Who will sit on jury for Kristin Smart murder trial? Screening process starts
Screening of more than 1,500 prospective jurors in the Kristin Smart murder trial began Monday in Salinas.
Monterey County Superior Court Judge Jennifer O’Keefe opened the juror proceedings with a quick summary of the case.
Paul Flores, 45, is accused of murdering Cal Poly student Kristin Smart after an off-campus party in May 1996, while his father, 81-year-old Ruben Flores, is accused of helping hide the 19-year-old’s body. The two men were arrested in April 2021.
Their trial was moved to Salinas after San Luis Obispo Superior Court Judge Craig van Rooyen ruled the father and son would not likely receive a fair trial in San Luis Obispo because of pretrial publicity.
In advance of the Flores trial, four groups of prospective jurors will fill out jury questionnaire forms each day this week.
On the forms, they will indicate whether serving on the jury of a trial expected to last four months long will cause them an undue hardship and whether they have a past experience that may affect their ability to be impartial.
They’ll also have to answer questions pertaining to biographical information and life experience.
Paul and Ruben Flores will each have a separate jury overseeing their case.
The potential jury pool consists of 1,520 Monterey County residents, many whom are expected to be excused before voir dire, or jury selection, begins.
A total of 40 people, including alternates, will serve on the two juries.
As of 11:30 a.m. Monday, 72 jurors had been questioned, with 60 being excused and 12 asked to come back on a later date.
Jurors in Monterey County receive $15 per day they serve and 34 cents per mile they travel to the courthouse, according to the court’s website.
Those asked to return to court will find out Saturday after 5 p.m. if they are slated come back on June 20 to potentially serve on Paul Flores’ jury, or June 27 for Ruben Flores’ jury.
The trial is scheduled to begin July 6 and is expected to last through October 2022.
