Kristin Smart trial: Paul Flores found guilty of murder in 1996 killing of college student

SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY, Calif. — A California jury has found Paul Flores guilty of first-degree murder in the 1996 killing of 19-year-old college student Kristin Smart.

The sentencing for Flores has been scheduled for Dec. 9. He has been remanded into custody with no bail.

The court is waiting on one juror in Ruben Flores’ trial to return to the courthouse and is in recess until 5 p.m.

Paul Flores, a former classmate of Smart, was charged with murder, while his father was charged with being an accessory to the crime. Prosecutors say he helped hide Smart’s body on his property in Arroyo Grande before moving it in 2020.

Smart went missing walking home from a party at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Her body has never been found, but authorities arrested Paul and Ruben Flores in April 2021 and found alleged evidence related to Smart’s murder in their homes.

Paul and Ruben Flores were tried at the same time, but with separate juries hearing the case together. A verdict was reached in Ruben Flores’ case on Monday; that decision was sealed until Paul Flores’ jury reached its verdict and they could be announced simultaneously.

Video is from a previous story