Paul Flores Convicted in Murder of California College Student Kristin Smart

 Paul Flores Convicted in Murder of California College Student Kristin Smart

Paul Flores is California man was convicted Tuesday of killing Kristin Smart, a college student who disappeared in 1996, and a separate jury found his father not guilty of disposing of her body.

He was found guilty by a jury in Monterey County of first-degree murder and faces 25 years to life. His father, Ruben Flores, had been charged with accessory after the fact. He faced up to three years in prison.

Flores, 45, and his father, 81, had their cases heard simultaneously by different juries. The verdicts were read back to back Tuesday afternoon.

Authorities have never found Smart’s body. She was legally declared dead in 2002.

Paul Flores showed no reaction when the guilty verdict came down, NBC affiliate KSBY of San Luis Obispo reported. His father, who was seated behind him, had no visible reaction.

Several of Smart's relatives were in the courtroom, and her mother and her sister cried for several minutes after the verdicts were read.

"Without Kristin, there is no joy or happiness in this verdict," Smart's father, Stan Smart, said after the verdicts. "After 26 years, with today’s split verdicts, we learned that our quest for justice for Kristin will continue."

San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow said that "today, justice delayed is not justice denied."

Paul Flores is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 9, KSBY reported.