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Lawyers for Kristin Smart's 'killer' Paul Flores ask for Scott Peterson - who was convicted of murdering his wife Laci and their unborn child in 2005 - to testify at trial about 'tenuous' claims they may have met at college

Lawyers for the man accused of killing Kristin Smart are calling for convicted murderer Scott Peterson to testify that he may have known Smart while they were in college.

Peterson was convicted in 2005 for the murder of his wife Laci and their unborn child, and sentenced to death. Although his death sentence was overturned last year, his conviction remains. 

Lawyers for Paul and Ruben Flores, who are accused in Smart's 1996 disappearance, announced during preliminary hearings Thursday that they had made arrangements to have Peterson transported from San Quentin State Prison to San Luis Obispo, where the trial is being held, so he can testify. 

Their team says Peterson knew each other while they were in college at Cal Poly University, where Smart went missing after a party in May of that year, although they have not provided any evidence the two were acquainted. 

The surprise announcement came as attorneys for the Flores family questioned former Cal Poly campus police investigator Lawrence Kennedy on why he did not pursue any other suspects in the initial investigation other than Paul Flores, KEYT reported. 

Lawyers for the man accused of killing Kristin Smart are calling for convicted murderer Scott Peterson (pictured) to testify that he may have known Smart while they were in collegeKristin Smart (pictured) vanished from Cal Poly University in 1996

Lawyers for the man accused of killing Kristin Smart are calling for convicted murderer Scott Peterson to testify that he may have known Smart while they were in college

Preliminary hearing is currently underway in the criminal case against Paul Flores, 44, (pictured) and his father Ruben Flores, 80, which is expected to last 12 days

 Preliminary hearing is currently underway in the criminal case against Paul Flores, 44, and his father Ruben Flores, 80, which is expected to last 12 days

Peterson was convicted of murdering his wife Laci (pictured) and their unborn child in 2005. He was sentenced to death. Although the sentence was overturned, his conviction still stands. Attorneys for Flores and his family have not provided evidence as to whether Smart and Peterson actually knew each other

Peterson was convicted of murdering his wife Laci and their unborn child in 2005. He was sentenced to death. Although the sentence was overturned, his conviction still stands. Attorneys for Flores and his family have not provided evidence as to whether Smart and Peterson actually knew each other 

Returning to the witness stand after testifying the previous day Kennedy responded that investigators had pursued a number of leads in Smart's disappearance, including tips and reports of additional Smart sightings both locally and across the state. 

Paul, who was 19 at the time of Kristin's disappearance, was the last individual to see her alive before she vanished while walking home from a campus party 25 years ago.

He and his father were arrested in connection with Smart’s disappearance on April 13 in San Pedro and Arroyo Grande, and have pleaded not guilty to their charges. 

Flores is accused of raping or attempting to rape Smart in his dorm room before killing her, while his father, Ruben Flores, 80, was charged as an accessory and is alleged to have helped conceal the body. 

If convicted of first-degree murder, Paul could face 25 years to life, while Ruben could face up to three years.

Smart's body has never been discovered, but investigators believe she was buried at the residence of Ruben Flores in Arroyo Grande, and 'recently moved.'  

On Wednesday Kennedy testified that Flores, now 44, had a black eye when he came in for questioning - three days after Smart vanished.

Ruben Flores (left) is pictured in court on July 14. A former tenant claimed Ruben would refer to Smart as a 'dirty slut'

Ruben Flores is pictured in court on July 14. A former tenant claimed Ruben would refer to Smart as a 'dirty slut' 

Paul Flores, 44, is charged with murder in the commission of a rape or attempted rape.Ruben Flores, 80, is charged with accessory after the fact

Paul Flores, 44, is charged with murder in the commission of a rape or attempted rape. His father, Ruben Flores, 80, is charged with accessory after the fact

A photo depicting Flores' black eye had been kept aside for evidence, but the quality is poor and could not be enhanced to highlight Flores’ black eye.

Initially, Superior Court Judge Craig van Rooyen would not admit the photo as evidence because it could not be verified as authentic. 

He changed his mind and allowed the photo into evidence after the prosecution provided witnesses to confirm Flores' black eye on May 27, 1996. 

Prosecutors will later play audio from Kennedy's interview with Flores, following cross-examination from defense attorneys.         

The hearings began on Monday with testimony from Smart's father Stan Smart, who recounted his desperate search for his daughter after she disappeared on May 24, 1996.   

When called to the stand Monday, Stan Smart (left) said he had a 'close, nurturing and wholesome,' relationship with his 19-year-old daughter, (right) and that he physically searched for Kristin following her disappearance on May 24, 1996.

When called to the stand Monday, Stan Smart said he had a 'close, nurturing and wholesome,' relationship with his 19-year-old daughter, and that he physically searched for Kristin following her disappearance on May 24, 1996.

The father told the court about his 'close, nurturing and wholesome' relationship with his then-19-year-old daughter and described his own efforts to find her.  

'I crawled through a lot of culverts. I looked through a lot of dumpsters' during that time, Stan Smart told Deputy District Attorney Christopher Peuvrelle.     

Smart's body has never been found

Smart's body has never been found 

He said believed Cal Poly police were 'ill equipped' to handle his daughter's disappearance and that he 'wasn't very satisfied' with their attempts in finding her. 

'They didn't seem to have the expertise in the field with somebody who's disappeared,' Stan Smart added.              

In addition to Smart's father testifying, Paul's mother, Susan Flores, also took the stand Monday. 

However, when Van Rooyen swore Mrs. Flores in, she said she intended to invoke her Fifth Amendment rights if called to testify. 

The judge then ruled that she could not be called to the stand.

The hearing continued Tuesday with Matthew Toomey, Cheryl Manzer, and Detective Clinton Cole taking the stand. 

Toomey and Mazner both resided in the Sierra Madre dorms and attended the party on May 24, 1996.  

Toomey said he arrived at the party with his friend, Ross, whom Kristin supposedly kissed that night. He said Paul Flores approached him and began inquiring about Kristin and whether or not she was dating Ross.  

Stan Smart (right) said believed Cal Poly police were 'ill equipped' to handle his daughter's disappearance and that he 'wasn't very satisfied' with their attempts in finding her.

 Stan Smart said believed Cal Poly police were 'ill equipped' to handle his daughter's disappearance and that he 'wasn't very satisfied' with their attempts in finding her.

'I crawled through a lot of culverts. I looked through a lot of dumpsters' during that time, Stan Smart (second from left) told Deputy District Attorney Christopher Peuvrelle during Monday's preliminary hearing

'I crawled through a lot of culverts. I looked through a lot of dumpsters' during that time, Stan Smart (second from left) told Deputy District Attorney Christopher Peuvrelle during Monday's preliminary hearing 

Based off the way Flores was asking questions about Kristin, Toomey said it appeared as if he were interested in her. 

Toomey also described Flores as 'being socially awkward.'

When Toomey and Ross left the party around midnight, he told the court he noticed Kristin lying on a nearby lawn intoxicated. When he offered to help her, Toomey said Kristin told him to 'leave me alone.'

When Mazner took the stand, she told Peuvrelle she left the party at around 1 a.m. with a friend and noticed another friend assisting Kristin Smart off the ground. 

Mazner said the four of them walked back to the dorms together, with Flores later joining the group, placing his arm around her waist. 

When Mazner got to the corner of the street, she split off from Smart and Flores, before asking Flores if he would escort Smart back to her dorm.

'Yes,' Flores replied, according to Mazner. 

Mazner testified that the last thing she saw before leaving was Paul with his arm around Kristin's waist. 

'I didn't think anything bad would happen to her,' she said. 

Kristin's friends told detectives Paul had been 'lurking' around her dorm and seemed to be 'hunting her' in the weeks before she vanished. 

It's unclear if her friends told cops that he'd been following her back in 1996, when she first vanished, or if they made the claim more recently.   

Paul Flores, 44, was arrested in April for Smart's murder. He has denied any wrongdoing

Paul Flores, 44, was arrested in April for Smart's murder. He has denied any wrongdoing 

In February 2020, police executed a search warrant at Paul's San Pedro, California, home, and seized electronic devices containing homemade videos and rape porn, prosecutors say

In February 2020, police executed a search warrant at Paul's San Pedro, California, home, and seized electronic devices containing homemade videos and rape porn, prosecutors say 

Two searches were carried out in February and March 2020 as part of the investigation into Smart's death

Two searches were carried out in February and March 2020 as part of the investigation into Smart's death 

The case was unsolved for 25 years until earlier this year when a popular Spotify podcast titled Your Own Backyard prompted detectives to revive their investigation and ultimately arrest Flores and his father. 

'In 2019, we interviewed several witnesses that had not been previously interviewed and some of that information came to light through the podcast that many of you are familiar with,' San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Ian Parkinson told FOX 40 in Sacramento in April.

The witness led investigators back to Paul Flores, the prime person of interest in her disappearance. 

Documents obtained by the San Luis Obispo Tribune describe how police found videos that showed Flores raping a drunk woman when they searched his home earlier this year. 

Police also found a pornographic film titled 'Real Drunken Girls Drugged and Raped While Passed Out.' According to the prosecutor, the videos were stored in a computer file labeled 'Practice.'

The search further yielded 'fetishized rape fantasy porn' and prescription drug medications that could be used as date rape drugs, especially when taken with alcohol.

Meanwhile, a separate search at the home of Ruben Flores earlier this year turned up likely traces of human blood and a patch of dug-up dirt beneath a deck, where authorities believe Smart's body was once buried.

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