SALINAS, Calif. — A jury has found Paul Flores guilty of murdering Cal Poly 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.
“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.
The jury’s verdict was read Tuesday afternoon. Ruben Flores’ verdict will be read next, after the juries swap places in the courtroom.
Paul Flores will be sentenced on Dec. 9.
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 Monday, while Paul Flores’ jury reached its verdict Tuesday.
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