Who is Paul Flores? Man found guilty of murdering Kristin Smart

According to a news release from the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office, a California jury has found Paul Flores, the man accused of the 1996 murder of Kristin Smart, guilty of first-degree murder.

According to the release, Paul Flores could face 25 years to life in prison for the conviction. On December 9, 2022, he is scheduled to be sentenced.

Outside the courtroom, Ruben Flores told reporters that he is concerned about his son and that “there is no evidence against anybody.”

“It’s too bad the system works that way, on feelings rather than facts,” Ruben Flores said, adding that he felt bad for Smart’s family because they never received an accurate explanation for what happened to their daughter.

Prosecutors claimed Flores, now 45, raped or attempted to rape Smart and murdered her in his dorm room at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and that his father assisted in moving her body to his home in nearby Arroyo Grande, where she was hidden for a time under his deck.

Both Paul Flores and Smart were 19-year-old freshmen on the campus, which is known for being one of the most selective and academically rigorous in the California State system. Smart’s body was never discovered.