Fresno County prosecutors have filed charges against a self-proclaimed “satanist” accused of stabbing the man convicted of killing California Polytechnic State University student, Kristin Smart.
Jason Richard Budrow, 43, is accused of stabbing Paul Flores, 47, who’s behind bars at California’s Pleasant State Valley Prison, for the 1996 murder of Cal Poly Tech college student, Kristin Smart. Budrow allegedly stabbed Flores in the neck several times on August 23, using a “manufactured weapon.”
The alleged incident happened inside the prison, where both men are serving life sentences for murder. In 2010, Budrow was convicted of strangling his girlfriend, CBS News reports, and will now face attempted murder charges in connection with Flores’ stabbing.
Medical staff transported Flores via airlift to the Community Regional Medical Center, where he’s currently receiving treatment.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, a jury convicted Flores, who attended Cal Poly with 19-year-old Smart, of murder in October 2022. Although her remains have never been found, investigators believe Flores killed Smart at the college before eventually hiding her body under his father Ruben’s shed in Arroyo Grande.
It’s unclear why Budrow stabbed Flores, but according to Law&Crime, he’s serving an additional life sentence for killing Roger Reece Kibbe, also known as the ‘I-5 Strangler.”
Budrow is scheduled for an arraignment on January 8.
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[Feature Photo: Right: Paul Flores/San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office and Kristin Smart/handout]
