Paul Flores, the man convicted of the murder of Cal Poly student Kristin Smart, was injured in prison on Wednesday.
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) reported that Flores was transported from Pleasant Valley State Prison to an outside medical facility for care.
Flores returned to Pleasant Valley State Prison on Thursday the CDCR confirmed. Flores’ current attorney Harold Mesick said his condition was updated from critical to fair.
Details on how and why Flores was injured in prison have not been released yet and are still under investigation.
“The motive remains to be discovered,” Mesick said. “He was attacked yesterday. Luckily, he has survived.”
His attorney, Harold Mesick, is claiming his client was attacked in prison and suffered an injury on his neck.
“It was not a fight, it was an attack,” Mesick said.
Flores was convicted of the murder of Kristin Smart in October 2022. He was reportedly the last person seen with Smart before her disappearance on Cal Poly’s campus in 1996.
His father, Ruben Flores, accused of helping hide Smart’s body, was found not guilty.
This is a developing story, with more details to come.
Update, August 25: This article was updated to include Flores’ return to Pleasant Valley State Prison and Mesick’s claim of an attack.