SACRAMENTO, Calif. — There’s a new start date for the Kristin Smart murder trial, a Monterey County Superior Court spokeswoman announced Tuesday.
Opening statements will begin July 18, rescheduled from July 6.
The beginning of the trial against Paul and Ruben Flores was pushed back because of “a health concern among one of the trial participants,” court executive officer Chris Ruhl wrote in an email.
Paul Flores, 45, is accused of murdering Smart after an off-campus party in May 1996. His father, 81-year-old Ruben Flores, is accused of helping hide the Cal Poly freshman’s body. The two men were arrested in April 2021.
The trial against the Flores men was moved to Salinas after San Luis Obispo Superior Court Judge Craig van Rooyen ruled that they would likely not receive a fair trial in San Luis Obispo County because of pretrial publicity.
Screening of more than 1,500 prospective jurors in the murder trial began June 13 in Salinas.
About 390 people moved on to take part in voir dire, the jury selection process — around 270 for Paul’s jury and 120 for Ruben’s jury, Monterey County Superior Court spokeswoman Norma Ramirez-Zapata wrote in an email.
Paul Flores’ jury selection began Monday, a week later than scheduled. More pretrial motions may be heard July 6 through July 8, then Ruben Flores’ jury will be selected from July 11 to July 15.
———
