Key takeaways:
- Paul Flores, 46, was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for the 1996 slaying of Kristin Smart, a college student whose body has never been found.
- Flores was arrested in 2021 and found guilty of first-degree murder last October.
- The sentencing of Flores marks the culmination of the investigation, and he will serve his sentence in state prison and will be eligible for parole after 25 years.
After a 25-year investigation, Paul Flores, 46, was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison on Friday for the 1996 slaying of Kristin Smart, a college student whose body has never been found.
Flores, a former student at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, was arrested in 2021 and found guilty of first-degree murder last October. Prosecutors maintained that Flores killed Smart during an attempted rape on May 25, 1996, in his dorm room. Smart was 19 years old when she vanished while returning to a dorm at California Polytechnic State University.
The case has drawn worldwide attention for over a quarter century, and the sentencing of Flores marks the culmination of the investigation. Smart was declared legally dead in 2002, but her remains have never been found.
The sentencing comes as California Governor Gavin Newsom placed a moratorium on the state’s death penalty four years ago. Flores will serve his sentence in state prison and will be eligible for parole after 25 years.
Be First to Comment