Nearly 30 years later, family of slain California college student sues school for wrongful death

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (AP) — The family of a California college student who vanished nearly three decades ago has sued the school, alleging it caused Kristin Smart’s murder through negligence. The suit filed Thursday contends that California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo could have prevented Smart’s death if it had properly dealt with previous allegations that another student, Paul Flores, had stalked and harassed women there. The 19-year-old Smart vanished from campus over the Memorial Day weekend in 1996. Flores was convicted of her murder last year and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. Prosecutors say he killed Smart while trying to rape her in his dorm room.