FOR SEVERAL years, the disappearance of Kristin Smart led to police officials labeling her vanishment as a cold case.
A breakthrough was made in Kristin’s missing person case when Paul Flores and his father Ruben were arrested in relation to her alleged murder.
Who is Ruben Flores?
Ruben Flores is the father of Paul Flores, they were both taken into custody in Arroyo Grande, California, and booked on suspicion of accessory to murder.
After the arrest, the 81-year-old was held on a $250,000 bond.
It came after San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s officials served a search warrant at the Arroyo Grande property.
On March 15, 2021, authorities used cadaver dogs and radar to search Ruben’s home, nearly 25 years after the student’s disappearance.
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The search warrant was sealed and “as a result, we are precluded by law from disclosing any further details regarding it,” sheriff’s spokesperson Tony Cipolla said at the time.
What was Ruben and Paul Flores’ trial verdict?
In March 2021, Paul Flores was named the “prime suspect” in the disappearance of Kristin Smart, following a search with cadaver dogs and ground-penetrating radar technology at Ruben Flores’ home.
On April 13, 2021, Flores was taken into custody in San Pedro, California in connection with Smart’s disappearance after another search at the family home.
The 44-year-old was booked into the San Luis Obispo County Jail on a single charge of murder.
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His dad Ruben Flores was also charged as an accessory.
On July 18, 2022, Paul and Ruben Flores’ trial commenced in Salinas, California.
The opening statements went underway as the two faced the charges.
Judge Jennifer O’Keefe was selected to preside over the case and decided that the jury will deliver separate verdicts to the accused father and son.
Months later on Tuesday, October 18, Paul Flores was found guilty of the charges while his father Ruben was acquitted.
Then on Friday, March 10, 2023, Paul Flores was sentenced to 25 years to life for the murder of Kristin Smart.
What happened to Kristin Smart?
Kristin Smart was a 19-year-old California Polytechnic State University student who disappeared in May 1996.
The first-year student was presumed dead after being abducted from her college campus in San Luis Obispo, California.
Three fellow students escorted Smart back to her hall of residence after an off-campus party before disappearing.
Smart’s classmate, Paul Flores, was believed to be the last person to see her.
She disappeared on Memorial Day weekend.
The last time her parents heard from her was in a voicemail she left after the party.
Although a body was never found, Smart was declared legally dead in 2002.
Flores has been a person of interest in the case since 1996.
After her disappearance, Flores told police that she was “walking real slow” and that he returned to his room in a separate dorm after walking her home.