Author: Dr. Henry C. Lee, with Thomas W. O'Neil
Publisher: Prometheus Books, Mar 2006
Binding: Hardcover
ISBN: 1-57392-985-9
Synopsis
Takes the reader through the entire investigative process of five murder cases, with Dr. Lee as the tour guide. Includes the O.J. Simpson case. Illus, 316 pgs.
More Information
Featured on ABC News' 20/20, Larry King Live, Entertainment tonight, The Montel Williams Show & NPR's Talk of the Nation: Science Friday.
Truly a legend in his own time, Dr. Henry C. Lee is considered by many to be the greatest forensic scientist in the world. He gained widespread public recognition through his testimony in the televised O. J. Simpson trial. Since that time he has helped with the Jon Benet Ramsey case and the investigations of mass murder in Croatia.
This book will take the reader through the entire investigative process of five murder cases, with Dr. Lee as the tour guide. The cases include: the O. J. Simpson case, in which Dr. Lee's analysis of the blood evidence at the crime scene revealed that the Los Angeles Police Department had missed several blood drops on the back of Nicole Simpson, a footprint belonging to a second possible assailant, and the physical improbability of Mr. Simpson's climbing a fence to return to his home; the "woodchipper murder," in which an Eastern Airlines pilot murdered his wife and then put her body through a woodchipper in an attempt to dispose of the remains; the Mathison murder, in which a veteran Hawaiian police sergeant claimed to have accidentally run over his wife after she fled the family van during a dispute; the Ed Sherman murder, in which a college English professor attempted to disguise the time of his wife's death by turning up the air conditioning unit in their house and then using the alibi that he was away from the home sailing on the day the crime allegedly took place; and the McArthur murder, in which a police sergeant shot and killed his wife, but then tried to make it appear that she had accidentally killed herself.
In each case, Dr. Lee presents in scientific detail how he investigated the murders, analyzed the evidence, and used techniques that played a critical role in bringing criminals to justice. He discusses how the criminalist examines blood spatter evidence and uses blood identification, DNA analysis, and other forensic technologies developed in the world's best laboratories. This is a fascinating insider's look by a world-renowned expert into the pursuit of justice in some of the most grisly criminal cases of recent times.
WHAT THE EXPERTS ARE SAYING:
"True-crime buffs will snap this up."--Booklist
"...doubly appealing for murder-mystery lovers. It digs deeply into real-life killings, and it offers an expert's firsthand look at forensics."--Dallas Morning News
"Lee's skill at interpreting crime scenes shines on every page. His admonitions concerning the preserving of crime scene integrity should be included in every textbook description of investigative procedure."-American Scientist
"Having worked with Henry Lee convinced me that he was a master sleuth. Now having read Henry Lee convinces me that he is also a master mystery writer - but always of fact, never of fiction."--Alan M. Dershowitz, Professor of Law and author of Shouting Fire: Civil Liberties in a Turbulent Age
"Dr. Lee is a genius, a modern day Sherlock Holmes with a much better sense of humor."--Barry C. Scheck, Professor & Director of Innocence Project, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, New York
"Dr. Henry C. Lee's book, Cracking Cases, is a 'must read' from the world's greatest criminalist. Dr. Lee leads us on an investigative journey to justice in five sensational murder cases." -Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Dr. Henry C. Lee (Branford, CT), Chief Emeritus in the Department of Public Safety in Meriden, CT, has been a consultant for over 300 police and law enforcement agencies and an expert witness in many high profile cases for both the prosecution and the defense. He is a distinguished fellow of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, the editor for seven academic journals, the author or coauthor of more than 20 books, including Cracking More Cases (the sequel to this book) as well as 300 articles in professional journals. Dr. Lee has been a frequent guest on Larry King Live, as well as numerous other national television programs.
Thomas W. O'Neil (Guilford, CT) is a professional writer and instructor of journalism at Gateway Community College.