Judge selected in Kristin Smart murder trial, to be held in Salinas
May 4, 2022
Judge Jennifer O’Keefe
By KAREN VELIE
The trial of accused murderer Paul Flores and his alleged accomplice Ruben Flores will be conducted in a Salinas courtroom with Monterey County Superior Court Judge Jennifer O’Keefe presiding. The trial is scheduled to start on May 31, though it could be pushed out to June 6.
Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed O’Keefe to serve as a judge in Monterey County in 2021. Prior to her appointment, O’Keefe worked as a public defender and taught at the Monterey College of Law.
Paul Flores is charged with murdering Kristin Smart during an attempted rape in 1996 following a Cal Poly frat party. His father Ruben Flores is suspected of helping his son dispose of Smart’s body, which prosecutors believe was buried under a deck at Ruben Flores’ Arroyo Grande home.
On April 4, Paul Flores’ attorney Robert Sanger agreed to waive time for 60 days, meaning the trial needs to start by June 11 to protect the defendant’s right to a speedy trial. San Luis Obispo County Judge Craig van Rooyen granted Paul Flores a change of venue in late March, because he did not believe the defendant could get a fair trial in SLO County.
During a 2020 raid of Paul Flores’ San Pedro home, deputies discovered homemade rape videos the suspect made of himself having sex and sodomizing women, along with two bottles of date rape drugs. Deputies also seized multiple rape videos that included titles “Drugged and raped while passed out” and “Blond high school girl in skirt gets raped.”
Deputies arrested Paul Flores and his father Ruben Flores in April 2021 for their involvement in the alleged murder of Smart.
Deputy arresting Paul Flores
During a preliminary hearing, investigators testified that Paul Flores killed Smart during an attempted sexual assault.
After more than a month of testimony, Judge van Rooyen ruled that there is probable cause for Paul and Ruben Flores to be tried in front of a jury in the alleged murder of Smart.
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