Who killed Kristin Smart and where is he now? Classmate found guilty

After a battle that has raged for over 25 years, Kristin Smart's killer, Paul Flores, has finally been handed a guilty verdict by a jury following a case that lasted over three months.

On May 25, 1996, Kristin Smart vanished from her campus at California Polytechnic State University. She allegedly disappeared after attending a fraternity party at her college, and Paul was the last person she was seen with. Her body remains undiscovered to this day.

Paul Flores was the subject of discussion for a long period of time, both for people around and for investigators. However, Flores maintained his innocence and refused to say anything over the many times he was questioned.

Following a breakthrough discovery in 2021, Paul and his father, Ruben Flores, were arrested by authorities.

Paul was charged guilty, but his father was acquitted of all charges. The former is currently being held in County Jail, where he will remain in custody until he is sentenced on December 9, 2022.

Read on for more details about Paul Flores' trial.

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Who is Paul Flores and what did he do to Kristin Smart?

Flores was Kristin Smart's classmate and the last person she was spotted with before she vanished on her way back home from a fraternity party.

On the night of her disappearance, Flores and Kristin were initially with two other friends. However, Flores allegedly told the friends that he would drop Kristin back to her room, since his dorm was closest to hers. She was never seen again. Decades of search could not find her body.

According to prosecutors, Paul Flores murdered Kristin Smart while attempting to assault her after the party. They alleged that Paul and his father Ruben plotted the whole thing together - they first buried Kristin in their backyard and later disposed of the body.

Sources at the party also confirmed that Kristin's behavior on the night of her disappearance was cohesive with that of someone who had been drugged.

New forensic evidence by archeologists and investigators further revealed that there was a coffin-shaped disturbance in the soil of Flores' backyard. Moreover, on the weekend of Smart's disappearance, investigators traced a seven-minute-long phone call between Ruben and Paul.

All this, coupled with previous pieces of evidence, like Paul's black eye on the weekend of the incident and a certain Jennifer Hudson, who claimed that Paul allegedly admitted to her that he had killed Kristin Smart, led to his eventual conviction. Hudson was severely cross-examined by the defense lawyer but held her ground and asserted that she knew Paul was serious about his admission.

Ruben Flores was also charged along with his son for being an accessory to the crime. However, a different jury acquitted him of his charges after a short trial. Following his trial, Ruben said:

"They’ve had searches and everything...They come to my house and say she was buried here, and that’s a surprise to me. They say I dug her up. I am 81 years old, you know. I don’t do too much digging."

He also spoke about his son's conviction and expressed his worry about him. He said:

"I am relieved and I'm worried about my son, of course...I feel bad for them because they didn't get no answers about what happened to their daughter and we don't know what happened to their daughter."

Paul Flores' sentencing is scheduled for December 9, 2022. He will be shifted to the state prison after that.

He faces 25 years to life in prison without parole.