Juror in Ruben Flores jury pool dismissed, deliberations to start anew
SALINAS, Calif. (KION-TV)- Deliberations among Ruben Flores' jury in the high-profile Kristin Smart trial will have to restart after one juror in his jury pool was dismissed on Thursday for discussing the case outside of the courtroom.
Paul Flores is accused of killing Smart, who was a 19-year-old Cal Poly student at the time of her disappearance in May 1996, and Ruben Flores, Paul's father, is being charged as an accessory to the crime.
Paul and Ruben's cases were being tried simultaneously, but each defendant had their own jury.
Closing arguments in the trial began on Oct. 3 after 12 weeks of arguments from the defense and prosecution.
One of the jurors in Ruben's trial was dismissed by Monterey County Superior Court Judge Jennifer O'Keefe on Thursday for talking about the case to his priest, according to a News Channel 3-12 crew at the scene.
"I need to protect the record. It pains me to have to do this, but it's something I have to do to make sure everything is protected. We do have to let you go," O'Keefe said.
An alternate juror was randomly selected on Thursday out of a pool of five alternates.
The alternate juror was sworn in on Thursday afternoon and deliberations resumed, but with the new juror in place, the deliberations for Ruben's trial must start anew.
Paul and Ruben Flores murder trials delayed until Thursday
UPDATE July 19, 2022, at 9:44 a.m.-- The second day of the Kristin Smart murder trial has been delayed until Thursday.
A CBS reporter said this is due to an unexpected illness. They were not told who was sick or to what extent.
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UPDATE July 18, 2022, at 11:23 a.m.-- The Kristin Smart murder trial has started in Monterey County for both Paul and Ruben Flores, who are accused of murder and assisting in murder, respectively.
Paul and Ruben Flores pleaded not guilty to all charges. Both have maintained their innocence since they first went to trial in San Luis Obispo County in 2021.
For 25 years, Flores was considered the only person of interest in her disappearance. He was arrested and booked into San Luis Obispo County jail on April 13, 2021. Both were students at Cal Poly in 1996 when Smart went missing.
Cal Poly Police Detective Mike Kennedy said on May 28, 2021; Paul was nervous when questioned about Smart. Paul said he last saw Kristin near Sequoia dorm, “We got back to the dorm. “I did not find Kristin Smart attractive.” and “She was walking perfectly fine on her own" is what Paul claimed.
The prosecution said the community all searched for Kristin, but Paul and Ruben didn't. Ruben even tore down missing posters of Kristin and called her a "dirty slut." "The defense team added, ""The evidence will show that Kristin was murdered by Paul Flores, and that Paul and Ruben buried her under Ruben Flores' deck.
Ruben Flores is scheduled to be in court at 1:30 p.m. Monday.
Paul Flores murder trial date in Monterey County set for early July
UPDATE MAY 31, 2022, at 2:35 p.m.-- A trial date has been chosen for the Paul Flores case moved from San Luis Obispo to Monterey County.
July 6 will be the date for opening statements in the trial for the defense in the morning, and the afternoon will be opening statements for the prosecution. The month of June will be used to have pretrial court hearings and to select a new jury.
Evidence will be presented from July 7 onward.
ORIGINAL STORY
The Monterey County Superior Court has been selected as the new venue for the Paul Flores murder trial in San Luis Obispo Superior Court, Judge Craig van Rooyen said Wednesday.
Flores is on trial for the murder of Kristin Smart. She and Flores were Cal Poly students in May 1996 when she disappeared.
For 25 years, Flores was considered the only person of interest in her disappearance. He was arrested and booked into San Luis Obispo County jail on April 13, 2021.
Flores' father, Ruben Flores, was also arrested and is charged with being an accessory to the crime.
Paul Flores' defense team filed a change of venue motion on March 9 to move the trial outside of San Luis Obispo County because they claimed that it would impossible for Flores to receive a fair and impartial trial in the county due to the extensive media coverage and community commitment to the case.
The court will meet again on Monday to decide more on scheduling the new start date for the trial.
