Paul Flores appears in San Luis Obispo Superior Court on Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2021, during the second day of his preliminary hearing. He is accused of murdering missing Cal Poly student Kristin Smart.
David Middlecamp
dmiddlecamp@thetribunenews.com
The Kristin Smart murder trial is scheduled to start in Monterey County Superior Court less than a week.
The trial moved to Monterey County after San Luis Obispo Superior Court Judge Craig van Rooyen ruled that defendants Paul and Ruben Flores would not likely receive a fair trial in San Luis Obispo County because of pretrial publicity.
Paul Flores is accused of murdering 19-year-old Smart after an off-campus party in May 1996, while his father, Ruben Flores, is accused of helping hide the Cal Poly student’s body. The two Flores men were arrested in April 2021.
Little information has been released to the public about the next steps in the Smart case.
Here’s what we know so far.
The outside of the Monterey County Superior Court in Salinas, CA on May 24, 2022. Chloe Jones cjones@thetribunenews.com
When will Kristin Smart murder trial start?
The trial is scheduled to begin on May 31.
However, there were still no hearings scheduled — including pre-preliminary or preliminary trial conferences — for Paul or Ruben Flores as of 1 p.m. Wednesday.
Ruben Flores’ bail conditions were modified Monday to allow him to travel outside of San Luis Obispo County to Monterey County for court proceedings.
Two orders — a request and affidavit in Paul Flores’ case and a request and affidavit in Ruben Flores’ case — were filed on May 16 by the prosecution, but the documents are filed under seal and it is unclear what they pertain to.
It’s not clear whether Paul and Ruben Flores could see their trial pushed back due to the change of venue.
When the murder trial for San Luis Obispo County serial killer Rex Krebs was moved to Monterey County in 2001, the change of venue delayed the start date by nine months.
Monterey County Judge Jennifer O’Keefe will oversee the Kristin Smart murder trial.
The Smart case was originally assigned to Monterey County Superior Court Judge Rafael Vazquez on April 25, but the prosecution filed a challenge to the assignment on April 27 claiming Vazquez could not provide a fair and impartial trial, according to court documents reviewed by the Tribune.
The documents do not state why Vazquez could not provide a fair trial.
O’Keefe was then assigned the case on April 28. The public did not receive this information until May 4.
Monterey County Superior Court officials told The Tribune that the lag in releasing that public information occurred because it took a lot of time to go through all of the court documents and they had to be careful of what information is released because of the gag order on the case.
Kristin Smart was last seen walking back to her dorm from an off-campus party on May 25, 1996. She was 19 and finishing her freshman year at Cal Poly. Courtesy photo
How can I see court documents?
Court documents for the murder trial are only available to be reviewed at the Monterey County courthouse in Salinas.
Members of the public, including media, cannot receive documents electronically, even through a public records request, Monterey County Superior Court officials said.
To view a document, a person must either travel to Salinas or send a public records request with a money order with the estimated cost by mail.
Court officials recommend contacting the court clerk before traveling to ensure that documents are not filed under seal.
Ruben Flores appears in San Luis Obispo Superior Court on Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2021, during a preliminary hearing for him and his son, Paul Flores. Dave Minsky Santa Maria Times
How can I watch trial of Paul and Ruben Flores?
Multiple media organizations, including the Tribune, have filed media requests to cover the trial. As of Tuesday afternoon, all requests remained under review by the judge and had yet to be decided on.
Monterey County Superior Court does not currently provide live streaming video of or video conference access to court hearings, court executive officer Chris Ruhl told the Tribune.
Whether that will change with this case is to be determined by the judge, Ruhl said.
The court provides a phone line that allows members of the public to listen to hearings — but only if the hearings are on Zoom.
Ruhl told the Tribune that the court is in the process of creating a web page specifically for the Flores case and it should be live in ”a week or so.” That site is meant to be a hub for all information about the Smart case.
The outside of the Monterey County Superior Court in Salinas, CA on May 24, 2022. Chloe Jones cjones@thetribunenews.com
This story was originally published May 25, 2022 at 12:04 PM.
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