A man has been found guilty of murdering a teenager who disappeared from a house party 26 years ago.
Kristin Smart was nearing the end of her freshman year at California Polytechnic State University when she vanished at the age of just 19 on May 25, 1996.
Her disappearance and suspected death had been one of California's most high-profile unsolved cases, with no trace ever found of her body. She was declared legally dead in 2002.
Paul Flores, a former classmate of hers now aged in his 40s, was found guilty of first-degree murder by a jury in Monterey County Superior Court on Tuesday, more than a quarter of a century after an investigation was first launched.
Earlier police reports detailed how Kristin was seen walking to her dormitory on the campus of California Polytechnic State University on the night of her disappearance in a state of heavy intoxication, with two men accompanying her to help her get back safely.
Flores then joined the men and reportedly told them he would take her to her dorm room, after which they eventually left her alone with him. He was the last person to be seen with her alive.
At the trial, which followed Flores' arrest in 2021, prosecutors presented evidence which showed she may have been buried in land surrounding his home before later being moved.
They alleged that Flores killed her during a rape or attempted rape, while investigators revealed they had searched 18 locations for her body without success.
Robert Sanger, Paul Flores’ defence attorney, had argued there remained a lack of evidence that any assault had taken place, saying: "This case was not prosecuted for all these years because there’s no evidence.
"It’s sad Kristin Smart disappeared, and she may have gone out on her own, but who knows? It’s sad. Something happened to her. It’s unfortunate."
Flores now faces up to 25 years in prison after being convicted of her murder.
A separate jury found his elderly father, Ruben Flores, not guilty of helping hide her body in a verdict reached only several minutes before his own on Tuesday.
Thanking the jury at the end of a case which saw one juror dismissed for discussing its details with their priest, Judge Jennifer O’Keefe said: "I wish to express to you the appreciation and that of the parties for your service in this case"
"It is a great personal sacrifice to serve as a juror… You have been very attentive and conscientious throughout this case."
