Court hears from expert witnesses in latest session of Smart preliminary hearing
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – More witness testimony was given Tuesday at the Paul and Ruben Flores preliminary hearing.
Paul Flores is accused of killing Cal Poly student Kristin Smart, who disappeared 25 years ago after an off campus party. His father, Ruben Flores, is accused of helping his son to conceal her body. Both men have pleaded not guilty.
Unlike the past couple of weeks where there's been more delays than actual testimony, Tuesday saw a full slate of testimony starting right on time at 9 a.m. and lasting through the afternoon.
Two witnesses were on the stand during the morning, a dog handler and an expert criminalist.
First to testify was a human remains detection dog handler involved in the June 29, 1996 search for Smart on the Cal Poly campus.
He spoke for more than two hours, and answered questions about his experience as well as his accounts of the search.
He detailed how his dog showed great interest to a Santa Lucia Hall dormitory window, jumping up to the window frame. Once inside the hall, the dog went to room 128 and providing the handler with a “strong response,” he said.
The dog proceeded to give him an alert to the left side of the room, and was fixated to the bed and mattress. That room was where Paul Flores lived at the time Smart disappeared. The left side was his side of the room.
Once the dog handler was excused, prosecutor Chris Peuvrelle called an "expert criminalist" from Sacramento to the stand.
She was questioned about her 50 years of experience in the fields of forensics and trace evidence.
The preliminary hearing was expected to last three weeks but has gone beyond that initial estimation due to issues with the sharing of evidence and the filing of unexpected motions, including one to disqualify the SLO County DA's office from the case. That motion was dismissed.
At the end of the weeks-long preliminary hearing, the judge will rule if there is enough evidence for the case to go to trial.
Digital communication is limited during this preliminary hearing. We will continue to bring you updates on air and online throughout the process.
