Paul Flores, a man convicted of killing California college student Kristin Smart in 1996, was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison without parole Friday in a California court.
The 45-year-old was found guilty of first-degree murder last October. His sentencing came after a judge denied a motion from Flores’ attorney seeking a second trial.
The 19-year-old student of California Polytechnic State University went missing in 1996 and her body has not been found till date. In 2002, authorities declared her legally dead. Smart and Flores were both attending Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in central California at the time of her disappearance.
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Following Flores’ conviction, Smart’s family said: “Without Kristin, there is no joy or victory with this verdict, we all know it did not have to be this way. After 26 years, with today’s split verdicts, we learned that our quest for justice for Kristin will continue.”
Who is Paul Flores?
Paul Flores was the person who was last seen with Kristin Smart. Since her disappearance, he was considered the prime suspect. He was arrested in April 2021, along with his father, Ruben Flores.
Smart was coming back home from a fraternity party when the incident took place. When Flores was asked to give a deposition in November 1997, he invoked the 5th Amendment in response to any questions regarding the case.
Police searched the separate homes of Paul’s parents, Susan and Ruben Flores. A search warrant was served at Paul’s sister’s home in Washington.
