Paul, Ruben Flores scheduled to appear in court Monday afternoon

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- Paul Flores, along with his father Ruben Flores, are both scheduled to appear in San Luis Obispo County Superior Court Monday afternoon.

The second of two pre-preliminary hearings is set for 1:30 p.m. and will be held virtually, with the defendants, as well as their attorneys and the prosecution, appearing via Zoom.

The first pre-preliminary hearing was held last month on May 17.

Paul Flores has been charged in the 1996 murder of Cal Poly student Kristin Smart, while Ruben Flores has been charged as an accessory to the crime.

Paul Flores has been in custody at San Luis Obispo County Jail after his request for bail was denied by Judge Craig van Rooyen following his arrest.

Ruben Flores has been out on bail after his reduced his bail from $250,000 to $50,000 on April 22.

A preliminary hearing in the high-profile case has been scheduled for July 6.

Deputy District Attorney Chris Peuvrelle has indicated the preliminary hearing will last 12 full days.

Judge van Rooyen has said he is going to be out of town in late July, so should the preliminary hearing last longer than expected, it would need to be delayed by an unknown amount of time.

The preliminary hearing is the next crucial step in the legal process as the prosecution will attempt to convince the judge there is enough evidence that shows the defendants should stand trial.