SAN FRANCISCO (Scripps News San Luis Obispo) — On Wednesday, officials announced the California Supreme Court denied Paul Flores’ petition for review of his conviction for the 1996 murder of Cal Poly freshman Kristin Smart, bringing what prosecutors call “a stronger sense of finality” to the decades-long case.
Paul Flores’ 2022 booking photo. (Monterey County Jail)
San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow announced the decision, marking another legal victory in the case that captivated the Central Coast for nearly three decades.
MORE | CA v. Flores & Flores: The Kristin Smart Murder Trial
Smart was a 19-year-old Cal Poly freshman when she was reported missing in May 1996.
The case remained unsolved for 25 years until Flores was arrested in 2021 and convicted of first-degree murder in 2022.
Flores was sentenced to serve 25 years to life in state prison in March 2023.
He appealed his conviction to the Second District Court of Appeal, which affirmed the conviction in October 2025. The Supreme Court’s denial of his petition effectively exhausts his direct appeals.
MORE | Kristin Smart’s family files lawsuit claiming murder could have been prevented
The jury trial was held in Monterey County Superior Court after the defense successfully requested a change of venue from San Luis Obispo County.
“While we are very pleased that this decision brings a stronger sense of finality for all involved, we will always remember Kristin Smart and will continue to do all we can to honor the memory of her vibrant life,” said Dow. “Our hearts go out to Mr. and Mrs. Smart and their entire family for all that they have endured for the last 30 years.”
The case became one of California’s most high-profile cold cases, generating national and international attention before finally reaching a resolution in the courts.
This story was originally published by Scripps News San Luis Obispo, an E.W. Scripps company.
