Two brothers who were accused of murdering their step-sister, Kristin Smart, will go to trial. The Flores’ defense team is arguing that they should be released because there was no evidence against them and the case was based on circumstantial evidence.
Paul and Ruben Flores are the two suspects in the murder of Kristin Smart. The two will go to trial for her death.
Judge van Rooyen decided that there was enough evidence to proceed.
SAN LUIS OBISPO — Judge Craig van Rooyen decided on Wednesday morning, Sep. 22, that enough evidence had been provided for Paul (44) and Ruben (80) Flores to be tried for the murder of Kristin Smart.
Kristin Smart, a 19-year-old Cal Poly student, was abducted and murdered in 1996, and her father and son have been charged with her murder.
On May 25, 1996, Smart and Paul were last spotted leaving an off-campus party on Crandall Way in San Luis Obispo.
We’re going to get through this together, Atascadero
Smart was officially pronounced deceased in 2002, despite the fact that her remains have never been discovered.
Nearly 25 years after Kristin’s abduction, Paul and Ruben Flores were arrested at their houses in April.
Paul has been accused with her assassination. Ruben, his father, has been charged as an accessory after the fact, suspected of assisting in the concealment of Kristin’s corpse.
Since his arrest, Paul has been held without bond at the San Luis Obispo County Jail. Ruben has been released on bond.
On Monday, Aug. 2, the preliminary hearing started.
Current and past detectives, former friends and associates of both Paul and Kristin, cadaver dog handlers, and soil specialists were among the witnesses summoned to testify.
Several witnesses claimed to have seen Paul take Smart back to her dorm after the Crandall Way party.
Cadaver dog handlers who investigated the dormitories after she went missing testified that their dogs alerted to Paul’s room strongly. Human blood was discovered in the soil under the deck of Ruben Flores’ house in Arroyo Grande, but forensic specialists were unable to identify any DNA.
Smart’s remains were thought to be beneath Ruben’s deck and were recently moved, according to investigators.
Deputy District Attorney Chris Peuvrelle of San Luis Obispo County claimed Paul Flores lied to cover up the death of Kristin Smart during closing statements on Monday.
There is no case against Paul Flores, and there is definitely no case against Ruben Flores, according to Paul’s defense attorney, Robert Sanger. He said that no actual proof was discovered in this instance.
Ruben’s lawyer, Harold Mesick, shared the same sentiments, claiming that the prosecution was attempting to put “lipstick on a pig.”
The Judge said that he believes Kristin Smart was killed and buried under Ruben’s deck. He made his decision based on the standard of probable cause, which is a lower level of evidence than a jury would apply in a trial.
Susan Flores, Kristin Smart’s mother, has attended every day of the hearing, despite her Fifth Amendment right to not testify on the first day.
The arraignment for Paul and Ruben Flores is set on Oct. 20.
“We continue to assist the family of Kristin Smart as we strive toward justice,” San Luis Obispo District Attorney Dan Dow said after the decision.
Kristin Smart’s family released a statement on September 23 in reaction to the decision, saying:
Kristin Smart’s Family Issues a Statement:
Yesterday was a fantastic day, and we’d want to thank all of Kristin’s fans in San Luis Obispo and beyond for their support. Over the last 25 years, so many individuals have played such significant roles, and we are overwhelmed by the incredible support and generosity we’ve received. We wish to congratulate the District Attorney’s Office in particular for their tireless efforts.
This was always going to be a long, tough, and emotional road for our family. Kristin is now one step closer to receiving justice. She – and everyone who has fought so hard to get to this point – are deserving of nothing less.
As an example:
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