Paul Flores sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for the first-degree murder of Kristin Smart
MONTEREY COUNTY, Calif. – Paul Flores has been sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for the first-degree murder of Kristin Smart which concludes decades of investigating Smart's disappearance in 1996.
Kristin Smart was a 19-year-old Cal Poly student who disappeared after attending an off-campus party in May 1996, which was the same party Paul Flores was present at. He was the last person to have seen Smart alive.
Flores was tried 26 years later in 2022, alongside his father Ruben Flores who was accused of being an accessory to the crime and helping hide Smart's body. While Ruben Flores was found not guilty, Paul Flores was found guilty and convicted in October 2022.
The defense for Flores submitted a motion for a new trial ahead of the Friday sentencing, but was denied the appeal.
Flores will serve the maximum sentence at the Department of Corrections and Rehab.
Smart's body has never been found.
According to SLO County District Attorney Dan Dow, Flores will be eligible for parole.
Prosecutor Chris Peuvrelle said Flores will first be eligible for parole in about 15 years due to California law.
Editor's note: A prior version of this story stated that Flores would not be eligible for parole. The story has since been updated with the correct information.
