Just eight months after being attacked in state prison, the man convicted of killing Kristin Smart was stabbed by another inmate and hospitalized again. The incident is being investigated as attempted murder.
Paul Flores, 47, was convicted in 2022 of murdering Smart, a Cal Poly San Luis Obispo student last seen on campus with Flores more than 25 years ago, and was sentenced to 25 years to life in state prison for the murder of first degree.
On Wednesday at 3:27 p.m., staff at Pleasant Valley State Prison in Coalinga, California, witnessed Flores being stabbed by another inmate in the recreation yard, a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation spokesman said.
Responding officers quickly brought the incident to an end without using force, according to the CDC. Two weapons made by prisoners were found at the scene.
The injured Flores was transported to an outside medical facility for a higher level of care. He has since returned to prison and is in good condition.
No other staff or prisoners were injured.
The person who attacked Flores, whose name has not been released, has been placed in restricted housing as the investigation continues, the center said.
The prison's investigations unit is investigating the incident, and the Office of the Inspector General has been notified.
CDCR did not release any further details.
The facility did not clarify whether this was the same person who stabbed Flores last August.
In the first attack, Jason Boudreau, 43, stabbed Flores in the neck, causing Flores to be hospitalized for two days, the San Luis Obispo Tribune reported.
Boudreau is serving two life sentences without the possibility of parole for two separate murders, one of which is the killing of Roger Reece Kibbe, the serial rapist and murderer known as the “I-5 Strangler.”
Flores was arrested in connection with Smart's disappearance in 2021 after San Luis Obispo County resident Chris Lambert released his “Your Own Backyard” podcast series, which revealed information the local sheriff's office had never seen before.
Smart's body was never found. Flores was convicted in October 2022 of murder for killing his classmate Smart during an attempted rape in his bedroom in May 1996.
Flores' attorney, Harold Messick, could not be reached for comment. Messick said he plans to request that Flores be transferred to another facility, KSBY reported.
