[This is a developing story. Check back with Noozhawk for an updated version.]
A jury has found Paul Flores guilty of murdering Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo student Kristin Smart in 1996.
After months of court proceedings, 12 jurors in a Salinas courtroom unanimously agreed Tuesday to convict Flores of first-degree murder, capping a San Luis Obispo mystery that has been unsolved for more than 26 years.
The jury found Flores guilty of willful, premeditated murder after deliberating for a total of four days. The jury’s verdict was read Tuesday afternoon.
“I wish to express to you appreciation and that of the parties for your service in this case,” Monterey County Superior Court Judge Jennifer O’Keefe said to the jury after the verdicts were read. “It is a great personal sacrifice to serve as a juror. … You have been very attentive and conscientious throughout this case.”
Jurors are now allowed to discuss or not discuss their deliberations or verdict with anyone, the judge also told the jury.
“If you chose to discuss the case with anyone, I encourage you to be thoughtful with your remarks,” O’Keefe said.
As the jury’s verdict was read Tuesday afternoon, the mood in the courtroom went from intense and heavy to a palpable sense of relief.
When the verdict was read, Kristin Smart’s father, Stan Smart, had a smile on his face. He put his arm around her mother, Denise Smart, who was in tears after the verdict was read.
San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office and San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office officials turned around to the Smart family and shared nods after the verdict was read.
Flores’ father, 81-year-old Arroyo Grande resident Ruben Flores, was found not guilty by a separate jury of being an accessory to murder for allegedly helping to hide Smart’s body.
Flores, 45, was on trial for the murder of Smart, who went missing following an off-campus party during Memorial Day weekend in 1996. Flores was the last person seen with the Stockton freshman as she walked back to her residence hall.
Paul Flores will be sentenced Dec. 9.
Following the verdicts being read, Paul Flores’ defense attorney, Robert Sanger, told The Tribune that “the case is still pending” and declined to comment further.
“They had so much stuff they made up,” he said of the prosecution. “It was about feelings. It wasn’t about facts.”
Ruben Flores has been released from electronic monitoring and was discharged following the reading of the verdict. During the conference, Ruben Flores’ attorney, Harold Mesick, said the case has been the one he is “most invested in on a personal level.” Mesick described Ruben Flores as “not just not guilty; he is absolutely innocent.” “He never should have been charged, and I’m very pleased with the outcome,” Mesick said. “Love our system of justice.”
Mesick added: “There is just so much animosity towards this man and his family. There’s so much hate, and I really have never understood it. I understand that people are upset that Kristin is missing, I understand they want a person to be responsible for that. But just the ‘let’s lynch ‘em, let’s burn ‘em, let’s hang ‘em, let’s kill ‘em,’ — I don’t know where that came from in this country. And I wish the community who still feels that way would disabuse themselves of those feelings.” Mesick said Ruben Flores now has to go home “and rebuild the deck that was destroyed.”
Additionally, Mesick said he feels there is “reasonable inference” Smart is still alive and that he thought Paul Flores’ attorney will likely file for a new trial since “there are plenty of grounds.” “They did not prove her death,” he said.
Kristin Smart Missing Since 1996
Flores, 45, was on trial for the murder of Smart, who went missing following an off-campus party during Memorial Day weekend in 1996.
Flores was the last person seen with the Stockton freshman as she walked back to her residence hall.
Flores’ father, 81-year-old Arroyo Grande resident Ruben Flores, was on trial for allegedly helping to hide Smart’s body.
Paul Flores has long been the “prime suspect” in Smart’s disappearance. Over the years, the case has garnered a devoted following as it dragged out with seemingly few concrete answers as to what had happened to Smart. Then, in April 2021, Flores and his father were arrested and charged in her murder.
Throughout the trial, the prosecution alleged Flores killed Smart in the course of an attempted rape.
“Paul Flores is guilty as sin,” prosecutor Christopher Peuvrelle told the jury during his closing arguments. “Justice delayed does not have to be justice denied. You now know the truth of what happened.”
Meanwhile, Flores’ defense asserted that Flores was the victim of “conspiracy theories” and that there was “no evidence” his client had murdered Smart.
“Mr. Peuvrelle is trying to bootstrap a murder where there’s no evidence of a murder,” attorney Robert Sanger told the jury during closing arguments.
The jury deciding on the charges against Ruben Flores reached a verdict on Monday, while Paul Flores’ jury reached its verdict on Tuesday.
Chloe Jones, Kaytlyn Leslie and Stephanie Zappelli are reporters for the San Luis Obispo Tribune.
