It took nearly 27 years before Kristin Smart's murder was solved, with a court finally sentencing the killer of the California college student. 

Paul Flores was sentenced Friday to 25 years or life in prison after he was found guilty of first-degree murder last October, according to Fox News.

Before the sentencing at a Monterey County court, a judge denied a motion from Flores' lawyer seeking a second trial.

The 45-year-old had long been considered a suspect in the killing of Smart. Flores lied about getting a black eye at the time of the victim's disappearance.

He initially told investigators that he got it while playing basketball with friends. However, those friends denied Flores' claim.

Court documents showed Flores later changed his story, saying he bumped his head while repairing a car stereo. 

Prosecutors also argued that Flores' father, Ruben Flores, helped him bury Smart's body under the deck behind his Arroyo Grande home.

They also said Flores was protective of the deck and seemed to know what was under it, leading to a strong suspicion that it was Smart's remains.

Prosecutors believed that Flores and his father removed her remains decades later when authorities came back.

Flores and his dad were both arrested and charged in April 2021, nearly 25 years after Smart's disappearance. The two men pleaded not guilty.

Flores' father was charged as an accessory to the crime. But in a trial last year, a jury found Ruben not guilty of acting as an accessory after the fact. 

READ NEXT: Idaho Murder Suspect Bryan Kohberger's Motive Not Important to Be Convicted  

Kristin Smart Murder Case: Paul Flores Guilty

Kristin Smart's family spoke about the case and sentencing of Paul Flores. Her brother, Matthew Smart, called Flores a "menace to society," adding that "now he must pay," according to The New York Times.

The San Luis Obispo Tribune reported that Smart's father, Stan Smart, asked for the maximum sentence allowed, saying: "This is a parent's worst nightmare - the disappearance and death of their child... devastating to our whole family."

After a three-month trial in October alongside his father, the jury found Flores guilty of murdering Smart, whose remains have yet to be found.

However, Smart's brother and father said they were still determined to find her body. New evidence reportedly led authorities to arrest Flores and his father in 2021 concerning Smart's death.

CNN reported that investigators at the older Flores' home used ground-penetrating radar and dug on the property using hand tools.

Investigators then recovered some items as evidence. Ruben's lawyer, Harold Mesick, said at the time that he did not think officials will find anything in their search.

Mesick added that he believes the search was just more of the "ongoing harassment" of his client's family.

Kristin Smart's Murder Case

Kristin Smart was 19 years old at the time of her disappearance. She was last seen on May 25, 1996, walking back to her dorm after an off-campus party. 

Smart was a freshman at the California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, at the time of her disappearance. Based on a timeline compiled by the New York Times, Smart left the party at around 2 a.m.

She was walked back from the party by Paul Flores, another man, and a woman. The two slowly took off after Flores repeatedly insisted he could get Smart home safely.

Flores was one of Smart's college classmates at the time. Smart was allegedly heavily intoxicated with Flores after the off-campus party.

He was believed to have killed Smart in his dorm room while he tried to rape her. However, Flores maintained that he only walked with Smart to his dorm, and they parted ways.

A missing person report was filed for Smart three days after she was last seen. Investigators said Flores was the last person to see Smart before she disappeared. Smart's family declared her legally dead in 2002.

READ MORE: Ghislaine Maxwell's Brother Says Sister's Paying the Price After Jeffrey Epstein Killed Himself

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Paul Flores Sentenced to 25 Years to Life for Kristin Smart Killing - From ABC 7 Chicago