COALINGA, Calif. — Paul Flores, the man who was convicted and sentenced to 25 years in prison for killing Kristin Smart over 25 years ago, has been hospitalized following an attack.
Flores’ attorney, Harold Mesick, says he was contacted by officials from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation that he was attacked Wednesday but did not provide any further details, The Associated Press reported.
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said that Flores was taken from Pleasant Valley State Prison to an outside hospital in serious condition, according to KSBY.
A spokeswoman said that the circumstances around his injury are under investigation, according to the news outlet. They did not confirm if Flores had been attacked, according to the AP.
[ Man convicted of killing Kristin Smart sentenced to 25 years to life in prison ]
Flores was transferred to the Central Valley prison just last week, the AP reported. Mesnick said that he was moved from North Kern State Prison which is where prisoners are received and processed before they are assigned to another prison.
Flores was sentenced last March to 25 years to life in prison for Smart’s murder, the AP reported.
Flores and Smart were both students at Cal Poly when she went missing after an off-campus party over 25 years ago, KSBY reported. Flores was considered a person of interest in the case but was not arrested until April 2021. Flores’ father, Ruben, was also arrested. He was charged with accessory after the fact but was found not guilty.