Paul Flores has been charged with the murder of Kristin Smart. After her death, her husband Ruben Flores pleaded not guilty to helping his son dispose of her body.
Police found Paul Flores hanging from the balcony of his San Luis Bishop apartment. The murder case continues. The jury has been selected for Paul Flores murder trial. Read on to find out more about his case.
Ruben Flores pleaded not guilty to helping his son dispose of Kristin Smart’s body
A judge will decide whether or not Ruben Flores should be sentenced to life in prison for the 1996 murder of Kristin Smart.
During a preliminary hearing earlier this year, the prosecution presented compelling evidence that the body was recently removed from the prime suspect’s San Luis Bishop County home.
Detectives uncovered biological evidence that suggested the body had been buried under the Flores’ deck.
During the investigation, authorities used cadaver dogs and ground-penetrating radar to trace the body to Paul Flores.
They found a trail of blood and other evidence that connected Flores to Smart’s death. After the Flores were arrested, investigators continued their search for evidence in the yard.
Although Me-sick declined to comment on the case, he did ask why investigators needed to dig in the yard after the arrests.
He also said he believed there was ample evidence to secure convictions. The blood trace was found in disturbed soil under Ruben Flores’ Arroyo Grande home.
The San Luis Bishop County District Attorney’s Office has released the Statement of the Case against Flores.
On Wednesday, San Luis Bishop Superior Court unsealed several court records related to the case. However, no one has been sentenced as of yet.
Jury selection for Paul Flores murder trial
The jury selection for Paul Flores’ murder trial will begin in Monterrey County. The defendants were arrested on April 18, 2021.
Paul Flores was the last person to see Smart alive. He had a reputation among women at Cal Poly for unsettling behaviour.
He was also known as Chester the Molester. His motive for killing Smart was unclear, but prosecutors allege that he had raped and murdered her.
During the preliminary hearing, Flores pleaded not guilty. His brother Ruben Flores was charged with accessory to murder.
The jury was initially unable to reach a consensus on whether or not Paul Flores was guilty of the crime. After a preliminary hearing, the case went to trial.
Paul Flores is accused of killing Smart during an attempted rape at Cal Poly. His father Ruben Flores is also accused of assisting his son in disposing of Smart’s body.
The jury will decide if both men are guilty of murder. The court will try Flores in Monterrey County. It’s a small city about 241 kilometres northwest of San Luis Bishop.
Smart was last seen with Flores on May 25, 1996. The two were last seen after a party. While they were reportedly drinking and flirting, Flores murdered Smart.
Smart’s father, Ruben Flores, is accused of being an accessory to the crime.
Preliminary hearing for Paul Flores’ murder
After a week-long break, the preliminary hearing for Ruben and Paul Flores’ murder case resumed Monday.
At that hearing, the People rested their case and the defence didn’t call any witnesses. Judge Craig van Rooney is expected to decide whether to send the case to trial.
The Flores family has been in the news for a long time – the parents of Kristin Smart were both arrested in 1996 after she disappeared from the campus of Cal Poly.
Both Paul and Ruben Flores’ sons are facing charges of murder and accessory after the fact. The case has garnered national attention since Flores’ arrest last year, but the small coastal county where the incident happened has been under scrutiny for decades.
In fact, the case is largely discussed around dinner tables. However, the prosecution opposed a change in venue, arguing that wide media coverage wouldn’t necessarily bias potential jurors.
The hearing is postponed until a new location can be found. While forensic evidence connects Paul and Ruben Flores to the crime, they have denied it.
They also claim that they didn’t find any teeth or bones. And although the forensic evidence connects the two men, the Flores’ attorneys say the evidence doesn’t add up.
The prosecutors say the body was moved. Neither man has been found guilty, though. Ultimately, the case will be resolved in a criminal trial.
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