Posted on 03/28/2026 2:25:47 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Henry Lee, the famed forensic scientist who helped bring modern crime scene investigation into the public spotlight through his involvement in high-profile cases like the O.J. Simpson murder trial, has died. He was 87.
Lee "passed away peacefully" Friday at his home in Henderson, Nevada, following a brief illness, according to a statement from his family and the University of New Haven, where he taught for more than 50 years.
Lee rose to fame after his testimony in Simpson's 1995 trial, in which he questioned the handling of blood evidence. He also served as a consultant in other well known investigations, including the 1996 slaying of 6-year-old JonBenét Ramsey in Colorado; the 2004 murder trial of Scott Peterson, who was accused of killing his pregnant wife, Laci; and the 2007 murder trial of record producer Phil Spector.
But Lee's work drew scrutiny in his later years, with a 2023 federal court ruling finding him liable for fabricating evidence in a 1985 murder case that sent two Connecticut men to prison for decades.
From China to the U.S. and a meteoric rise to prominence
Born in China, Lee and his family moved to Taiwan where earned a degree in police administration and became a police officer and later a captain, the youngest in Taipei history. He and his late wife moved to the U.S. in 1964, where he earned advanced degrees in forensic science and biochemistry. Back in China, a multi-story museum stands in his honor.
Lee first gained prominence for his work in Connecticut investigating the 1986 disappearance of flight attendant Helle Crafts — using tiny fragments of bone, a thumb tip, a tooth crown and pieces of hair found near her home to help authorities make the case that Craft's husband had cut up her body and disposed of it in a wood chipper. Prosecutors won a conviction despite having no body.
"Sometimes they compare me to Sherlock Holmes or Charlie Chan. Those are just fictional characters,″ Lee was quoted as saying in a 2000 article, as he stepped down as commissioner of the Connecticut State Police. "In real life, the scientists, detectives and public have to work together. ... We don't get commercial breaks."
Lee continued to work on high-profile cases, but in 2020, a state judge vacated the 1985 murder convictions of two men who had been found guilty in part based on testimony about what Lee said at the time were bloodstains on a towel. Tests done after the trial, when the men were appealing their convictions, showed the stains were not blood.
Defending his reputation and work
A federal judge in 2023 said there was no evidence to back up Lee's testimony. Lee defended his reputation and work, denying that he fabricated evidence and suggesting traces of blood may have degraded in the 20 years between the crime and when experts for the defense tested the towel.
Lee ultimately spent much of his career based in Connecticut, including as head of the state's forensic laboratory. At the University of New Haven, he helped to build its forensic science program from a single fingerprint kit into a multidisciplinary academic department. Lee later helped found a forensics institute in his name at the school to train and provide case consultation to forensic and criminal justice professionals. He also hosted a crime-documentary series in 2004 on then Court TV titled, "Trace Evidence: The Case Files of Dr. Henry Lee."
"Dr. Lee was a remarkable individual," University of New Haven President Jens Frederiksen said in a statement."His contributions to our University as well as forensic science and law enforcement, are extraordinary and unmatched. His legacy lives on in the generations of students and law enforcement professionals he impacted throughout his brilliant career."
Lee told graduates at the university's spring commencement in 2025, "There is no obstacle that cannot be overcome if you persist and believe."
The author or co-author of more than 40 books, Lee was finalizing a book on missing-persons investigations in his final days, the university's statement said. It's expected to still be released.
Smart man. High IQ immigrant.
If the glove doesn’t fit, you must acquit
The glove did fit him, he bent his fingers to he couldn’t get it on.
I knew OJ was guilty when I saw that
“The glove did fit him, he bent his fingers to he couldn’t get it on.”
That idiot judge allowed oj the I did it killer to wear RUBBER surgical gloves while trying on the glove in evidence.
The friction between a rubber surgical glove and a leather glove covered in dried blood was NEVER going to fit.
I knew that then.
Anybody that’s ever played baseball will tell you, when your glove gets wet, it shrinks when it dries.
Those two dei prosecutors were either in on it or completely incompetent.
OJ HAD ON A PAIR OF LATEX GLOVES-—& THEN THE “LEATHER GLOVES WERE TRIED.....
A TOTAL SCAM
TRY THIS AT HOME...CANNOT GET THE LEATHER GLOVES OVER THE LATEX GLOVES.
Boy does that name bring back memories. I was hooked on the OJ trial, and SO damn pissed when that sack of poo got away with murder
I worked in a hospital at that time, but being in a job that required a lot from me, I rarely took the time to stop, as I should have one day when I walked through a waiting room, and a crowd of patients, doctors, techs and nurses were gathered around a monitor watching the verdict.
I didn’t stop, and I am glad I didn’t given the result.
The first NFL game I ever watched in person was the New England Patriots versus the Buffalo Bills, Schafer Stadium, 1973. Last game of the season, It was a sleety or snowy day. And OJ Simpson ran up and down that field, setting the NFL record for not only most yards rushed in a game, but most yards rushed in a year. (up to that point)
And I enjoyed his stupid roles in the Naked Gun movies.
But after he murdered those two people, I just can’t watch them anymore. His murders he committed took all the silliness and fun out of those movies.
I still have a hard time believing he got off.
Did he?
Good point, FRiend…good point.
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