CA KRISTIN SMART: Missing from San Luis Obispo, CA - 25 May 1996 - Age 19 *PAUL FLORES GUILTY*

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Kristin was last seen on May 25, 1996. Her nickname is Roxy. FOUL PLAY IS SUSPECTED.
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Smart was a freshman architecture major at California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) in San Luis Obispo, California in 1996. She departed from an off-campus party and headed for her dormitory at approximately 1:30 and 2:00 a.m. on May 25, 1996. At the party, Smart was acting as if she was intoxicated or under the influence of drugs. When she left the gathering, she was having trouble walking.

Smart was accompanied by a female acquaintance and another student from the university, Paul R. Flores, when she left the party. Her friend separated from Smart and Flores at the intersection of Perimeter Road and Grand Avenue on the college campus.

Flores allegedly told Smart's friend that he would see Smart to her home. She was last seen walking north on Grand Avenue with Flores, towards Muir Hall, her dormitory. Smart has never been heard from again. She was not carrying any identification, cash or personal belongings at the time she vanished.

NCMEC -
www.missingkids.org

Have you seen this child? KRISTIN SMART

Missing From: SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA. Missing Date: May 25, 1996 12:00:00 AM. Kristin was last seen on May 25, 1996. Her nickname is Roxy. FOUL PLAY IS SUSPECTED.
www.missingkids.org www.missingkids.org
NamUs -

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

By bringing people, information, forensic science and technology together, NamUs helps resolve cases.
www.namus.gov
Doe Network -

www.crimewatchers.net

Although there's been an arrest in her case, KRISTIN SMART is still missing from San Luis Obispo, CA and has been since 5 May 1996 - Age 19

Three fellow students escorted Smart back to her hall of residence after an off-campus party. A fellow Cal Poly student, Paul Flores, was the last person known to have seen her alive.
www.crimewatchers.net www.crimewatchers.net
 
Last edited by a moderator:
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www.ksby.com

Both sets of juries now deliberating in Kristin Smart murder trial

Closing arguments in the case against Ruben Flores wrapped up in Salinas Wednesday as part of the Kristin Smart murder trial.
www.ksby.com www.ksby.com

Both sets of juries now deliberating in Kristin Smart murder trial​

Both sets of juries are now deliberating in the Kristin Smart murder trial.

The jury for Paul Flores, who is on trial for the 1996 murder of Kristin Smart, began deliberating late Tuesday afternoon.

Closing arguments for Ruben Flores’ case wrapped up Wednesday with jurors sent to begin their deliberations just before 1:45 p.m.

They’re tasked with sifting through months of evidence presented during the trial and determining whether they believe Paul killed the Cal Poly freshman and his father helped him hide her body.


If convicted, Paul faces a sentence of 25 years to life. Ruben faces a maximum sentence of three years in jail.
 
abcnews.go.com

Juror in Kristin Smart case excused after talking to priest

A juror in a trial connected to the disappearance of Kristin Smart was excused Thursday after the judge learned he had discussed the case with his priest.
abcnews.go.com abcnews.go.com

Juror in Kristin Smart case excused after talking to priest​

A juror in a trial connected to the 1996 disappearance of California college student Kristin Smart was excused Thursday after the judge learned he had discussed the case with his priest.

Monterey County Superior Court Judge Jennifer O'Keefe excused the male juror from the trial of Ruben Flores Thursday afternoon after he had disclosed to another juror that he discussed his difficulties with making a decision during confession. The other juror then informed the judge in a note through the bailiff.

O'Keefe heard from both jurors on the record Thursday, starting with the since-excused juror, #262.

Juror #262 told the judge he had to "cleanse my body, that's all," and that he "did not discuss the facts of the case."

"This case hasn't been easy. It's very hard. There's lives at stake," he told the judge, before being sent to the jury room.

O'Keefe then heard from the female juror, who reported that juror #262 told her he had told his priest he could only talk about the case inside confession -- which indicated to her that he was discussing the case outside the courtroom.

The judge has reminded the jurors throughout the months-long trial that they cannot discuss the case with anybody, including spiritual advisers.

The judge brought juror #262 back to the courtroom and told him she had received information "that's clearly opposite of what you've told us in court."

She thanked him but explained that she needed to excuse him.

"Sometimes the appearance of impropriety is just as bad as actual impropriety. I need to protect the record," O'Keefe said.

An alternate female juror was soon sworn in, and the jury was informed they need to begin their deliberations from the start.
 

Update, 1:35 p.m.: A jury has found Paul Flores guilty of murdering Cal Poly student Kristin Smart in 1996. Ruben Flores’ verdict is expected to be read next. After months of court proceedings, 12 jurors in a Salinas courtroom 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
 
Summer_Breeze said:

Update, 1:35 p.m.: A jury has found Paul Flores guilty of murdering Cal Poly student Kristin Smart in 1996. Ruben Flores’ verdict is expected to be read next. After months of court proceedings, 12 jurors in a Salinas courtroom 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
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Thank goodness. A long time coming for her family.
 
Update, 2 p.m.: Ruben Flores was found not guilty by a separate jury of helping his son conceal the murder of Kristin Smart.

A jury acquitted Ruben Flores of charges of accessory to murder after the fact. He was present for the reading of the verdict.

Ruben Flores has been released from electronic monitoring and is discharged.

Read more at: https://www.sacbee.com/news/california/article267465167.html#storylink=cpy
 
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That bites.

At least they got the one who did it. Different juries and probably different prosecution teams. Or they just didn't have enough evidence. Surprised it wasn't a hung jury rather than a full not guilty verdict.
 
Update, 2:15 p.m.: The San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office and Sheriff’s Office will hold a press conference on the verdicts inside the Monterey County courthouse at 4 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon. (Pacific Time)

The press conference will also be livestreamed online. There will also be an informal gathering at Smart’s Dinosaur Caves memorial in Shell Beach at 6 p.m., sources say.

Read more at: https://www.sacbee.com/news/california/article267465167.html#storylink=cpy
 
GrandmaBear said:
That bites.

At least they got the one who did it. Different juries and probably different prosecution teams. Or they just didn't have enough evidence. Surprised it wasn't a hung jury rather than a full not guilty verdict.
Click to expand...

I'd love to hear the juries reasons for acquitting him.
 
Me too. The thought crossed my mind that they may have felt sorry for an older man and a father protecting his son but not all TWELVE of them. Maybe defense put on that son lied to him or son did it/hid her without dad's knowledge, etc. or something. Be interesting to hear their reasons. If the cases were in the same county, it stands to reason they put their best team on the murder case rather than on the father's case but hard to say. I guess I don't know enough about that part of it, the county, how big, etc. without looking back.
 
mustangnews.net

Kristin Smart murder trial: Paul Flores’ sentencing date pushed back three months - Mustang News

Editor’s note: Mustang News has covered the People v. Flores murder trial every day from the courthouse. Follow @CPMustangNews on Twitter and Instagram for more updates. Read previous articles about the trial here. Paul Flores’ sentencing for the murder of Kristin Smart will now be held March...
mustangnews.net mustangnews.net

Kristin Smart murder trial: Paul Flores’ sentencing date pushed back three months​

Paul Flores’ sentencing for the murder of Kristin Smart will now be held March 10, postponed from the original Dec. 9 date.

But the Court will first have to decide on the defense’s motion for a new trial.


O’Keefe agreed to set Flores’ hearing for March 10, canceling his original Dec. 9 sentencing to make time for the defense to build a case for a new trial.

On March 10, O’Keefe will hear Sanger’s motion. If his motion is denied, O’Keefe will then set Flores’ sentence on that same date.

Flores is facing anywhere from 25 years to life.
 
Paul Flores sentencing in Kristin Smart trial to proceed as scheduled, attorneys confirm
Paul Flores’ sentencing for the 1996 murder of Kristin Smart is expected to take place on schedule, attorneys confirmed during a Thursday court hearing.


The sentencing was delayed from Dec. 9 to March 10 after Robert Sanger, Flores’ attorney, said he had not had time to properly file a motion for a new trial because there was a delay in ordering official court transcripts.

Sanger did not elaborate on which witness was involved or the information they had.

The motion will be heard March 10, and if it is denied, Flores will be sentenced immediately after. He faces 25 years to life in state prison or life without parole.
 
www.ksby.com

Paul Flores' attorney files for new trial in Kristin Smart murder case

Just two weeks before Paul Flores is scheduled to be sentenced for the murder of Kristin Smart, his attorney filed a set of motions seeking to throw out Flores' guilty verdict.
www.ksby.com www.ksby.com

By: Katherine Worsham
Posted at 3:10 PM, Feb 28, 2023
and last updated 10:37 PM, Feb 28, 2023
Just two weeks before Paul Flores is scheduled to be sentenced for the murder of Kristin Smart, his attorney filed a set of motions seeking to throw out Flores' guilty verdict.

In October, a jury convicted Flores of Smart's murder more than 25 years after her disappearance from the Cal Poly campus.

Flores is scheduled to be sentenced on Friday, March 10. He faces 25 years to life in prison.

One of the motions filed by attorney Robert Sanger requests an acquittal and dismissal of charges, "...on the grounds that a rational trier of fact could not find the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt based on the state of the evidence at the conclusion of the trial..."

Another requests a new trial, claiming "...prosecutorial errors and the admission of junk science as evidence..." and that there was insufficient evidence to find Flores guilty. The motion also claims the verdict "...was based on a violation of the defendant's constitutional rights to due process and a fair trial..."

In the court filing, which was submitted to the Monterey County Superior Court on Friday, Feb. 24, just a few minutes before 5 p.m., Sanger goes on to claim that the prosecution mislead the jury and manipulated flawed evidence to obtain a conviction.
 
www.ksby.com

Evidence from the Kristin Smart murder trial just released

KSBY News obtained many pieces of evidence shared during the trial of Paul and Ruben Flores - evidence that Monterey County Superior Court had said would not be made available until after sentencing.
www.ksby.com www.ksby.com

By: Claudia Buccio
Posted at 6:28 PM, Mar 06, 2023
and last updated 10:34 PM, Mar 06, 2023
KSBY News has obtained many pieces of evidence shared during the trial of Paul and Ruben Flores — evidence that, until recently, the Monterey County Superior Court said would not be made available until after sentencing.

<snip>
One of the items showed only in the courtroom during the trial was an interview at the Arroyo Grande Police Department on June 19, 1996.

William Hanley and Larry Hobson, investigators with the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney's Office, questioned a young Paul Flores.

“Paul, is there anything else that you told us that you didn’t think it was a big deal?” Hobson asked.

Paul responded, "No."

“It’s not a big deal if you haven’t told us the truth,” Hobson added.

Paul gave another “no” response.

“How do we know that?” Hobson questioned.

“Take my word for it, I guess,” Flores responded.

In that conversation, Flores was questioned many times about how he got a black eye.

“Why was it so hard for you to tell us that you got that black eye hitting the steering wheel?” Hobson asked.

“It didn't really matter,” Flores said.

“What do you mean it didn’t matter?” Hobson questioned.

“It was days later,” Flores said.

“If it didn't matter, then why did you lie about it?”

“Why does it matter if I leave out little details?” Flores responded.

This 48-minute video is one of the many items just released by the Monterey County Superior Courthouse following Paul and Ruben Flores’ months-long trial.

“You're not acknowledging any of this ever happened, and yet all these other people are telling us it did happen,” Hobson said in recorded interview.

“I guess I had a blackout at that time […] but I remember her walking away though,” Flores said.

The trial evidence also includes photos of Kristin Smart’s belongings found in her dorm, a handwritten letter from Denise Smart to her daughter in 1996, and dirt samples taken from Ruben Flores’ home on White Court in Arroyo Grande.

There was a wiretap recording of a phone call between Paul and his mother, Susan Flores, on Jan. 26, 2020.

It was played in court during the trial but due to limitations by the judge, only still photography was allowed, meaning only those in the courtroom could hear the recording firsthand.

“The other thing I need you to do is to start listening to the podcast. I need you to listen to everything they say so we could punch holes in it wherever we can punch holes,” Susan said to Paul. “Maybe we can’t, you're the one that can tell me. ”

There is also an audio recording from May 19, 2021, when San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Detective Clint Cole collected DNA samples from Ruben Flores, Susan Flores, and her boyfriend.

“Well, they [Susan and her boyfriend] haven't committed no felonies […] I mean, I'm only the one. I've been arrested,” Ruben Flores said.

And, an initial interview with Paul Flores and Cal Poly Police Investigators Mike Kennedy and Robert Cudworth on May 30, 1996.

“What did she say? Do you remember any of the conversations you had walking up the hill?” questioned police.

“No, only that she was freezing,” Flores responded.

“Was there any talk of, you know, getting together?” police asked.

“No, no. Nothing at all like that,” Flores said.

Included in the evidence files are photos of the home where the off-campus party Kristin Smart attended took place and a map outlining Kristin’s walk back to campus that night.
 

BY CHLOE JONES AND STEPHANIE ZAPPELLI
UPDATED MARCH 07, 2023 11:22 AM


The San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office asked the Monterey County Superior Court to deny a motion seeking another trial for convicted murderer Paul Flores.

“The claims of misconduct are baseless and the claims of judicial error are incorrect,” the District Attorney’s Office said in its response. A jury convicted Flores of murdering Cal Poly student Kristin Smart in October, after his attorney, Robert Sanger, made nine unsuccessful requests for a mistrial.
 

BY STEPHANIE ZAPPELLI AND CHLOE JONES
MARCH 11, 2023 5:30 AM

One by one, Kristin Smart’s family and friends approached a Monterey County Superior Court judge with a plea — for Smart’s murderer, Paul Flores, to receive the maximum sentence for his crime. “Paul chose to take a life, my sister Kristin’s life,” her brother, Matthew Smart, said during a sentencing hearing Friday, calling Flores a “menace to society.” “Now he must pay.”

<snip>
On Friday, Superior Court Judge Jennifer O’Keefe sentenced the younger Flores to 25 years to life in state prison for murdering Smart, which is the maximum sentence for first-degree murder. Paul Flores hardly moved during Friday’s sentencing hearing and stared straightforward the entire time. He didn’t turn his head or acknowledge the Smart family as they spoke about the anguish over their loved one’s disappearance and death.

“Watching Paul Flores sit stone-faced and remorseless behind his mask was emblematic of the hiding he has done for the last 26-plus years,” Smart’s mother, Denise Smart, said at the hearing. Denise Smart then condemned Flores for concealing the location of her daughter’s body, which has never been found.

“Torturing a family by continuing to withhold the location of their sister and daughter is a cruel and visceral pain that no one should ever have to bear,” she said.
 
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