Guilt by Expert: How Flawed Fire Science Stole 16 Years from Kristine Bunch
Investigators quickly labeled the fire as arson, pointing to a gas can and so-called “accelerant burn patterns.” With no clear motive and Kristine insisting she was innocent, prosecutors leaned heavily on expert testimony at her 1996 trial. That testimony claimed a strong petroleum distillate caused the fire. The jury believed the experts. Kristine was convicted of murder and arson and sentenced to 60 years in prison.
From behind bars, Kristine refused to give up. She fought for the truth, eventually connecting with attorney Hilary Bowe Ricks and the Center on Wrongful Convictions. What they uncovered was explosive: hidden ATF files showed no heavy petroleum distillate was ever found in the bedroom. The expert testimony that sealed her fate was either deeply flawed or an outright lie. Advances in fire science also proved the original arson theory was junk science.
In a stunning reversal, the court overturned her conviction on March 21, 2012. Kristine walked free in August after all charges were dismissed—after serving 16 years for a crime she did not commit. Today, she speaks out as an advocate against wrongful convictions, exposing how bias, bad science, and blind trust in “experts” can destroy innocent lives.
