Kristin Smart murder trial started two weeks ago. Here’s what has happened so far

The long-awaited trial against Paul and Ruben Flores for the murder of Kristin Smart began two weeks ago — 26 years after the Cal Poly student disappeared.

Paul Flores is accused of killing the 19-year-old Smart after leaving an off-campus party in May 1996. His father, Ruben Flores, is alleged to have helped hide her body, which has never been found. The two were arrested in April 2021.

The case has attracted national attention in the decades following Smart’s disappearance, gaining a fresh boost of interest with the launch of the “Your Own Backyard” podcast in 2019.

Following a seven-week preliminary hearing, the case was moved to Salinas after San Luis Obispo Superior Court Judge Craig van Rooyen ruled the men would not likely receive a fair trial in San Luis Obispo County.

Monterey County Superior Court Judge Jennifer O’Keefe is presiding over the case.

So where does the trial currently stand, and what could be coming next?

What’s happened in the Kristin Smart murder trial so far?

San Luis Obispo County Deputy District Attorney Chris Peuvrelle laid out his case against Paul and Ruben Flores to each of their juries.

In his statements, Peuvrelle presented previews and summaries of evidence the juries can expect to hear.

This included a timeline of events and testimonies from witnesses and experts.

Jurors also watched a video interview of Paul Flores in 1996 telling investigators he was fibbing, not lying, when they asked him questions, and saw a recording of his mother, Susan Flores, telling her son to “poke holes” in a podcast about the Smart case.

Paul Flores’ attorney, Robert Sanger, told his client’s jury the prosecution does not have any actual evidence, and that the defense’s experts and witnesses will discredit those of the prosecution. Sanger said Smart engaged in “at-risk behavior,” so anything could have happened the night she went missing.

Harold Mesick, attorney for Ruben Flores, gave his opening statements to his client’s jury after a two-day “unexpected delay.”

Mesick told the jury to “be skeptical” of the prosecution’s evidence, and said the story Peuvrelle presented “requires several leaps of logic.” He said there is no evidence that Paul Flores killed Smart, and no evidence that Ruben Flores helped him hide her body.

Kristin Smart’s parents, Stan and Denise Smart, along with her siblings, Matt and Lindsey Smart, testified over the course of about two days about the kind of person Kristin Smart was, her demeanor around the time of her disappearance and their efforts to search for her.

The defense focused on a letter Denise Smart sent her daughter — what she called a “buckle-up buttercup” letter —in which she tried to push her daughter to take action to correct problems she was experiencing at Cal Poly rather than complain about them.

The defense also asked Denise and Stan Smart about Kristin Smart’s weight at the time of her disappearance.

Matt and Lindsey Smart described their sister as their “biggest cheerleader,” and said she always supported them, especially when the two would compete in sports.

Stan Smart testified he stayed in San Luis Obispo for three months searching for his daughter after she went missing.

Testimony began July 25 from witnesses who were at the May 1996 party or saw Kristin Smart and Paul Flores after the party. Trial proceedings were delayed again on July 26 because of an “unexpected juror conflict.”

What to expect Monday

Testimony from party attendees is expected to continue Monday, with more evidence from the initial investigation presented to the juries throughout the week.

There will be a hearing Thursday regarding a motion filed by a news coalition organized by The Tribune in an effort to unseal records in the Smart case.

As of Friday afternoon, neither the prosecution or defense had filed oppositions to the news coalition’s motion.

The trial against Paul and Ruben Flores is expected to last through October.