Indianapolis, IN – May 21, 2026 – The Indiana Innocence Project (INIP) has announced Kristine Bunch, a prominent Indiana exoneree and champion for justice reform, as its first Director, effective May 4, 2026. Following a 17-year wrongful imprisonment in Indiana for a crime that did not take place, Ms. Bunch was exonerated in 2012. She has since committed her career to supporting exonerees through mentorship and working to prevent future wrongful convictions on a national scale. In her new role, Ms. Bunch will focus on improving operational effectiveness and expanding legal support for a growing Indiana not-for-profit innocence organization. She brings extensive national experience in policy, justice reform, and exoneree support to the INIP team.
Kristine Bunch was wrongfully convicted of felony murder for setting a fire that claimed the life of her three-year-old son, Anthony, on June 30, 1995, in a trailer home in Decatur County, Indiana. She was sentenced to 60 years for murder and 50 years for arson. Ten years into her conviction, the Center on Wrongful Convictions at Northwestern investigated and found that the arson testimony presented by the prosecution at Ms. Bunch’s trial had been false. The ATF found no signs of a liquid accelerant in her son’s bedroom, but this exculpatory evidence was not produced before trial. On March 21, 2012, the Indiana Court of Appeals reversed her conviction citing evolving and more reliable fire science. The prosecution ultimately dropped the charges.
Director Bunch will turn her passion and attention to guiding the intake and case review collaborative system central to the INIP mission.
“Kristine’s intelligence and resiliency, after decades of painful incarceration while grieving the loss of her son, created a powerful advocate and leader,” said Fran Watson, INIP Board President. “Her trauma is now her life’s work, fighting to ensure that the innocent in Indiana prisons don’t sit behind bars without advocates fighting for their freedom. We are proud to have Kristine’s energy and wisdom as part of the leadership team at INIP. The INIP Board knows that she will make a lasting impact for the organization, and, most importantly, the clients we serve.”
Beyond her advocacy in Indiana, Ms. Bunch sits as one of five exonerees on the Innocence Network Executive Board. She serves on the Executive Board for Life After Justice. Over the past 11 years, she has been a devoted educator for the Illinois Innocence Project, teaching law enforcement, students, and the general public about the roots of wrongful convictions. Furthermore, she has successfully recruited and organized dozens of exonerees from across the country to share their stories at law enforcement academies, specifically focusing on strategies to prevent such injustices in the future.
“During my wrongful incarceration and the years that followed my exoneration, I had no choice but to find strength and build my own community to survive,” said Kristine Bunch, Director at INIP. “Innocent is the proudest title I’ve had to date, and I wouldn’t have that title without the support of the Innocence Network and its members. I’m ready to bring my years of experience in advocacy, education, and legal support to this new role at Indiana Innocence Project to further the mission of serving the wrongfully convicted and implementing meaningful legislative reforms aimed at preventing and rectifying wrongful convictions of Indiana residents.”
While incarcerated, Ms. Bunch earned undergraduate degrees in English, anthropology, and educational psychology from Ball State University. In addition to her Executive Board Member position, she serves on the Innocence Project’s Speakers Bureau and Policy Committee. Since 2015, she has worked with the Illinois Innocence Project as the Coordinator and Recruiter for Wrongful Conviction Awareness and Avoidance Training (WCAA). Ms. Bunch has also served on the Board of Directors for Interrogating Justice and as Executive Director of JustIS 4 JustUS, Inc.
The Indiana Innocence Project joined the Innocence Network in 2025, thanks to the success of a development grant from the Herbert Simon Family Foundation. The network is a coalition of 74 independent not-for-profit organizations and educational programs that provide legal services to wrongfully convicted individuals, work to reform the criminal legal system, and support exonerated individuals after they are freed. Since 2005, Innocence Network members have collectively exonerated more than 850 people.
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