Officer Shortt was involved in the investigation leading to the wrongful convictions of Ralph Birch and Shawn Henning for a 1985 murder. Allegations included that Shortt failed to intervene when a fellow officer elicited false witness statements against Birch, violating his constitutional right to a fair trial. After Birch and Henning’s convictions were overturned in 2019, lawsuits were filed against Shortt for his role in the flawed investigation. The district court denied Shortt’s motion for summary judgment, highlighting genuine disputes of material fact regarding his actions during the investigation.
[Return to blog post](https://watchaudits.com/david-shortt-new-milford-police-department/)
.
