Legal panel approves payouts for wrongfully convicted
By Sandra Chapman on October 16, 2020
INDIANAPOLIS — After a year of waiting, payouts are on the way from Indiana’s exoneration fund.
The board of trustees at the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute (ICJI) held its first public hearing for applicants.
13Investigates examined how the state is moving forward to address a criminal justice system that isn’t always just.
A panel of legal minds came together on a conference call inside a meeting room Thursday at the Indiana Government Center to vote on whether Kristine Bunch and others should get a state payout for convictions vacated years ago. Both money and a badge of innocence were on the line.
“There is sufficient evidence to conclude the fire was accidental in nature as opposed to intentionally set,” said Judge AmyMarie Travis of Jackson County, outlining her recommendation of approval for Bunch.
In the back of the room, Bunch wiped away tears as she traded glances with a friend and her attorney.
Bunch has waited years to hear these words from a judge. But even in the moment, they were met with nagging allegations about the 1996 arson and death of her 3-year-old son. She spent 17 years of a 110-year sentence behind bars for what she maintains was a tragic accident.
In 2012, the conviction was tossed out after a team of attorneys discovered arson reports prepared by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms were altered.
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