SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — California prosecutors say more than two dozen women have described disturbing encounters, including sexual assaults, with the man charged with killing missing college student Kristin Smart.
A court document unsealed Wednesday in San Luis Obispo County Superior Court says women accused Paul Flores of unwanted touching, aggressive sexual behavior and more recent incidents of being drugged and raped. The San Luis Obispo district attorney's office sought to add two rape charges for offenses after Smart disappeared to the complaint filed against Paul Flores in Smart's death. The judge ruled against the DA's motion.
A lawyer for Flores calls the prosecution's attempt to add the rape charges a "publicity stunt."
Flores has pleaded not guilty to murder in the disappearance of Smart, a fellow student at California Polytechnic State University who vanished 25 years ago. Flores was the last person seen with Smart on May 25, 1996, at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo.
Her body has never been found. Prosecutors say human blood was found in the soil behind Flores' family home, where they suspect Smart was once buried.
READ MORE ABOUT THE KRISTIN SMART CASE:
- Judge denies adding rape charges in Kristin Smart case
- 'It is a sense of relief' | Matt Smart speaks out about the arrests in his sister's case, family scholarship fund
- 'Your Own Backyard' podcast on Kristin Smart case adds two new episodes following arrests
- Kristin Smart case timeline: Understanding the events behind the decades-old
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