DA charges former classmate with murder following 1996 disappearance of Cal Poly student Kristin Smart
By KTVU staff article
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. - San Luis Obispo prosecutors on Wednesday charged a former classmate of Cal Poly student Kristin Smart with first-degree murder during an attempted rape, which occurred in 1996.
Smart s body has still not been found, but at a news conference, District Attorney Dan Dow hinted that authorities might know where it might be.
Sheriff Ian Parkinson on Tuesday arrested Paul Flores on suspicion of murder and his father, Ruben Flores, as an alleged accessory after the fact for helping his son conceal the body.
Prime suspect and his father arrested in 1996 disappearance of California college student Kristin Smart Elinor Aspegren, USA TODAY
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The prime suspect in the 25-year-disappearance of California college student Kristin Smart was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of murder, the San Luis Obispo Sheriff s Department announced.
Paul Flores, 44, the last person seen with Smart before she vanished in 1996, was taken into custody in the Los Angeles area. His father, Ruben Flores, 80, was also arrested at his Arroyo Grande home.
In 2011, I requested a complete review of all the physical evidence that had ever been taken in the [Smart] case, said San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Ian Parkinson at a news conference. In late 2016, we discovered additional evidence that confirmed that Paul was the suspect in the disappearance.
‘Prime suspect’ arrested in 25-year-old Southern California cold case
Updated Apr 13, 2021;
Posted Apr 13, 2021
FILE - This undated photo released by the FBI shows Kristin Smart, the California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo student who disappeared in 1996. The San Luis Obispo County sheriff plans a major announcement Tuesday, April 13, 2021, in the nearly 25-year mystery of the disappearance of Smart. (FBI via AP, File)AP
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LOS ANGELES The “prime suspect” was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of murder in the 25-year-old disappearance of California college student Kristin Smart.
Paul Flores, 44, who was the last person seen with Smart on the California Polytechnic State University campus in San Luis Obispo before she vanished in 1996, was taken into custody in the Los Angeles area. His father, Ruben Flores, 80, was arrested as an accessory at his Arroyo Grande home, where sheriff’s investigators conducted their latest search for evidence.
Kristin Smart case update: Arrest made in California college student’s 1996 disappearance
Updated 6:51 AM;
Today 6:51 AM
This undated photo released by the FBI shows Kristin Smart, the California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo student who disappeared in 1996. The San Luis Obispo County sheriff plans a major announcement Tuesday, April 13, 2021, in the nearly 25-year mystery of the disappearance of Smart. (FBI via AP, File)AP
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Los Angeles The longtime suspect in the 25-year-old disappearance of California college student Kristin Smart was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of murder and his father was booked in jail as an accessory to the crime.
District Attorney Dan Dow said Paul Flores will be charged with first-degree murder and his father, Ruben Flores, will be charged with accessory after murder.