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Paul, Ruben Flores plead not guilty, trial set for April 25

Day 11 Flores.PNG
Posted at 8:02 AM, Oct 20, 2021
and last updated 2021-12-06 15:26:15-05

San Luis Obispo County's District Attorney Dan Dow released documents Wednesday following the announcement of a trial date in the murder case of Kristin Smart.

It was announced in court Wednesday that a trial will take place in April 2022 for Paul and Ruben Flores.

Paul Flores is charged with the murder of Kristin Smart. According to the District Attorney, they believe that murder was committed while Flores was in engaged or attempting to commit rape.

Conviction of the above offense will require Paul Flores to register as a sex offender.

Paul's father, Ruben Flores is charged with accessory after the fact. According to the District Attorney, they believe Ruben had knowledge of the murder committed by his son Paul and helped him conceal any evidence that may lead to his conviction.

The prosecution announced that they now plan to admit evidence in the trial of prior alleged sexual acts done by Paul Flores. Those acts include incidents described in previous police reports and digital evidence.

Both Paul and Ruben Flores have pleaded not guilty.

Both defendants waived their rights to a speedy jury trial, which typically happens within 60 days of a defendant's arraignment.

The defense and the prosecution will meet with the judge for a pre-trial conference on Dec. 6 via Zoom.

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UPDATE: Paul and Ruben Flores enter not guilty pleas in court Wednesday.

The two first entered not guilty pleas on April 19.

A date is now set for the trial to begin on April 25, 2022.

In court Wednesday, it was not discussed if the trial will be held in San Luis Obispo County or moved to another location.
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The father and son arrested in connection with the 1996 disappearance of Cal Poly student Kristin Smart are due back in court Wednesday.

The superior court arraignment for Paul and Ruben Flores is scheduled to take place at 8:30 a.m.

Paul, 44, is being held without bail and is charged with murder. His father Ruben, 80, is charged with accessory after the fact.

They've both pleaded not guilty. Today, the two are expected to enter pleas again to the charges and a new court date will be set for the next hearing.

The preliminary hearing began in August, where more than two dozen witnesses testified. In September, Judge Craig van Rooyen ruled that enough evidence was presented during the preliminary hearing to move the case forward to trial.

Paul Flores has been in custody at the San Luis Obispo County Jail without bail since his arrest in April. Ruben was also arrested in April but is currently out on bail.

KSBY is following Wednesday's hearing in department 5 and will have more on KSBY News at 5 and 6 p.m. and on KSBY.com.