Editor’s note: The People v. Flores murder trial is covered each day by Mustang News. Follow @CPMustangNews on Twitter and Instagram for more updates. Read previous articles about the trial here.
The verdicts for Paul and Ruben Flores will be announced Tuesday afternoon in connection to the 1996 disappearance of Cal Poly freshman Kristin Smart.
The two separate verdicts will be read back-to-back at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Monterey County Superior Court said in an email to press on Tuesday. Paul Flores’ verdict will be read first, court spokesperson Norma Ramirez-Zapata confirmed.
Paul Flores is accused of Smart’s murder, and his father, Ruben Flores, is accused of helping to bury her body in his backyard in Arroyo Grande.
Paul and Ruben Flores’ trials began July 18, lasting exactly three months. The two defendants had two separate juries.
Paul Flores’ jury began deliberating on Oct. 4, although Monday only marks about four full days of deliberations for them.
Ruben Flores’ jury began deliberating on Oct. 5. However, the jury restarted their deliberations on Oct. 13, after a juror was dismissed and replaced with an alternate.
The jury deliberated with the alternate juror for part of the day on Oct. 13, the full day of Oct. 14 and the morning of Oct. 17.
If found guilty, Paul Flores is facing anywhere from 25 years in prison to a life sentence. His father would face up to three years.