Paul Flores killed Kristin Smart in his dormitory when he raped or tried to rape the 19-year-old first-year student, prosecutors said Wednesday when they announced they had filed a first-degree murder charge against Flores at the 1996 murder.
San Luis Obispo County Dist. Atty. Dan Dow has revealed that authorities are investigating whether Flores sexually assaulted other women in the San Pedro area, where Flores has lived since about 2005.
Prosecutors plan to provide evidence of ‘previous sexual acts’ and ‘other alleged incidents of abuse’ to prove Flores committed the murder, according to a criminal charge.
After Dow has focused on Flores as a suspect since Smart disappeared, Dow said investigators had obtained ‘important new information’ over the past two years, including ‘very important information’. Dow did not want to elaborate. Sheriff’s investigators searched a home owned by Flores’ father last month.
Flores’ father, Ruben Flores, is also charged on Wednesday with being an aid in the murder of Smart. He is accused of helping his son dispose of Smart’s remains.
Both men have yet to file a lawsuit and are due to stand trial in the San Luis Obispo High Court on Thursday morning.
It’s an evolving story; it will be updated.