Last Updated on: 20th October 2022, 10:26 am
Who is Paul Flores? Biography, Wiki
Paul Flores is a California man who was found guilty Tuesday of the murder of Kristin Smart, the Polytechnic State University student who disappeared 26 years ago, but her father was acquitted of being an accessory to the cover-up of the crime.
He was convicted of first-degree murder in the high-profile case that drew national attention but went unsolved for decades.
Paul Flores Age
His current age is 45 years.
Paul Flores Wife
His wife’s name isn’t known yet.
Kristin Smart Murder
On 25th May 1996, Smart attended another student party off campus at Cal Poly University. Around 2 a.m., was found passed out on a neighbor’s lawn and two students helped her go to her bedroom.
A third student named Paul Flores joined the group, and because of his bedroom’s close proximity to Smarts, Flores told the other two students that he would bring Kristin home safely. Smart was never seen again and searches since her disappearance has found no trace of her.
Smart’s disappearance led to state legislation, including the Kristin Smart Campus Safety Act. This bill will require all public universities and state-funded educational institutions in California to have their security departments enter into agreements with local law enforcement agencies when dealing with cases that involve or may involve violence against students, including missing students.
The bill passed unanimously through the California Legislature and was signed by Governor Pete Wilson.
Paul Flores Was Found Guilty
Flores has been convicted of first-degree murder as prosecutors say he killed a 19-year-old in an attempted rape.
The man last seen with Kristin Smart was found guilty Tuesday of killing the freshman, who disappeared from a California campus 25 years ago.
The jury unanimously found Paul Flores guilty of first-degree murder, the San Luis Obispo Tribune reported. Flores was one of Smart’s classmates at the time.
His father, Ruben Flores, was charged in a separate trial with alleged aiding and abetting in the cover-up of the crime, but an independent jury found him not guilty, the famous newspaper reported.
“It’s been an extremely long journey with more ups than downs,” said Stan Smart, Kristin’s father, at a press conference after the sentencing. “Without Kristin, there is no joy or happiness in this judgment.”
Prosecutors are now alleging that Paul Flores, now 45, killed the 19-year-old in an attempted rape on May 25, 1996, in her Cal Poly dorm where they were both freshmen. He was the last person seen with Smart, as he was taking her home from an off-campus party where she got drunk.
His father, now 81, was accused of burying Smart behind his home in the nearby community of Arroyo Grande, then digging up and taking the remains away. A jury acquitted him of these allegations. The conflicting verdicts were read moments apart in the same courtroom.
The trial took place in Salinas, 110 miles north of San Luis Obispo, after a judge granted a defense request that it be relocated. The defense argued that the men of Flores were unlikely to enjoy a fair trial with such high standing in the city of about 47,000.
