Paul and Ruben Flores Make First Court Appearance in Kristin Smart Killing
Paul Flores was charged with murder in connection to Smart s 1996 disappearance and his father, Ruben Flores, was charged as an accessory
Paul Flores, left, and his father Ruben Flores, right, appeared in court Thursday after being charged in connection with Cal Poly student Kristin Smart’s 1996 disappearance. Paul Flores is charged with murder and Ruben Flores has been charged with accessory. (San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office photos) By Matt Fountain for The San Luis Obispo Tribune
April 15, 2021
| 1:03 p.m.
Two days after their arrests in the 1996 disappearance of Cal Poly student Kristin Smart, Paul and Ruben Flores appeared in San Luis Obispo Superior Court on Thursday morning to be arraigned on charges of murder and accessory, respectively.
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Paul and Ruben Flores appeared remotely in San Luis Obispo Superior Court on April 15. They both face charges in connection with the 1996 disappearance of Cal Poly student Kristin Smart.
San Luis Obispo District Attorney Dan Dow charged Paul Flores with first-degree murder and Ruben Flores with accessory to murder.
The arraignment was postponed until next Monday, April 19. That’s when both men are expected to enter pleas and present bail arguments.
Paul Flores is in custody without bail and Ruben Flores’ bail is set at $250,000.
Paul Flores’ attorney, Robert Sanger, filed a protective order because of the high-profile nature of the case. A Superior Court Judge approved the motion that prohibits anyone involved in the case from talking about it in public or releasing documents related to evidence.
Stockton college student Kristin Smart went missing in 1996 from the Cal Poly University campus in San Luis Obispo.
Former fellow Cal Poly student Paul Flores was arraigned Thursday morning on first-degree murder charges in connection with her death. His father, Ruben Flores, was also arraigned on charges as an accessory to murder after the fact.
Both men appeared before a San Luis Obispo County Courtroom from jail via livestream. The judge in the case, Craig B. van Rooyen, approved a request from defense attorneys to continue the arraignment to Monday afternoon when there will be arguments over bail and pleas entered into the record.
–Family, friends, and supporters of the Kristin Smart family will gather in downtown Paso Robles on Saturday evening for a candlelight vigil for Kristin Smart. The vigil will start at 7 p.m. at Paso Robles Downtown City Park. This week San Luis Obispo County District Attorney charged Paul Flores with murdering Smart over 20 years ago.
There will be guests and speakers including:
Christopher Lambert, creator of Your Own Backyard podcast
Carla Clawson Hoffman, Smart family advocate, and Find Kristin Smart administrator
Pascoe Bowen, longtime #WarriorForKristin and activist for the cause
Athena Sorenson, singer
Robin Babb and Jackie Rivas, interpreters for the hearing impaired
No pleas entered by Paul, Ruben Flores during first court appearance
SLO Courts/Zoom
By: Kathrene Herndon
and last updated 2021-04-15 13:48:24-04
UPDATE (10:03 a.m.) - Following Thursday s hearing, the Smart hearing issued the following statement:
After nearly 25 years of waiting, todayâs delay in the arraignment process was not unexpected or surprising. Make no mistake, we have begun the final quest to bring justice for Kristin. We know we are in good hands with the San Luis Obispo County District Attorneyâs office, and we will wait patiently for the process to commence. -
UPDATE (9:35 a.m.) - No pleas were entered by Paul and Ruben Flores during their first court appearance Thursday morning.