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Paul Flores' father Ruben relieved after acquittal, says son was convicted 'on feelings instead of facts'

Reuben Flores said there was 'no evidence' tying his son to her murder and suggested that the court 'works on feelings instead of facts'

SAN LUIS OBISPO, CALIFORNIA: Reuben Flores, who was detained on accusations of being an accessory to the first-degree murder of Kristen Smart, was acquitted of his charges after spending three years in prison. On Tuesday, October 18, Paul Flores, 45, Reuben's son, who was accused of raping and murdering Smart nearly two decades ago, was convicted. 

However, Reuben told the court there was "no evidence" tying his son to her murder and suggested that the court "works on feelings instead of facts."

"All that stuff they say is evidence, you look through it, and there is nobody against me or Paul," Ruben said in his first public appearance since his arrest. "Too much made up stuff, that's all I can say. It's too bad that sometimes the system works on feelings instead of facts, but I am relieved about myself of course."

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Smart and Paul were 19-year-old students at California Polytechnic State University college. On May 25, 1996, Smart mysteriously disappeared while walking home from a college frat party. The murder remained unsolved for years until a 2019 podcast 'Your own Backyard' reopened the pandora's box. Paul was convicted of murdering her while trying to rape her after the party. Paul after killing Smart hid her body in his father Reuben's backyard and allegedly moved the body years later in 2020, reported authorities. 

Investigators claimed his father, Ruben, assisted his son in concealing Smart's body, but he was found not guilty of being an accomplice to the murder. The jury rejected that theory, acquitting Ruben on Tuesday. Smart was officially declared dead in 2002 and her body was never retrieved. Paul is now convicted of Smart's murder and will be sentenced to jail on December 9. He could face a minimum of 25 years in prison or a possible life sentence.

Reuben's attorney, Harold Mesick, defended the release, saying, "He is not just not guilty, he is absolutely innocent, and today's verdict proved that. He never should have been charged, and I'm very pleased with the outcome. Love our system of justice." While Smart's parents paid tribute to their daughter after the conviction. "After 26 years, with today's split verdicts, we learned that our quest for justice for Kristin will continue," her father Stan Smart announced to the court. "This has been an agonizingly 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." The family also added that its "faith in the justice system has been renewed," and thanked the jury and podcast maker Chris Lambert.