Henry Lee, forensic scientist who testified in the O.J. Simpson trial, dies at 87
Born in China, Lee eventually moved to the US, where he gained prominence for his involvement in high-profile cases
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” on 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 six-year-old JonBenet 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.
Born in mainland China, the 11th of 13 children, Lee and his family moved to Taiwan where he earned a degree in police administration and became a police officer and later a captain. He and his late wife moved to the US in 1964, where he earned advanced degrees in forensic science and biochemistry.