Kristin Smart friend testifies Paul Flores behaved strangely, lurked around her dorm room
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. - Paul and Ruben Flores appeared in court for the second day of their preliminary hearing of the Kristin Smart murder trial Tuesday morning.
Taking the stand to start the morning was Steven Flemming, a friend of Smart and a resident of the Muir Hall dorm where Smart lived as a freshman at Cal Poly.
Flemming told prosecutors that he had seen Paul Flores "lurking" around Kristin Smart's dorm and on one occasion saw him inside her room. Flemming used words like "creepy" and "weird" to describe Flores behavior during the period they were acquainted.
Flemming testified that Kristin Smart had struggled in school before her disappearance. During Monday's court session, Paul Flores' defense attorney Robert Sanger alleged that Smart struggled academically at Cal Poly and was in danger of flunking out. Sanger has previously suggested that Smart may still be alive.
Other witnesses testified Tuesday that they were at the off-campus party which Smart and Paul Flores attended before she disappeared.
During the testimony, one person said Smart had dyed her hair black and that she introduced herself as Roxy at the party.
Witnesses said Smart appeared to be intoxicated as she stumbled around and had trouble walking.
Another witness testified she and another friend helped Smart walk back to the dorm after they found her lying on the grass outside.
They said Paul Flores suddenly showed up on the way back to the dorm, put his arm around Smart, and told witnesses he would make sure she got back to her room.
Witnesses said they last saw Smart alive at the corner of Perimeter Road and Grand Avenue on campus, not far from the Muir Hall dorm where she lived.
Prosecutors are accusing Paul of killing Smart during an attempted rape in his Cal Poly dorm room back in May 1996. Investigators believe Ruben helped conceal Smart's body. Detectives have never found her remains.
Both men have pleaded not guilty.
Monday’s hearing started with Kristin Smart’s parents, Denise and Stan, called to the stand as the first witness.
The preliminary hearing is expected to take three weeks. At the end, a judge will rule if there is enough evidence for the case to go to trial.
Digital communication is limited during this preliminary hearing. Follow #YourNewsChannel for continuous updates throughout the process.
