‘A very good day’: Kristin Smart family ‘grateful’ after judge orders Flores to stand trial
The family of Kristin Smart said they are grateful after a San Luis Obispo Superior Court judge ruled that prosecutors presented enough evidence to take Paul and Ruben Flores to trial.
“From sunrise to sunset on the 22nd day of the preliminary hearing, we moved from cautiously hopeful to watching the scales of justice find a balance,” Denise Smart wrote in a Facebook post Wednesday. “Please know that we have read every wonderful message of support, each reminding us that we are not alone on this journey! And for that we are and will be forever grateful!”
On Thursday, the family followed up with a full statement:
“Yesterday was a very good day, and we want to take this opportunity to thank all of Kristin’s supporters in San Luis Obispo and beyond. So many people have played such important roles over the past 25 years, and we are humbled by the amazing support and generosity we have received. We want to especially thank the District Attorney’s Office for their relentless efforts.
“Our family has always known that this was going to be a long, difficult and emotional journey,” the statement continued. “We are now one step closer to justice for Kristin. She – and all who have worked so hard toward this day – deserve nothing less.”
After a nearly 2-month-long preliminary hearing, a San Luis Obispo Superior Court judge on Wednesday ruled that the case against Paul and Ruben Flores — who are accused in Smart’s 1996 disappearance from the Cal Poly campus — will move toward trial.
Paul Flores, 44, is charged with murder. His father, 80-year-old Ruben Flores, is charged with accessory after the fact.
Superior Court Judge Craig van Rooyen said in court that he found the prosecution presented sufficient evidence to proceed the case toward trial.
The two co-defendants will now proceed to the pretrial phase, with an in-person arraignment scheduled for Oct. 20.
Paul Flores is the last person known to have seen then-19-year-old Smart alive after walking her back from a party toward the Cal Poly campus dorms on May 24, 1996. Her body has never been found.
Ruben Flores is accused of helping his son concealing her body under the deck of his Arroyo Grande home and recently removing the remains.
The preliminary hearing began Aug. 2 and lasted a month and a half, with 22 days of testimony and arguments.
This story was originally published September 23, 2021 at 11:17 AM with the headline "‘A very good day’: Kristin Smart family ‘grateful’ after judge orders Flores to stand trial."
