Kristin Smart murder trial in Salinas delayed for second time in two weeks

SALINAS, Calif. – The Kristin Smart murder trial – where Paul Flores is being charged for Smart's murder after her disappearance from Cal Poly in 1996 and his father, Ruben Flores, is being charged as an accessory to the crime – was delayed on Tuesday for the second time in two weeks.

A juror in Ruben Flores' trial jury was unable to attend court on Tuesday, and the court decided to postpone the trial until Monday instead of seating an alternate juror, said Norma Ramirez-Zapata, a spokeswoman for the Monterey County Superior Court.

The trial was already scheduled to be on hold Wednesday through Friday, Ramirez-Zapata said, adding that the decision was explained to the jury in open court on Tuesday morning.

This is the second time the trial was delayed in two weeks.

It was also delayed last Tuesday, on July 19 due to "health reasons."

The opening statements of the trial concluded last week, and the court has moved on to the presentation of evidence for both sides.

Paul and his father were arrested 25 years after Smart's disappearance, in April 2021.

Evidence hearings for the case first began in San Luis Obispo County in August 2021, but the case was moved to Monterey County in March after Flores' defense team successfully argued that he could not receive a fair and impartial trial in San Luis Obispo County.