Henry Lee, the forensic scientist who became a household name through televised testimony in the O.J. Simpson murder case, died at 87, his family and the University of New Haven said. Lee died “passed away peacefully” on Friday at his home in Henderson, Nevada, after a brief illness, according to a statement from his family and the university, where he taught for more than 50 years.
Lee gained widespread attention after he took the stand in Simpson’s 1995 trial, where he questioned the handling of blood evidence, according to the obituary report. He continued working in other major criminal cases, serving as a consultant on investigations including the 1996 slaying of 6-year-old JonBenet Ramsey in Colorado, the 2004 murder trial of Scott Peterson, and the 2007 murder trial of record producer Phil Spector.
In earlier years, Lee also helped bring attention to forensic methods through work in Connecticut. The obituary said he first rose to prominence for his efforts investigating the 1986 disappearance of flight attendant Helle Crafts, where prosecutors won a conviction despite having no body, using small fragments of evidence found near Crafts’ home.
Lee spoke publicly about his role in high-profile cases as he stepped down as commissioner of the Connecticut State Police, telling a 2000 article, “Sometimes they compare me to Sherlock Holmes or Charlie Chan. Those are just fictional characters,” adding, “In real life, the scientists, detectives and public have to work together. … We don’t get commercial breaks.”
His later career, however, included periods of legal and reputational scrutiny. The obituary said that in 2020, a state judge vacated the 1985 murder convictions of two Connecticut men, in part after tests conducted during appeals showed stains on a towel were not blood.
A federal judge in 2023 said there was no evidence to back up Lee’s testimony, the obituary continued. Lee denied that he fabricated evidence, arguing that traces of blood may have degraded over the two decades between the crime and when defense experts tested the towel.
The statement from the University of New Haven described Lee’s work as foundational to the school’s forensic science efforts. It said Lee spent much of his career based in Connecticut, including as head of the state’s forensic laboratory, and helped build New Haven’s forensic science program from a single fingerprint kit into a multidisciplinary academic department. The university also said Lee later helped found a forensics institute that bears his name to train forensic and criminal justice professionals and provide case consultation.
The university’s president, Jens Frederiksen, said Lee was “a remarkable individual,” and added that “His contributions to our University as well as forensic science and law enforcement are extraordinary and unmatched.” Frederiksen said Lee’s legacy would live on in the generations of students and law enforcement professionals Lee impacted.
Lee authored or co-authored more than 40 books and, the university said, was finalizing a book on missing-person investigations at the time of his death.