More witnesses were expected to take the stand Tuesday morning in the case against Paul and Ruben Flores, but that didn’t happen.
Shortly after Monterey County Superior Court Judge Jennifer O'Keefe took her seat in the courtroom, she announced the trial would be postponed until next Monday.
Judge O'Keefe informed the court that a member of one of the juries could not attend trial due to an “unexpected emergency” and said they did not want to run through the case's list of alternates.
The judge also said that so far, the trial has been "ahead of schedule" and that the delay would not put them far behind.
An attorney who has covered cases for more than 50 years in Monterey County and who is not affiliated with this case says delays like this are not uncommon and adds that he wouldn't be surprised if it happens many more times throughout the duration of the lengthy trial.
Paul and Ruben Flores are being tried in connection with the disappearance of Cal Poly student Kristin Smart.
Witnesses say the 19-year-old freshman was last seen with Paul, who was also a student at Cal Poly at the time and was a longtime person-of-interest in the case prior to his and his father’s April 2021 arrest.
Paul, 45, is charged with murder. Ruben, 81, is charged as an accessory, accused of helping cover up the crime.
Even though Kristin’s body has never been found, she was declared legally dead in 2002.
The trial, which is expected to last into at least October, was moved out of San Luis Obispo County and is taking place in Salinas.
Testimony in the case began last Thursday. So far, Kristin’s parents, sister and brother along with friends of Kristin and those who attended the off-campus party she was at shortly before her disappearance have all been called to the stand.
Paul and Ruben are being tried together but each have their own juries who will hand down separate verdicts.
Twelve jurors and eight alternates have been selected for each defendant.
