was after someone else who drove a white vehicle, then it was Matt's misfortune that he just happened to be driving one that day.

Nobody else has mentioned this, Could it be this was just a sick person intent on committing murder to see how it felt? Or someone trying to prove himself to a gang? He could've been looking for the perfect moment when no other witnesses were directly next to his intended victims. ?

The driver of the Explorer having waited in the parking lot for 20 minutes and previously following another white car suggests a predetermined target. Apparently Flores was driving a car provided to him by the company. Maybe the perpetrator was staking out an incorrect vehicle or lot, but who previously drove that car?

Another mystery is why the driver/likely perpetrator left and returned to the lot about 4-5 minutes before the shooting, and also returned after the shooting.
This wasn't an organized hit, it seems more like an inexperienced person who was lucky in that he wasn't observed by anyone in the lot and the shooting wasn't captured on camera.

Nobody else has mentioned this, Could it be this was just a sick person intent on committing murder to see how it felt? Or someone trying to prove himself to a gang? He could've been looking for the perfect moment when no other witnesses were directly next to his intended victims. ?

That situation made it extremely hard for the perfect moment. It was a weekday morning and a dozen other people were in that parking lot at the time of the shooting, either sitting in their cars or pulling into the lot.

I've looked all over that parking lot on google images and there is no back exit. You have to leave the same way you enter, which means the killer had to pass all these people after he pulled the trigger.

A thrill killer can't be ruled out (we've seen stories about them on other segments) but in this situation, it's soooooo much more risky than trying to off someone where there are less witnesses around.

I think it's a complete fluke that nobody saw anything AND that this guy was lucky enough to pull this killing off in a blind spot from the security cameras. 99 times out of 100, this guy would have been busted considering all the factors he had to deal with. He got extremely lucky here.

There's already a huge thread on this case here:

http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=72840

That situation made it extremely hard for the perfect moment. It was a weekday morning and a dozen other people were in that parking lot at the time of the shooting, either sitting in their cars or pulling into the lot.

I've looked all over that parking lot on google images and there is no back exit. You have to leave the same way you enter, which means the killer had to pass all these people after he pulled the trigger.

A thrill killer can't be ruled out (we've seen stories about them on other segments) but in this situation, it's soooooo much more risky than trying to off someone where there are less witnesses around.

I think it's a complete fluke that nobody saw anything AND that this guy was lucky enough to pull this killing off in a blind spot from the security cameras. 99 times out of 100, this guy would have been busted considering all the factors he had to deal with. He got extremely lucky here.

The killer probably used a silencer. Maybe a disguise such as a wig, sunglasses or a hat to not get caught if seen on camera. Thats the only thing I can think of.

The killer probably used a silencer. Maybe a disguise such as a wig, sunglasses or a hat to not get caught if seen on camera. Thats the only thing I can think of.

The woman who discovered Matt's body was sitting in her car listening to a morning radio station when she heard the gunshot. So I don't think he used a silencer. She was parked very close to Matt, if the reenactment is any indication, only her car was facing the other way.

I just watched the episode with Matt Flores tonight. And I've long had this theory that he was a marked man, and that his military career had something to do with it. While the tv show doesn't make any inferences into anything, his father in a news peice from a year ago does.
http://www.eastbaytimes.com/2016/05/16/matt-flores-killing-a-22-year-old-santa-clara-mystery/

It's easy to draw that conclusion because not much else could is as logical as the military. But he'd only been with Applied Materials for a few months, so we throw that out the window. A case of mistaken identity, possible, but something tells me that he was the target. I think that he either was privy to some classified info, he stumbled upon something he wasn't supposed to know, or he had an argument with someone in a powerful position that he was going to expose.

Not sure if there was already a thread in this,

From open source material available, it doesn't look like Matt was in any sort of military unit that would be involved in black projects and the like. It's my best guess is that this was a case of mistaken identify. Too many things that would disqualify road rage being the reason

The woman who discovered Matt's body was sitting in her car listening to a morning radio station when she heard the gunshot. So I don't think he used a silencer. She was parked very close to Matt, if the reenactment is any indication, only her car was facing the other way.

He must have been extremely lucky not to get caught.

The woman who discovered Matt's body was sitting in her car listening to a morning radio station when she heard the gunshot. So I don't think he used a silencer. She was parked very close to Matt, if the reenactment is any indication, only her car was facing the other way.

The killer is extremely lucky they didn't get caught.

It's a very tragic segment, but one of the bright spots was that Applied Materials put up a substantial reward. It was refreshing to see, and also surprising, since Matt had only worked there for a short period of time.

I really felt for his wife. She seemed absolutely devastated. I hope her life has been as happy as it could be since then.

I am curious if it is possible that someone was angry he got the position at his company.

If he had only been in that position for two weeks, it's possible that somebody internal to the organization could have wanted his job, but instead the position was given to Matt. Similarly, it could have been an external candidate, that was turned down after the interview, and that person took his or her anger out on Matt. (through a hit, or through him or herself directly)

Perhaps they felt that if Matt was eliminated, then the open position would be available for them.

I know it sounds extreme but it would not be the first time, and people do crazy things.

After reading whatever I could find on this one (granted, it wasn't too much) and listening to Robin's podcast, I'm still stumped. This dude has an image that was almost too squeaky clean.

The mistaken hit theory doesn't really add up to me here though. Not only would he have to drive a very similar car, but he also would have had to resemble the physical description of the intended target. Add in the fact that he'd also have to be in that exact complex of buildings at that exact timeframe. The investigation also never uncovered anybody else that he could have been mistaken for as the original target of a hit either. When you put all of that together, it just doesn't make sense to me that it was a botched job of some sort.

The jealous co-worker or person he beat out for the job angle doesn't seem legit either. If I didn't get chosen for a job, I'd be much more upset with the employer for not hiring me than some random other person I've never even met. How would an applicant for a job even know who got chosen for that specific placement anyway? Did he call the employer and be all like, "Yeah, Mr. Smith... I know I didn't get the job but can you tell me who did? Just his name, physical description, vehicle description and work schedule will suffice. Asking for a friend." No way. Also, considering that the actual job was well over 1,500 miles from where he was killed doesn't make sense either. The co-worker angle also seems far fetched when you think about it. Too easy to be seen by someone else that knows you.

Road rage? Also not likely. The shooter's vehicle seemed to be there well before Matt was. If they had a road rage incident, how would the shooter know exactly where Matt was going to end up and be there 5 minutes before him? There just isn't a logical explanation for that either.

Thrill killer? I also don't like this angle because of how out in the open the shooting actually was. Thrill killers do not want to get caught. Look at the I-70 Serial Killer or the Sacramento Thrill Killer. These types of killers try to isolate their victims and generally shy away from being seen. Why pick a guy in a crowded parking lot during a peak time of people showing up to work? And why circle the lot and risk being seen or captured on surveillance before choosing somebody? I just don't buy it.

This one is so tough to wrap your head around.

I am curious if it is possible that someone was angry he got the position at his company.

If he had only been in that position for two weeks, it's possible that somebody internal to the organization could have wanted his job, but instead the position was given to Matt. Similarly, it could have been an external candidate, that was turned down after the interview, and that person took his or her anger out on Matt. (through a hit, or through him or herself directly)

Perhaps they felt that if Matt was eliminated, then the open position would be available for them.

I know it sounds extreme but it would not be the first time, and people do crazy things.

Dude, a woman hired a hit man to kill a teenage girl's mother because the teenager got a spot on the cheerleading squad that she thought should have went to her daughter. Stranger things have happened.

This case ranks up there with David Cox and Aileen Conway as some of the most confusing and bizarre cases where multiple theories are all plausible. I've often wondered how much of that has to do with the way UM presented these stories, or if the investigations really did lead nowhere concrete.

Has anyone thought that maybe it was some sort of "drive-by shooting"? That's one way I can see the killer getting away so fast without anyone seeing. I also figured maybe someone was seated in a car next to or across from Matt's car and open their door or window and shot Matt, then ducked out of sight until they could get away. Might sound bizarre, but I would think someone would have seen something or someone if the killer was out in plain view, running up to Matt, then shooting him. I also figured maybe someone shot Matt from a distance, with a sniper rifle or other assault weapon, as to why a pop was heard.

Dude, a woman hired a hit man to kill a teenage girl's mother because the teenager got a spot on the cheerleading squad that she thought should have went to her daughter. Stranger things have happened.

Oh, yes! That was in Channelview, Texas, outside of Houston. I remember this happening actually when I was a kid.

I also figured maybe someone shot Matt from a distance, with a sniper rifle or other assault weapon, as to why a pop was heard.

Im pretty sure he was shot with a pistol at point blank range.

I also figured maybe someone shot Matt from a distance, with a sniper rifle or other assault weapon, as to why a pop was heard.

I have to believe that was ruled out by LE. They seem pretty confident the killer was right there.

This killer was either very gutsy or very dumb. It's unbelievable that with the number of people in the lot and the cameras of the lot, that no one got a look at this person. Since Matt was shot by his car and I don't believe he had an assigned spot, I think the killer just got lucky.

I don't think this was random or spontaneous. The killer wanted Matt dead (or the person they thought Matt was). It was quick and efficient with no emotion. The killer was either a pro or someone with a huge ax to grind.

After reading whatever I could find on this one (granted, it wasn't too much) and listening to Robin's podcast, I'm still stumped. This dude has an image that was almost too squeaky clean.

The mistaken hit theory doesn't really add up to me here though. Not only would he have to drive a very similar car, but he also would have had to resemble the physical description of the intended target. Add in the fact that he'd also have to be in that exact complex of buildings at that exact timeframe. The investigation also never uncovered anybody else that he could have been mistaken for as the original target of a hit either. When you put all of that together, it just doesn't make sense to me that it was a botched job of some sort.

The jealous co-worker or person he beat out for the job angle doesn't seem legit either. If I didn't get chosen for a job, I'd be much more upset with the employer for not hiring me than some random other person I've never even met. How would an applicant for a job even know who got chosen for that specific placement anyway? Did he call the employer and be all like, "Yeah, Mr. Smith... I know I didn't get the job but can you tell me who did? Just his name, physical description, vehicle description and work schedule will suffice. Asking for a friend." No way. Also, considering that the actual job was well over 1,500 miles from where he was killed doesn't make sense either. The co-worker angle also seems far fetched when you thin about it. Too easy to be seen by someone else that knows you.

Road rage? Also not likely. The shooter's vehicle seemed to be there well before Matt was. If they had a road rage incident, how would the shooter know exactly where Matt was going to end up and be there 5 minutes before him? There just isn't a logical explanation for that either.

Thrill killer? I also don't like this angle because of how out in the open the shooting actually was. Thrill killers do not want to get caught. Look at the I-70 Serial Killer or the Sacramento Thrill Killer. These types of killers try to isolate their victims and generally shy away from
being seen. Why pick a guy in a crowded parking lot during a peak time of people showing up to work? And why circle the lot and risk being seen or captured on surveillance before choosing somebody? I just don't buy it.

This one is so tough to wrap your head around.



if it was road rage it would have happened the day or so before most likely. The killer would have seen Matt pull into the parking lot the day of the road rage and the killer might not have had a gun that day to do this. The person who would do something like that would have to be narcissistic and violent. It seems unlikely but the whole thing seems unlikely shooting someone in a busy parking lot in daylight.

Oh, yes! That was in Channelview, Texas, outside of Houston. I remember this happening actually when I was a kid.

Was it made into a TV movie? Because I think I remember seeing something like that a few years back.

Was it made into a TV movie? Because I think I remember seeing something like that a few years back.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105822/
Willing to Kill: The Texas Cheerleader Story

I don't recall ever sitting through it, but I'm pretty sure it made its rounds on Lifetime.

Oh man, this is one of my rabbit hole cases. I desperately want to see it solved and find myself going back and watching it/reading about it as much as I can.

I read something at one point (a lengthy news article online, but I can't find the link at the moment) where Matt's wife said she normally drove him to work and kept the car to run errands, since they only had that one which the company had rented for him. That morning, she told him to take the car.

That bit opened up a whole new realm of possibilities:
--Could someone have been after his wife?
--Was it truly a case of mistaken identity since the car usually wasn't parked there?

Link to my post with a link to the article that mentions this:
http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showpost.php?p=5228716&postcount=308

Was it made into a TV movie? Because I think I remember seeing something like that a few years back.


Mothers name was Wanda Holloway.

I released a podcast episode (http://trailwentcold.com/2017/03/22/the-trail-went-cold-minisode-15-matt-flores/) about this case earlier this year and I'm inclined to think this was a case of mistaken identity. I came to this conclusion after looking at this map of the layout for Applied Materials:
https://californiadiversitycouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/santaclara_map_1_.pdf

Applied Materials has over a dozen different buildings in Silicon Valley which are spread out over multiple campuses and Matt was murdered in the parking lot of Building 12 on the Bowers Campus. It sounds like police looked into the "mistaken identity" angle and investigated the backgrounds of the other employees who worked in Building 12 and didn't find anything to suggest any of them were potential murder victims, but what if the killer's real target didn't even work there? I think the most likely explanation is that the killer was targeting someone else from one of the other buildings in the area, but showed up at the wrong address. There are so many similar-looking buildings and parking lots in Silicon Valley that it would have been easy for the killer to get confused. It's possible the real target didn't even work for Applied Materials and it probably would have been impossible for investigators to check every building and delve into the backgrounds of every single person who worked in that area. If the killer was after someone else who drove a white vehicle, then it was Matt's misfortune that he just happened to be driving one that day.

Your post actually makes a lot of sense to me Robin. While I've always been willing to run with the "mistaken identity" theory, one of my biggest questions regarding that is if Flores is the wrong target, than who is the right target? It always seemed to me that if this case really did come down to a tragic case of mistaken identity, then it should be fairly simple for LE to identify the correct intended target.

Your insights on this case make a lot of sense to me and serve as a valuable reminder that nothing is ever simple when it comes to a murder investigation.

Was it made into a TV movie? Because I think I remember seeing something like that a few years back.

I am not sure if it was a movie or not. But City Confidential did an hour show on it. I think American Justice did too.

Your post actually makes a lot of sense to me Robin. While I've always been willing to run with the "mistaken identity" theory, one of my biggest questions regarding that is if Flores is the wrong target, than who is the right target? It always seemed to me that if this case really did come down to a tragic case of mistaken identity, then it should be fairly simple for LE to identify the correct intended target.

Your insights on this case make a lot of sense to me and serve as a valuable reminder that nothing is ever simple when it comes to a murder investigation.

I don't buy the mistaken identity theory. I also don't believe most humans have a "squeeky clean" life either. I am torn on this one.

I think if it was mistaken identity, we would have had a similar murder in the same style around that area at that time. I also believe people can have affairs and addictions without LE or the spouse to ever find out. It's completely possible.

I don't buy the mistaken identity theory. I also don't believe most humans have a "squeeky clean" life either. I am torn on this one.

I think if it was mistaken identity, we would have had a similar murder in the same style around that area at that time. I also believe people can have affairs and addictions without LE or the spouse to ever find out. It's completely possible.

You make some good points here. I've always been of the opinion that in most cases the cleaner someone's image, or the more they squeak so to speak, the darker their secrets. With the exception of myself that is. I'm as pure as the driven snow...just ask my mama.

Now I'm certainly not making any judgements about Flores. He very well may have been as upstanding as he seemed, but anything is possible of course, and those possibilities should always be examined.

Always thought it was a mistaken hit based on the surveillance video footage, the fact that Matt was driving an unfamiliar car at the time, and the absence of any known motive for anyone to have killed him.

I definitely don't buy a crime of passion angle. If that was the case, the killer would have fired several shots, as many as he could ... definitely more than one.

Dude, a woman hired a hit man to kill a teenage girl's mother because the teenager got a spot on the cheerleading squad that she thought should have went to her daughter. Stranger things have happened.

I remember that case when I was in high school. Very messed up.

Definitely not a random act judged on the reenactment of the tape. Shame we couldn't see the real thing.

I released a podcast episode (http://trailwentcold.com/2017/03/22/the-trail-went-cold-minisode-15-matt-flores/) about this case earlier this year and I'm inclined to think this was a case of mistaken identity. I came to this conclusion after looking at this map of the layout for Applied Materials:
https://californiadiversitycouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/santaclara_map_1_.pdf

Applied Materials has over a dozen different buildings in Silicon Valley which are spread out over multiple campuses and Matt was murdered in the parking lot of Building 12 on the Bowers Campus. It sounds like police looked into the "mistaken identity" angle and investigated the backgrounds of the other employees who worked in Building 12 and didn't find anything to suggest any of them were potential murder victims, but what if the killer's real target didn't even work there? I think the most likely explanation is that the killer was targeting someone else from one of the other buildings in the area, but showed up at the wrong address. There are so many similar-looking buildings and parking lots in Silicon Valley that it would have been easy for the killer to get confused. It's possible the real target didn't even work for Applied Materials and it probably would have been impossible for investigators to check every building and delve into the backgrounds of every single person who worked in that area. If the killer was after someone else who drove a white vehicle, then it was Matt's misfortune that he just happened to be driving one that day.

I watched the segment today for the first time in a long time and it was like it was the first time I've watched it. this would be at the top of my list of segments that I really hope to see solved.

I also listened to the "trail went cold" podcast for the first time this morning and I agree that mistaken identity is the most likely cause. Especially if you factor the details of how large the complex is as Robin pointed out.

The podcast is excellent. There's nothing in Matt's past. Nothing in his prior service. Nothing that indicated someone was following him from one side of the country to the other. the fact that he was on his 9th day of work in a rental vehicle, in a temp remote location, there would not have been enough time to conjure up a motive against him. a temp rage or prior altercation doesn't make sense if you factor Matt's character and the video evidence. The video shows that the suspected killer was unsure of what they were doing. random act of violence? possible yes, but the fact that the vehicle followed another white sedan, left, and returned is very odd. were they working up their courage to simply kill someone at random or did they spot a vehicle that they were searching for?

Today marks 25 years since Matt Flores was murdered. I still feel like it was a professional hit, whether or not Matt was the intended target. How else could a killer get away with 20 other people in the parking lot? How did no one see anything? Could he have been shot from a distance? Denise has never remarried and their daughter Danielle is a grown women who is beautiful, educated and has her father's eyes. They deserve to know the truth and put this to rest after all this time.

Always thought it was a mistaken hit based on the surveillance video footage, the fact that Matt was driving an unfamiliar car at the time, and the absence of any known motive for anyone to have killed him.

Completely agree. This is one that just makes me angry when I watch it. He was such a good man and had so much to live for. It infuriates me that some jackass just pulled a trigger and blew that all away. I feel for his friends and family.

professional hits more or less tend to be on point. i think there was some sort of double life maybe not mentioned.

professional hits more or less tend to be on point. i think there was some sort of double life maybe not mentioned.

No double life was mentioned because he didn't have one. Everyone he knew who gave statements knew Matt to be a squeaky clean guy with no dark side. It was most likely a mistaken hit and Matt never knew the person who killed him.

the whole point of a double life is to lead a separate life nobody knows about, or at least your inner circle.

I believe the killer was driving the same car, why not check everyone in town who owns that car? maybe that person had a conviction?

Today marks 25 years since Matt Flores was murdered. I still feel like it was a professional hit, whether or not Matt was the intended target. How else could a killer get away with 20 other people in the parking lot? How did no one see anything? Could he have been shot from a distance? Denise has never remarried and their daughter Danielle is a grown women who is beautiful, educated and has her father's eyes. They deserve to know the truth and put this to rest after all this time.

Did some Facebook sleuthing a few weeks ago and saw some pictures. I hope they've lived the best life they can since this tragedy. Agree Danielle bears a strong resemblance to her dad. I am sure it's something that's helps her, and her mom, feel closer to him.