MONTEREY COUNTY, Calif. — More than 26 years since college student and Stockton native, Kristin Smart disappeared, the long-time suspect in the case has been found guilty of killing her.
A jury found Paul Flores guilty on Tuesday of first-degree murder. Paul Flores faces a sentence of 25 years to life. His sentencing is scheduled for December 9 at 9 a.m.
Paul Flores, now 45, attended Cal Poly with Smart and has long been considered a suspect in Smart's disappearance and death, but prosecutors only arrested him and his father in April 2021.
Paul Flores' father, Ruben Flores, was facing a felony charge of accessory after the fact. He was accused of helping bury Smart at his home in Arroyo Grande, near San Luis Obispo, and covering up his son's involvement in Smart's death. A separate jury found him not guilty on Tuesday.
The jury's decision comes after weeks of testimony. Both men were on trial since July 18 and jurors had about three months of evidence to review. Both men previously pleaded not guilty to charges relating to the 1996 disappearance of Kristin Smart.
Paul Flores' jury reached a verdict on October 18, after about four days of deliberation. Ruben Flores' jury reached a decision on October 17. Both verdicts were read on the same day.
Monterey County Superior Court Judge Jennifer O’Keefe denied audio or video recordings of the trial and reading of verdicts. Only still photography was allowed.
Why wasn't the trial in San Luis Obispo?
The trial for Paul and Ruben Flores was moved to Monterey County after a San Luis Obispo judge ruled they would not stand a fair trial in the same community where Smart disappeared.
Judge Craig van Rooyen said media coverage weighed heavily in favor of a change of venue along with the saturation of publicity in the county. He added the ripple effects in the community would be felt for a long time no matter the outcome at trial.
"I just don't think this case is discussed around the dinner tables in other places the way it is in this county," Judge Craig van Rooyen said previously.
Case history
1996
Paul Flores was one of the last people to be seen with Smart while walking back to the Cal Poly dorms from an off-campus party.
Flores reportedly had a black eye the morning after Smart disappeared. He told campus police he got it during a basketball game.
Paul Flores later changed his story, saying that he got it while fixing his car. He claimed to friends he told police that because he worried law enforcement would think it "sounded stupid" he didn't know how he got his black eye.
2002
Smart was officially declared dead and the case was turned over to the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office.
2016
The FBI excavated a site on the edge of the college campus on a hillside about half a mile away from where Smart was last seen with the hope of discovering her remains.
San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office's Spokesman Tony Cipolla said that FBI officers discovered "items of interest" but did not say what they were.
2020
The Stockton Record reported Denise Smart, Kristin Smart's mother, was contacted by the FBI to expect a big announcement regarding the case.
San Luis Obispo Sheriff's Department conducted searches in two locations within the county. They also looked in Washington state and San Pedro.
The sheriff's department also discussed the work they did from 2011 to 2020:
- Served 18 search warrants
- Conducted physical evidence searches at nine locations
- Reexamination of every piece of physical evidence seized in the case
- Submitted 37 pieces of older evidence for modern DNA testing
- Recovered 140 new pieces of evidence
- Conducted 91 person-to-person interviews
- Wrote 364 supplemental reports
2021
The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office searched Ruben Flores' home near the 700 block of White Court in Arroyo Grande in March. Cadaver dogs and ground-penetrating radar was used, according to a news release.
Paul and Ruben Flores were arrested. Smart's body still hasn't been found.
Watch more on ABC10: What we know about the Kristin Smart case
