Nearly three years after his 2022 conviction for the 1996 murder of Cal Poly freshman Kristin Smart, Paul Flores has returned to court to challenge the verdict that sentenced him to 25 years to life.
At a hearing held Thursday in Ventura County, Flores’ court-appointed attorney, Solomon Wollack, argued that procedural errors and misconduct tainted the Monterey County trial. Key claims in the appeal include the emotional instability of a juror, the admission of uncharged sexual offense testimony, and prosecution reliance on felony murder charges without proving critical elements of the alleged attempted rape.
Flores, who did not attend the hearing, remains incarcerated at Corcoran State Prison.
Flores’ conviction ended a decades-long investigation into Smart’s disappearance. The 19-year-old vanished in 1996 after leaving a party with Flores, who prosecutors say killed her during an attempted rape in his dorm room. Smart’s body has never been recovered, and she was legally declared dead in 2002.
The original trial was moved from San Luis Obispo to Monterey County due to pretrial publicity concerns. During the trial, prosecutors introduced testimony from women alleging Flores sexually assaulted them in unrelated incidents, a move the defense called inflammatory and irrelevant.
Flores’ father, Ruben Flores, was acquitted of accessory charges related to allegedly helping hide Smart’s body near his Arroyo Grande home.
Smart’s family, longtime residents of Stockton, have been active advocates throughout the case. They were honored in 2023 with the Key to the City and have championed the Kristin Smart Campus Safety Act, which improves campus crime reporting and enforcement.
Following the conviction, Flores was ordered to pay $350,000 in restitution to Smart’s family for expenses related to the case. The family has offered to waive this if Flores reveals Smart’s remains—something his attorney says he cannot do.
The judges have up to 90 days to rule on the appeal, which could uphold, reduce, or overturn the conviction. For now, Flores remains behind bars as the search for Smart’s remains and full justice continues.
