A friend of the murdered Californian student Kristin Smart, who was there the night she passed away about 30 years ago, said he is relieved that her murderer has finally been found guilty, but they won’t stop looking for her corpse until it is discovered.
On May 25, 1966, Smart, then 19 years old, disappeared while attending California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo.
Paul Flores, a former classmate who is now 45, was found guilty of her murder on Tuesday.
Trevor Boelter, a friend of Smart’s, stated, “I’m delighted that justice has been done and that Paul has been found guilty, but as long as Kristin Smart remains missing – there is still work that has to be done.”
“My hope is that they will locate Kristin and restore her to the Smart family,” he said, according to The U.S. Sun. “Justice is one thing, but closure is another.”
“Kristin need to go home,” was said.
Prosecutors could press Flores to reveal the whereabouts of the corpse in the weeks before his December 9 sentencing in order to lessen his punishment.
Boelter provided testimony about the party they attended as a group of college friends on the night Smart was last seen alive during the three-month trial.
On August 3, Boelter informed the jury that Smart was handsome, charming, and made a playful introduction to him as “Roxy.”
He said that after their kiss, Smart—whom other witnesses indicated had been drinking heavily—took hold of him and brought him into the restroom.
Boelter said that she had a drastic change in personality and that Smart twice asked him whether he thought she was unattractive, to which he both times said “no.”
She then enquired as to whom he believed she ought to spend the night with at the gathering.
After Smart indicated that she wanted to use the restroom, Boelter exited, claiming that Paul Flores was waiting outside the door.
What happened inside, he questioned Boelter?
Flores chuckled as Boelter retorted that nothing had occurred.
Boelter said that twice more that evening, his route and Smart’s intersected.
He once saw that she was uneasy with a different man—not Flores—whom he assisted Smart in getting rid of.
As he left the party, Smart finally caught his attention for a third and last time. This time, Smart grabbed his hand and kissed him.
However, he turned down her advances and walked away.
Flores claimed to be assisting Smart get back to her room as they departed the party.
Police cadaver dogs detected a smell inside Flores’ room even though she was never seen again.
But until last year, when he was eventually detained, there was not enough evidence to accuse him, according to the prosecution. This was in part because of a true crime podcast called Your Own Backyard, which contained recent interviews.
Ruben Flores, 81 years old, was detained and accused of being an accessory after the fact. He is accused by the prosecution of aiding his son in removing Smart’s corpse from under the deck behind their house.
Ruben Flores was found not guilty on Tuesday because forensic experts were unable to determine with absolute confidence that a human corpse had been buried there.
Although the family was relieved, according to Smart’s father, Stan, the battle to get the youngster back to her family was still ongoing.
Stan Smart said during a news conference at which a reporter passed out, “After 26 years, we discovered that our fight for justice for Kristin will continue with today’s split verdicts.”
He expressed gratitude to the jurors and podcaster Chris Lambert and stated the family’s “confidence in the legal system has been revived.”
“To our Kristin: Nearly three decades ago, the night you vanished, our lives were forever altered,” Smart said.
“Be aware that your spirit continues to exist every day in each and every one of us. There isn’t a day that goes by that we don’t think of you, remember you, love you, and celebrate you.
After pronouncing the judgment, Judge Jennifer O’Keefe thanked the jury for their service.
“I want to thank you on behalf of the parties and myself for your assistance in this matter,” she stated.
Being a jury requires a significant personal commitment. Your attention to detail and commitment to this matter have been outstanding.
Outside of court, Ruben Flores expressed his relief at being cleared, but sadness at his son’s conviction. He criticized the prosecution, saying, “They had so much material they made up.” It was a matter of emotions. Facts weren’t important.
When asked how he felt after learning that his son had been found guilty, he said, “I don’t know. Simply hanging on is all.
The case has been the one that Ruben Flores’ lawyer Harold Mesick is “particularly involved in on a personal level,” he said.
He said that his client was “totally innocent,” not merely “not guilty.”
He shouldn’t have been prosecuted, and I’m quite happy with the verdict, said Mesick. Love our judicial system.
He denounced what he called a hasty conclusion.
There is simply so much hatred for this guy and his family,’ she said. There is a lot of hatred out there, and I have never really understood it. I know people are angry that Kristin is gone, and I know they want someone to take responsibility,’ Mesick added.
But I don’t know where the phrase “let’s lynch ’em, let’s burn ’em, let’s hang ’em, let’s murder ’em” originated in our nation.
And I hope the people in the community who still think that way will change their minds.
Ruben Flores must now return home, according to Mesick, “and reconstruct the deck that was demolished.”
He said that there is “fair inference” that Smart is still alive and that Paul Flores’ counsel would probably want a new trial because “there are enough of reasons,” among other things.
He said, “They did not establish her demise.”