Paul Flores and his attorney are expected to appear remotely for a status update on his murder case this Thursday.
Flores is awaiting sentencing on first-degree murder charges. In October 2022, he was convicted of killing Cal Poly freshman Kristin Smart.
The 46-year-old’s sentencing was originally set for December but was postponed after his attorney, Robert Sanger, filed a motion to delay the sentencing.
The motion filed in November in Monterey County Superior Court, where the trial was held, states Flores’ counsel is “in the process of preparing a comprehensive motion for a new trial and other post-verdict, pre-conviction motions.” It went on to say that attorneys didn’t have enough time before the original sentencing date “to file and serve motions in time for the prosecution to respond or for the court to consider them.”
During a court hearing to consider the delay, San Luis Obispo County Deputy District Attorney Chris Peuvrelle said the family has a right to see this case to its conclusion in a timely fashion after waiting 25 years for justice. Smart went missing from the Cal Poly campus in May of 1996.
Monterey County Superior Court Judge Jennifer O’Keefe ultimately ruled the sentencing would be rescheduled for March 10, 2023, but also warned that there would be no more delays granted. She set a status update hearing for Feb. 9 to make sure that everyone is ready to move forward in the case.
That hearing will take place in the Salinas courthouse Thursday afternoon, although Flores and his attorney are expected to appear remotely.
Since the conclusion of the trial, Deputy D.A. Peuvrelle was hired by Monterey County as a lead prosecutor but decided to see the Flores case through to its conclusion.
Paul Flores is currently being held at the San Luis Obispo County Jail.
His father, Ruben, who was on trial with him and charged as an accessory in Smart's disappearance, was acquitted.
For more on the Kristin Smart case and trial for Paul and Ruben Flores, click here.
