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Man convicted of killing Kristin Smart in 1996 faces life in prison at sentencing hearing Friday

HAS YET BEEN RELEASED. NOW TO THE MIXED VERDICT TODAY IN THE TRIALS OF PAUL FLORES AND HIS FATHER, RUBEN, IN CONNECTION WITH THE 1996 MURDER OF STOCKTON, NATIVE KRISTIN SMART. FOR THE MAIN CHARGE OF FIRST DEGREE MURDER, A JURY FOUND PAUL GUILTY MORE THAN TWO DECADES AFTER THE CRIME. ON THE LESSER OFFENSE OF COVERING UP THE CRIME. A SEPARATE JURY FOUND PAUL’S FATHER, RUBEN FLORES, NOT GUILTY OF HELPING HIS SON HIDE THE BODY. KCRA 3’S LYSEE MITRI JOINS US LIVE NOW FROM MONTEREY COUNTY WITH REACTIONS TO BOTH OF THESE VERDICTS. EDDIE, THIS HAS BEEN A LONG TIME COMING. THE TRIALS IN BOTH CASES STARTED HERE IN MONTEREY COUNTY COURT. THREE MONTHS AGO. AND IT’S BEEN MORE THAN TWO DECADES SINCE KRISTIN SMART WENT MISSING. TODAY, WE HEARD FROM HER FATHER, WHO READ A STATEMENT A FEW HOURS AFTER LEARNING ABOUT THE VERDICTS AFTER 26 YEARS. WITH TODAY’S SPLIT VERDICTS. WE LEARNED THAT OUR QUEST FOR JUSTICE FOR KRISTIN WILL CONTINUE. THIS HAS BEEN AN AGONIZINGLY LONG JOURNEY WITH MORE DOWNS THAN UPS, BUT WE ARE GRATEFUL AND APPRECIATE THE DILIGENCE AND ENERGY OF THE TWO JURIES TO THOROUGHLY REVIEW THE FACTS AND REACH THEIR DECISIONS FOR OUR FAITH AND THE JUSTICE SYSTEM HAS BEEN RENEWED BY THEIR COMMITMENT AND EFFORT. 19 YEAR OLD KRISTIN WAS A FRESHMAN AT CAL POLY IN SAN LUIS OBISPO WHEN SHE WENT MISSING IN 1996. PAUL FLORES WAS ALSO A STUDENT THERE, AND PROSECUTORS SAY HE KILLED KRISTIN IN HIS DORM ROOM WHILE TRYING TO RAPE HER AFTER AN OFF CAMPUS HOUSE PARTY. ON MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND, MORE THAN 26 YEARS AGO, HIS FATHER, RUBEN FLORES, WAS CHARGED WITH BEING IN ACCESSORY AFTER THE FACT, HELPING HIDE KRISTIN’S BODY, WHICH WAS NEVER FOUND. TODAY, A JURY DECIDED RUBEN WAS NOT GUILTY AND AS HE LEFT THE COURTROOM, HE TOLD US HE WAS RELIEVED. WILL NO LONGER BE ON AN ANKLE MONITOR. BUT HE SAID FOR THOSE CONVINCED OF HIS FAMILY’S GUILT, HE DOESN’T THINK THIS WILL CHANGE ANYTHING. TOMORROW, THEY’LL BE GOING BY, BLOWING A HORN AND THEY’LL BE DRIVING BY MY HOUSE. YOU KNOW, JUST PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, THEY THEY BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU READ, EVERYTHING YOU HEAR OR, YOU KNOW, I’VE GOT A FLIP PHONE. I DON’T KNOW THAT STUFF, YOU KNOW. IN THE CASE OF HIS SON, HE BELIEVES THAT THE JURY MADE A DECISION BASED ON FEELINGS, NOT FACTS. PAUL FACES 25 YEARS TO LIFE IN PRISON. HE’LL FIND OUT WHAT THAT SENTENCE IS HERE AT THE COURTHOUSE ON DECEMBER 9TH. LIVE IN SALINAS, LYSEE MITRI KCRA 3 NEWS. SO LET’S SAY WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THAT SENTENCING? IS THIS CASE ESSENTIALLY OVER NOW? WELL, PAUL’S ATTORNEY WILL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY IF HE DECIDES TO APPEAL AND TRY TO MAKE A MOTION FOR A NEW TRIAL, WHICH IS EXPECTED. AND THEN WE ALSO HEARD FROM THE SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY SHERIFF TODAY. AND HE SPECIFICALLY SAID, NO, THIS CASE IS NOT OVER. WE KNOW THAT KRISTIN’S BODY HAS NEVER BEEN FOUND. AND HE SAID THIS CASE IS NOT OVER UNTIL SHE HAS BEEN RETURNED HOME. AND HE’S COMMITTED TO MAKING SURE THAT THA

Man convicted of killing Kristin Smart in 1996 faces life in prison at sentencing hearing Friday

The man convicted of killing fellow college student Kristin Smart in 1996 faces the possibility of life in prison at a hearing Friday in California court.Paul Flores, 46, was found guilty in October of the first-degree murder of Smart, whose body has never been located. He awaits sentencing of 25 years to life in prison.Smart vanished in May 1996, when she and Flores were both attending Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in central California. Flores was the last person to see Smart alive and prosecutors argued he raped or attempted to rape Smart and then killed her in his dorm room.Smart’s disappearance rattled the town of San Luis Obispo, with little progress being made in the case for more than two decades. Smart was declared dead by authorities in 2002.A podcast launched in 2019 from journalist Chris Lambert titled “Your Own Backyard” then brought renewed attention to Smart and her family’s plight, which her family later credited for shining a spotlight “in our darkest hours by sharing Kristin’s voice and story.”In 2021, new evidence led authorities to arrest Flores and his father, Ruben Flores, in connection with Smart’s death. Investigators at Ruben Flores’ home used ground-penetrating radar, dug on the property using hand tools and recovered items as evidence, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office told CNN at the time.Video below: Evaluating evidence jurors used to reach decision in Kristin Smart murder trialProsecutors accused Flores’ father of assisting with moving Smart’s body to his home in Arroyo Grande and hiding her remains under his deck for a period of time. A jury later found Ruben Flores not guilty of being an accessory to Smart’s murder.Following Paul’s conviction and Ruben’s acquittal on Oct. 18, 2022, Smart’s family expressed mixed emotions and thanked prosecutors and investigators for their efforts.”Without Kristin, there is no joy or victory with this verdict, we all know it did not have to be this way,” a statement from the Smart family read. “After 26 years, with today’s split verdicts, we learned that our quest for justice for Kristin will continue.”Video below: Kristin Smart’s family shares message with Paul Flores after he was found guilty

The man convicted of killing fellow college student Kristin Smart in 1996 faces the possibility of life in prison at a hearing Friday in California court.

Paul Flores, 46, was found guilty in October of the first-degree murder of Smart, whose body has never been located. He awaits sentencing of 25 years to life in prison.

Smart vanished in May 1996, when she and Flores were both attending Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in central California. Flores was the last person to see Smart alive and prosecutors argued he raped or attempted to rape Smart and then killed her in his dorm room.

Smart’s disappearance rattled the town of San Luis Obispo, with little progress being made in the case for more than two decades. Smart was declared dead by authorities in 2002.

A podcast launched in 2019 from journalist Chris Lambert titled “Your Own Backyard” then brought renewed attention to Smart and her family’s plight, which her family later credited for shining a spotlight “in our darkest hours by sharing Kristin’s voice and story.”

In 2021, new evidence led authorities to arrest Flores and his father, Ruben Flores, in connection with Smart’s death. Investigators at Ruben Flores’ home used ground-penetrating radar, dug on the property using hand tools and recovered items as evidence, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office told CNN at the time.

Video below: Evaluating evidence jurors used to reach decision in Kristin Smart murder trial

Prosecutors accused Flores’ father of assisting with moving Smart’s body to his home in Arroyo Grande and hiding her remains under his deck for a period of time. A jury later found Ruben Flores not guilty of being an accessory to Smart’s murder.

Following Paul’s conviction and Ruben’s acquittal on Oct. 18, 2022, Smart’s family expressed mixed emotions and thanked prosecutors and investigators for their efforts.

“Without Kristin, there is no joy or victory with this verdict, we all know it did not have to be this way,” a statement from the Smart family read. “After 26 years, with today’s split verdicts, we learned that our quest for justice for Kristin will continue.”

Video below: Kristin Smart’s family shares message with Paul Flores after he was found guilty