Paul Flores, the man convicted of killing Kristin Smart in 1996, was stabbed in a California prison, marking the second time he has been attacked behind bars in the last year.
Flores, 47, was stabbed by a fellow inmate in Pleasant Valley State Prison’s recreation yard just before 3.30 p.m. on Wednesday, according to the Associated Press.
According to the site, after obtaining treatment at an outside medical facility, he returned to the prison in “fair condition”.
Officials told the newspaper that the unknown offender who attacked Flores had been placed in restricted housing.
Officials said two “inmate-manufactured weapons” were seized from the scene, and the assault is being investigated as an attempted homicide.
Wednesday’s incident occurred months after Flores was stabbed in the neck by a fellow inmate at the same prison in August. He was brought to the hospital in “serious condition” and returned two days later.
It is unknown whether he was injured by the same convict in both incidents.
The Independent has reached out to Flores’ lawyer and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation for additional information.
Flores is currently serving a 25-year to life sentence in state prison for the murder of Kristen Smart. The then-19-year-old went missing from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo in 1996.
Although her body has never been found, she was formally proclaimed deceased in 2002.
Flores was caught in 2021 and convicted of first-degree murder one year later. Flores was the last person seen with Smart, and prosecutors claim he killed her during an attempted rape in his dorm room while they were both students.
Smart’s family filed a lawsuit against the California institution in January 2024, claiming that university administrators could have prevented her death if they had addressed school police allegations about Flores, which were filed by four other female students.
According to the reports, the four women accused Flores of stalking and harassing them – and in one case, attempting to break into an apartment – months before Smart disappeared.
“If the university had responded correctly, undertaken a full investigation into Flores’ previous worrisome behavior, and executed appropriate disciplinary penalties, Kristin would most likely still be alive today. Instead, our family has been left to mourn her absence for 27 agonizing years,” a family statement said.