Earlier this week, Paul Flores, appealed his conviction for the 1996 murder of Kristin Smart.
Paul was the last person seen with Smart at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, where she was found passed out on a lawn in front of a fraternity party. Flores is appealing his conviction by claiming the judge violated his sixth and fourteenth amendment rights.
The appeal alleges that one juror, juror 273, was biased against Flores, becoming emotional during the trial. The appeal says that Flores’s attorney repeatedly asked for this juror to be removed.
The appeal also says the court “abused its discretion and committed reversible error” by allowing two women to testify, alleging Flores raped them. The appeal alleges there was no evidence of Flores sexually assaulting Smart.
Due to the compounding errors, the appeal is asking for Paul’s murder conviction to be reversed, or reduce the crime to second degree murder.