Matt Flores, an organized hit job? - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Jetjack74 · 08-24-2017, 12:42 AM

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/...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,

yourhomiebrian · 08-24-2017, 03:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jetjack74

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/...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.

RobinW · 08-24-2017, 08:58 AM

I released a podcast episode 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.o...ara_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.

LilMissKryssy · 08-24-2017, 11:59 AM

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. ?

soilentgreen · 08-24-2017, 01:18 PM

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.

dynoguy88 · 08-24-2017, 01:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LilMissKryssy

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.

Hot Jock · 08-24-2017, 01:56 PM

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

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

yourhomiebrian · 08-25-2017, 01:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dynoguy88

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.

dynoguy88 · 08-25-2017, 05:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yourhomiebrian

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.

LakeForestPI · 08-25-2017, 10:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jetjack74

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/...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

yourhomiebrian · 08-26-2017, 03:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dynoguy88

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.

yourhomiebrian · 08-26-2017, 03:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dynoguy88

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.

Far Off Promise · 08-30-2017, 03:16 PM

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.

cdr369 · 08-30-2017, 05:27 PM

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.

Hot Jock · 08-30-2017, 06:37 PM

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.

08-24-2017, 12:42 AM	#1
Jetjack74 Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Jan 20, 2011 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 19	Matt Flores, an organized hit job? 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/...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,

08-24-2017, 11:59 AM	#4
LilMissKryssy " & every sinner has a future" Frequent Poster Join Date: Jun 09, 2013 Location: Buffalo, NY Posts: 465	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. ?
	__________________ Little Miss Kryssy K

08-24-2017, 08:58 AM	#3
RobinW Member Senior Member Join Date: Jul 14, 2010 Posts: 1,874	I released a podcast episode 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.o...ara_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.

08-24-2017, 01:18 PM	#5
soilentgreen Member Forum Regular Join Date: Oct 13, 2005 Posts: 622	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.

08-24-2017, 01:56 PM	#7
Hot Jock Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Dec 09, 2016 Posts: 493	There's already a huge thread on this case here: http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/...ad.php?t=72840

08-30-2017, 03:16 PM	#13
Far Off Promise Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Feb 16, 2013 Location: Garner, NC Posts: 78	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.

08-30-2017, 05:27 PM	#14
cdr369 Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Jun 13, 2015 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 227	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.

08-30-2017, 06:37 PM	#15
Hot Jock Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Dec 09, 2016 Posts: 493	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.