Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Kristin Smart Murder Trial Will Be Moved to Monterey County
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 3 years ago on
April 21, 2022

Share

 

A judge on Wednesday moved the Kristin Smart murder trial nearly 150 miles after ruling last month that her accused killer couldn’t get a fair trial in San Luis Obispo County.

Superior Court Judge Craig Ban Rooyen announced that Paul Flores will be tried in Monterey County.

Van Rooyen said the Judicial Council of California helped him identify two counties as potential locations where Flores could receive a fair trial but he didn’t mention the other site, KEYT-TV reported.

Flores is charged with the murder of Smart, who vanished 25 years ago. He was the last person seen with a very intoxicated Smart on May 25, 1996, as he helped walk her to her dorm at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo after a party, witnesses said.

Prosecutors said he killed Smart while trying to rape her in his dorm room.

His father, Ruben Flores, 80, is charged with helping dispose of her body, which was never found.

Both men have pleaded not guilty.

In granting a change-of-venue motion for Flores and his father last month, the judge said extensive news coverage of the case and a volume of speculation on social media would make it hard to find an unbiased jury.

Van Rooyen said that while the case had received national attention, especially since the two men were arrested last year, it has been under scrutiny for decades in the relatively small coastal county of 283,000 people.

The trial was scheduled to start next Monday but instead a hearing will be held then to discuss a new trial date.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Investors Buy Fig Garden Village. How Much Did It Sell For?

DON'T MISS

Fresno County DA Wants Teens Tried as Adults in Caleb Quick Murder

DON'T MISS

State Farm Wins First-Ever Emergency Rate Hike in California

DON'T MISS

Work Permits Reinstated for UC Merced International Students, Anxiety Persists

DON'T MISS

Tatum to Miss Remainder of Playoffs After Achilles Tendon Surgery

DON'T MISS

Fresno Police Seek Public’s Help Identifying Shooting Suspect

DON'T MISS

MLB Reinstates Pete Rose and Shoeless Joe Jackson, Making Them Hall of Fame Eligible

DON'T MISS

Karbassi Running for Fresno County Elections Clerk, Says He Can ‘Do Better’

DON'T MISS

Global Eggs Completes Acquisition in US, Closes New Deal in Europe

DON'T MISS

‘I Never Said He Called My Son the N-Word.’ Fresno Unified Trustee Thomas Tries to Erase Accusation Against Former Bullard Coach

UP NEXT

Caltrans’ Response to Homeless Encampments Is Lagging, Cities Complain

UP NEXT

Has the California Dream Become a Mirage?

UP NEXT

Grapevine Fire Forces Full Closure of Southbound I-5

UP NEXT

Newsom Urges California Cities and Counties to Ban Homeless Encampments

UP NEXT

The State Law Taking a Financial Toll on California Budgets

UP NEXT

‘Luigi Mangione Act’ Seeks to Block Health Insurance Denials, Sparks Outrage Over Name

UP NEXT

Floods Exposed Weaknesses in California Prisons’ Emergency Plans. They Still Aren’t Ready

UP NEXT

Other States Are Showing California How to Protect Its Budget Without Cutting Needed Services

UP NEXT

Los Angeles Coliseum and SoFi Stadium to Share Opening and Closing Ceremonies for 2028 Olympics

UP NEXT

Head Start Gets a Reprieve From Trump Budget Cuts, but the Fight Isn’t Over

Work Permits Reinstated for UC Merced International Students, Anxiety Persists

2 hours ago

Tatum to Miss Remainder of Playoffs After Achilles Tendon Surgery

2 hours ago

Fresno Police Seek Public’s Help Identifying Shooting Suspect

2 hours ago

MLB Reinstates Pete Rose and Shoeless Joe Jackson, Making Them Hall of Fame Eligible

2 hours ago

Karbassi Running for Fresno County Elections Clerk, Says He Can ‘Do Better’

3 hours ago

Global Eggs Completes Acquisition in US, Closes New Deal in Europe

5 hours ago

‘I Never Said He Called My Son the N-Word.’ Fresno Unified Trustee Thomas Tries to Erase Accusation Against Former Bullard Coach

6 hours ago

UnitedHealth Group CEO Steps Down as Company Lowers, Then Withdraws Financial Outlook for 2025

6 hours ago

FDA and RFK Jr. Aim to Remove Ingestible Fluoride Products Used to Protect Kids’ Teeth

6 hours ago

Caltrans’ Response to Homeless Encampments Is Lagging, Cities Complain

7 hours ago

Investors Buy Fig Garden Village. How Much Did It Sell For?

Two investment companies purchased the “premier” Fig Garden Village Shopping Center, saying they want to add new tenants and upg...

27 minutes ago

https://www.communitymedical.org/thecause?utm_source=Misfit+Digital&utm_medium=GVWire+Banner+Ads&utm_campaign=Branding+2025&utm_content=thecause
27 minutes ago

Investors Buy Fig Garden Village. How Much Did It Sell For?

Fresno clovis caleb quick
1 hour ago

Fresno County DA Wants Teens Tried as Adults in Caleb Quick Murder

1 hour ago

State Farm Wins First-Ever Emergency Rate Hike in California

2 hours ago

Work Permits Reinstated for UC Merced International Students, Anxiety Persists

2 hours ago

Tatum to Miss Remainder of Playoffs After Achilles Tendon Surgery

Fresno police are seeking help identifying a suspect caught on video after a shooting near First Street and Belmont Avenue left one person injured on Sunday. May 11, 2025. (Fresno PD)
2 hours ago

Fresno Police Seek Public’s Help Identifying Shooting Suspect

2 hours ago

MLB Reinstates Pete Rose and Shoeless Joe Jackson, Making Them Hall of Fame Eligible

3 hours ago

Karbassi Running for Fresno County Elections Clerk, Says He Can ‘Do Better’

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend