News

Actions

Suspects to stand trial in 1996 Kristin Smart disappearance

Kristin Smart.PNG
Posted at 9:20 AM, Sep 22, 2021
and last updated 2021-09-22 12:20:29-04

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (AP) — A California judge has ordered the man last seen with Kristin Smart before she vanished from a college campus 25 years ago on the Central Coast to stand trial for murder.

San Luis Obispo Superior Court Judge Craig van Rooyen said Wednesday there was probable cause that 44-year-old Paul Flores killed his classmate at California Polytechnic State University in 1996.

Flores's 80-year-old father, Ruben Flores, was ordered to trial on a charge as an accessory for allegedly helping bury Smart.

Defense attorneys say there is not enough evidence to support the criminal charges. Both men have pleaded not guilty.