A California judge ruled Monday that a man convicted of killing 19-year-old student Kristin Smart in 1996 must pay just over $350,000 to her family for expenses incurred after her death.
Monterey County Superior Court Judge Jennifer O’Keefe ordered Paul Flores to make the payments after a hearing last Wednesday in which the family told the court how much they paid for travel, a private investigator, billboards seeking information, lost wages and a celebration of life gathering.
“It is humbling to Kristin’s memory to measure our financial loss,” her mother Denise Smart told The Tribune of San Luis Obispo after Wednesday’s hearing. “Our loss is Kristin.”
The family had requested approximately $361,000 in restitution. O’Keefe told the family they could seek additional reimbursement if they wanted to submit other expenses.
California courts require those convicted of crimes to reimburse victims for costs incurred, regardless of the suspect’s ability to pay. The state corrections department collects 50% of prison wages and money deposited into the convict’s trust account to pay restitution.
Smart went missing from California Polytechnic State University in May 1996. Prosecutors alleged that she was killed during an attempted rape and that the last person she was seen with was Flores, a fellow student. Kristin Smart was declared legally dead in 2002.
A podcast called “Your Own Backyard” helped investigators solve the case by bringing forward additional witnesses. Flores and his father, Ruben Flores, were arrested in 2021.
Prosecutors alleged that Kristin Smart’s remains were buried on Ruben Flores’ property and later moved. He was acquitted of complicity.
Paul Flores was convicted in October 2022 and sentenced to 25 years to life in March 2023. He has been physically assaulted twice in prison since August 2023.
Denise Smart said last week that the family offered to forego restitution if Flores told them where Kristin’s body was. Flores’ attorney, Harold Mesick, said the defense did not know where her remains are. Flores maintains his innocence, Mesick said.
Denise Smart said Monday that the offer remains open.
