Killer of missing teenager who has never been found attacked in prison
A man who killed a fellow college freshman 25 years ago has been hospitalised after he was attacked in a prison.
Paul Flores, now 46, was convicted of killing Kristin Smart this year after the arrest of him and his father, Ruben, who was accused of helping his son hide 19-year-old Smart’s body.
Seriously injured just a week after his transfer to Pleasant Valley State Prison in California, Flores was taken to an outside hospital where he was in serious condition on Wednesday.
The details surrounding his attack remain unknown. Flores’ attorney, Harold Mesick, said: “I just pray for his recovery.”
Mesick was notified of his attack by correction officials, but said he had no further details. There has been no confirmation of an attack by California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Baby boy has spent his life in hospital as doctors are 'scared' to discharge him
Flores was arrested by the San Luis Obispo Sheriffs Department (San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office)
Kristin Smart was declared legally dead in 2002 despite never having been found (Sygma via Getty Images)A spokeswoman said that the circumstances surrounding his injury were under investigation and details wouldn’t immediately be released. Mesick said Flores had only been transferred to the Central Valley prison last week from North Kern State Prison.
Flores was the last person seen with Smart as he accompanied her home after a party, she then disappeared from their California Univeristy over Memorial Day weekend in 1996 and was declared legally dead in 2002. Smart’s remains have never been found.
He claimed he only walked her as far as her dorm, and maintains his innocence to this day. She was never seen again after 25, May, 1996, with missing persons report filed three days later.
After the father and sons joint arrest in 2021, Flores was convicted of first-degree murder last October. Flores was sentenced in March to 25 years to life in prison for killing Smart .
A separate jury acquitted his father, 81, of being an accessory after the fact. Prosecutors said Ruben helped his son by stashing Smart's body under their backyard deck for years.
Smart's remains have never been found (Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)The pair were suspected of moving her remains once suspicion started growing in 2020. He was identified as a person of interest early in the case and prosecutors maintained that Flores killed Smart during an attempted rape in his dorm room at the university, where both were first-year students.
Kristen’s father, Stan Smart said: “This has been an agonisingly long journey, with more downs than ups, but we are grateful and appreciate the diligence and energy of the two juries to thoroughly review the facts and reach their decision.”
He added: "To our Kristin: Almost three decades ago, our lives were irreparably changed on the night you disappeared.
"Know that your spirit lives on in each and every one of us, every day. Not a single day goes by where you aren't missed, remembered, loved and celebrated."
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