Who is Paul Flores ( Man convicted for 1996 murder of Kristin Smart ) Wiki, Bio, Age, Crime, Arrest, Incident Details, Investigations and More Facts
Paul Flores Biography Paul Flores Wiki
A California man was convicted on Tuesday of the murder of Kristin Smart, the Polytechnic State University student who disappeared 26 years ago, but her father was acquitted for helping cover up the crime.
Paul Flores, 45, was convicted of first-degree murder in the high-profile case that garnered national attention but went unsolved for decades. Flores' father, Ruben Flores, 81, was acquitted of ancillary charges by a separate jury for allegedly helping his son cover up the murder and bury Smart's body, which was never found. Smart went missing from her dorm at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in 1996. The jury unanimously agreed Tuesday to convict Paul Flores of first-degree murder, capping a San Luis Obispo mystery that has been unsolved for more than 26 years.https://t.co/nwZEgE7b8C pic.twitter.com/aP9Nda8PN5 — USA TODAY (@USATODAY) October 18, 2022 Paul Flores is a longtime suspect in the case and was the last known person to see Smart alive on Memorial Day weekend in 1996, when he picked up the 19-year-old from Cal Poly during a off-campus party. home with food and alcohol. Prosecutors said he attempted to rape and kill her, possibly in her dorm, on the night of May 25, 1996, when they were both freshmen.
Investigation
Younger Flores had a black eye when investigators questioned him and said he was playing basketball, according to court records. He later said he hit his head while working on his car after his friends threw water on his basketball game history, according to court documents. Paul Flores' attorney Robert Sanger said someone else killed Smart and discovered during the trial that Scott Peterson was also a schoolboy at the time of the murder. Peterson was later found guilty of murdering his pregnant wife and unborn child in another case that drew national attention. Flores also blasted the forensic evidence at the trial, calling it junk science. "This case hasn't been prosecuted for years because there's no evidence," Sanger said. "It's sad that Kristin Smart is missing and maybe went out on her own, but who knows?" Reuben Flores was accused of burying Smart in his backyard, Arroyo Grande, just over 10 miles from Cal Poly. Investigators found disturbed ground under the elder Flores' bridge and the presence of blood, but were unable to link it to Smart through DNA testing. Smart's mother and sister cried for "a few minutes" as his father and brother seemed "relieved" after Paul Flores' verdict was read in court, KSBY-TV reported. Neither Paul nor Reuben Flores showed any visible reaction when their sentences were read separately, the broadcaster said. The trial took place in Salinas because he had asked to be kept out of court in order to have a fair trial given the great media coverage of the case. According to KSBY, the trial began in July, with dozens of witnesses taking sides. The jury in the murder case had deliberated for two weeks. Paul Flores risks 25 years of his life when he is sentenced on December 9. Read the full article
