Iris Seabolt speaks out after full exoneration

SOUTH BEND, Ind.--- Iris Seabolt spoke publicly for the first time since she was fully exonerated of a false murder charge that put her behind bars for two decades of her life.

"It's a relief just to have my name cleared," said Seabolt, "to have my children and grandchildren and anybody else that knows and loves me, for them to know without a shadow of a doubt, 'She did not do this.'"

"I didn't get to finish watching my son grow up; he was 17. My daughter was 19 and pregnant with my first grandchild," Seabolt said. "I missed every birthday, every holiday with my grandchildren."

Seabolt was wrongfully convicted for the 2000 murder of AJ Williams in Elkhart. She ended up taking a plea deal, which she now says she was coerced to take, and served 19 years of her sentence.

She was a client of the Notre Dame Exoneration Justice Clinic, which alleges that fabricated witness statements by jailhouse informants secured Seabolt's conviction. Her attorneys joined Seabolt

Seabolt was released from prison in 2022, but her conviction wasn't vacated until this April. Just this week, an Elkhart judge granted a motion to drop all charges against her, officially exonerating the 63-year-old. In fact, Friday was Seabolt's birthday, as she spoke publicly for the first time as a free woman.

"Well, you know, my faith in God is what got me through it," said Seabolt. "I look forward to being able to help others who have been through this, and to help others not go through this."

Seabolt said she's not clear on what the future holds for her, but she wants to educate others about wrongful convictions.

More than anything, she's excited to spend her new freedom with her two children, two grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.