Paul Flores is jailed for 25 years to life without parole for 1996 murder of ... trends now

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Kristin Smart's killer Paul Flores was sentenced to 25 years on prison on Friday - more than 25 years after her murder. 

Smart and Flores were both students at California Polytech University in San Luis Obispo when she vanished in 1996. The case remained unsolved for decades, but a 2020 true crime podcast jolted local police. 

Flores, now 46, was arrested as a result. While police have never found her remains, they believe Flores raped her in his dorm room then murdered her. 

On Friday, Smart's brother Matthew told the court that Flores was 'a menace to society'.

'Paul chose to take a life, my sister Kristin's life, a beautiful life,' he said. 

'And now he must pay.'

He and his father, Ruben, were both charged in connection with her death. Prosecutors say Ruben helped his son by stashing Smart's body under their backyard deck for years.