Paul, Ruben Flores defense teams rest case in Kristin Smart murder trial
SALINAS, Calif. – Both Paul and Ruben Flores' defense teams rested their case in a Salinas courtroom on Tuesday as the high-profile Kristin Smart murder comes to a close.
Paul Flores is accused of killing Smart, who was a 19-year-old Cal Poly student at the time of her disappearance in May 1996, and Ruben Flores, Paul's father, is being charged as an accessory to the crime.
The hearing started on Tuesday with former San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's detective Henry Stewart being called to the stand by the defense Tuesday morning. Stewart was a detective for nine years and worked on the Smart case from 1996 to 1999, and then on-again-off-again afterward. Stewart testified that he worked with the FBI in an undercover operation designed to get Paul Flores to confess to Smart's murder.
Defense attorney Robert Sanger asked Stewart about an interview with Tim Davis – a former Cal Poly student who testified earlier in the trial that he was with Smart and Paul Flores on the night she disappeared – from July 1996.
Stewart described the 1996 interview, saying that he questioned Davis on the specifics of what happened on the night Smart went missing.
San Luis Obispo County Deputy District Attorney Chris Peuvrelle then started his cross-examination, asking Stewart further questions about the 1996 interview. Stewart was then dismissed from the stand.
San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's detective Clint Cole, who has been assigned to the Smart case since 2017, was then called to the stand.
Sanger asked Cole about the FBI being involved in the investigation "to a significant extent." Cole said that the FBI was heavily involved, adding that he requested some files from the FBI that took "a really long time" to get back to him.
Cole said that the Smart case files were reorganized by a legal clerk in a computer system in order to have "easier access" to locate things. He also mentioned that there were a lot of people offering tips and submitting leads that didn't end up being worthwhile.
Sanger brought up a Facebook page dedicated to bringing justice to Smart, but Cole said that, in his opinion, that page talked a lot about Paul Flores. So much so that he became concerned about the Facebook page because of the possibility of jeopardizing the investigation, he said.
Later, Cole described two excavations of Paul Flores' mother's, Susan, home and said that there was no evidence found during either excavation.
Sanger questioned Cole about Jennifer Hudson's testimony, the woman who testified earlier in the trial that Paul Flores had confessed to her that he killed and buried Smart. Sanger also mentioned wiretaps, and how they were used for about 20 to 30 days with the Flores family.
Peuvrelle then continued his cross-examination of Cole, also asking questions about Jennifer Hudson's testimony.
Eventually, Ruben Flores' defense attorney, Harold Mesick, questioned Cole about the number pf excavations conducted at the Flores' family properties. Cole said that there were roughly nine to 10 excavations in total.
Sanger and Ruben Flores' defense attorney, Harold Mesick, both announced that they rested their case at the end of Tuesday's hearing.
After an off-the-record Zoom discussion between Judge Jennifer O'KEefe, the defense team, and the prosecution, the court will resume on Thursday at 10:30 a.m. and closing arguments are expected to begin on Friday or Monday.
