After spending nearly 30 years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit, Ricky Birch has been awarded $5.7 million in a civil trial against the Town of New Milford and two former police detectives. While the jury found that the detectives did not violate Birch’s right to a fair trial, they did find one detective liable for common law negligence. Birch and Shawn Henning were both convicted of murder in 1989, but their convictions were overturned in 2019 leading to their exonerations. The State of Connecticut had previously settled with Birch and Henning for $25.2 million.
Henning, who settled with the Town of New Milford for $2.5 million, testified during the civil trial. New Milford’s attorneys argued that the detectives played a minimal role in the investigation, led by the Connecticut State Police. New Milford Mayor Pete Bass stated that he will be meeting with the town’s attorneys to discuss the verdict and plans moving forward. This settlement comes as a step towards justice for Birch and Henning after their wrongful convictions.
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