Son, father charged in Kristin Smart murder case
San Pedro resident Paul Flores either raped Kristin Smart or was attempting to when he caused her death in 1996, and his father helped him conceal her body, San Luis Obispo County’s district attorney said Wednesday while announcing the charges filed against both men.
Flores, 44, was charged with firstdegree murder, and his father, Ruben Flores, 80, with accessory after the fact of murder, one day after they were arrested, District Attorney Dan Dow said during a press conference from his office that was livestreamed.
Authorities have not said what evidence they have that supports the charges, but Dow said
evidence shows the crime scene was Flores’ dorm room at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, where he and Smart were students the last time she was seen on May 25, 1996.
Smart, a 19-year-old freshman from Stockton, was walking to her dorm after going to an off-campus party that night. She was last seen at around 2 a.m.
with Flores, also a freshman, walking her home, the San Luis Obispo Sheriff’s Department said.DA
At the time, Flores told investigators that Smart was extremely drunk when he left her, authorities have said, but the then-teen refused to answer questions beyond that.
Her body has not been found, despite multiple searches over the years. Since her disappearance, Flores has been a person of interest in the case for investigators,
who upgraded him to “suspect” recently before the arrests.
A month ago — around the same time that Ruben Flores’ Arroyo Grande home was searched — Dow said that “very important” evidence was brought into the sheriff’s office. Other significant information was also found within the past two years, he added.
When asked whether prosecutors would consider a plea deal or lesser charges in exchange for information
on where Smart’s remains are, Dow said it was too early to say.
Even if Smart’s body is not found, he said, prosecutors are confident in the case.
“We’ve got physical evidence, we have witness statements,” he said. “Things that in our view in the totality have brought us to the point where we can go forward to prosecute.”
Dow said his office cannot charge Flores with any sexual-assault crime because
the statute of limitations has passed.
“(But) we intend to use evidence of other sexual crimes in this prosecution,” Dow said.
Investigators believe there are unidentified victims of sexual assault tied to Flores, said Dow, who asked them to come forward and talk with law enforcement.
Flores grew up in Torrance and moved to Arroyo Grande, within 20 miles of Cal Poly, with his family
when he was in high school. He has lived in San Pedro for 10 years.
Flores was being held without the possibility of bail and Ruben Flores was being held on $250,000 bail, although officials said the father’s bail amount might increase during his first court appearance today.
Auhorities asked anyone with information about the case to contact the San Luis Obispo County Crime Stoppers at 805-549-7867 or at slotips.org.