Kristin Smart killer Paul Flores sentenced to 25 years to life for California murder

Paul Flores, the antheral convicted of sidesplitting California assemblage pupil Kristin Smart, who vanished much than 2 decades ago, has been sentenced Friday to 25 years oregon beingness successful prison. 

The punishment was work to Flores successful a Monterey County courtroom aft the 45-year-old was recovered blameworthy of first-degree execution past October. Prior to the sentencing, a justice denied a question from Flores' lawyer seeking a 2nd trial.

As of this day, the assemblage of Smart, who was a 19-year-old assemblage pupil astatine California Polytechnic State University successful 1996 when she disappeared, has ne'er been found. In 2002, she was declared legally dead. 

CALIFORNIA JURIES FIND PAUL FLORES GUILTY, RUBEN FLORES NOT GUILTY IN KRISTIN SMART’S 1996 DEATH 

Kristin Smart, left, and Paul Flores, who has been convicted successful her murder. (FBI / San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office via AP)

Smart was a pupil astatine Cal Poly’s San Luis Obispo field successful 1996 erstwhile she was allegedly heavy intoxicated with Paul Flores aft an off-campus enactment connected Crandall Way. She was walked backmost from the enactment by 3 radical – a man, a pistillate and Flores. The others dilatory peeled disconnected aft Flores allegedly insisted aggregate times that helium could get Smart location safely. 

She was ne'er seen again. 

The authorities has said Flores killed Smart successful his dorm country portion helium tried to rape her erstwhile they were some freshmen. The disappearance prompted a monolithic search. 

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Kristin Smart went missing connected May 25, 1996 portion attending California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. (Axel Koester/Sygma via Getty Images)

Paul Flores had agelong been considered a suspect successful the killing. He had a achromatic oculus erstwhile investigators interviewed him. He told them helium got it playing hoops with friends, who denied his account. He aboriginal changed his communicative to accidental helium bumped his caput portion moving connected his car, according to tribunal records. 

Prosecutors besides argued Paul’s begetter Ruben helped him hide Smart’s assemblage nether the platform down his Arroyo Grande location – and past aboriginal dug up her remains erstwhile instrumentality enforcement returned decades later. 

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Prosecutor Chris Puervelle puts a descent connected a projection surface arsenic defence lawyer Paul Sanger, left, and suspect Paul Flores look connected successful Monterey County Superior Court during the Kristin Smart execution trial.  (Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

But successful a proceedings past twelvemonth held alongside Paul’s, a assemblage recovered Ruben Flores not blameworthy of acting arsenic an accessory aft the fact. 

Behind latticework beneath the platform of Ruben Flores’ large location connected a dead-end street, archaeologists moving for constabulary successful March 2021 recovered a ungraded disturbance astir the size of a casket and the beingness of quality blood, prosecutors said. Yet the humor was excessively degraded to extract a DNA sample. 

Fox News’ Stephanie Pagones and The Associated Press contributed to this report.