A federal judge has found famed forensic scientist Henry Lee liable for fabricating evidence in a murder case that sent two men to prison for decades for a crime they did not commit. The ruling Friday sends the federal wrongful conviction lawsuit against the police and the town of New Milford to trial. Ralph “Ricky” Birch and Shawn Henning were convicted of felony murder in the Dec. 1, 1985, slaying of 65-year-old Everett Carr. Their convictions were based in part on false testimony about what were thought to be blood stains on a towel. A judge vacated the felony murder convictions in 2020 after it was shown the stains were not blood. Questions were raised over whether Lee had tested the towel.
