West News Wire: For the 1996 murder of California college student Kristin Smart, Paul Flores was given a 25–life term on Friday.
Probation is not an option for him.
In 15 years, he will be eligible for a parole board hearing, at which point the board may approve or disapprove his release on parole, according to the prosecution.
In October, a jury found Paul Flores guilty of first-degree murder. According to the count, while “involved in the act of, or attempting to commit, the crime of rape,” he “with malice aforethought murder[ed] Kristin Smart.”
The judge rejected two defense arguments for a new trial, the dismissal of the charges, and an acquittal in the case prior to the sentencing.
Paul Flores, 46, 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.
His father, Ruben Flores, was found not guilty of accessory to murder in connection with the crime.
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.
A judge ordered that the Flores trials be moved out of San Luis Obispo County more than 100 miles away north to Monterey County to ensure fair legal proceedings.
Paul and Ruben Flores were tried at the same time, but with separate juries hearing the case together during 11 weeks of testimony.
