A Master Class in Investigation with Henry C. Lee: the Lana Clarkson and Phil Spector Case
Two weeks ago, a genius died. Dr. Henry C. Lee, one of the first pioneers of DNA in detective work, and the investigator they call the “Sherlock Holmes of our times” went off to the better world.
Dr. Lee was the founder of my College at the University of New Haven. He was still working hard at age 86-years-old. We had several, long, intense conversations about various cases. At another time, I will write about his effect on me and his extraordinary personality but for now here is an reissue of an interview with Dr. Lee from 2021.
We spoke about one of his most famous mysterious death cases and to hear his description of blood stain splatter, DNA, and crime scene investigation is to hear from a true master.
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It was a killing that involved a Hollywood actress, one of the greatest musicians that America has ever produced, and a mystery that took almost 12 years two court trials and three legal appeals to resolve.
Lana Clarkson, Hollywood actress, in happier days
On February 2, 2003. Phil Spector, the man behind the Beatles album ‘Let it Be’, John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’, George Harrison’s ‘My Sweet Lord’, and countless other top music hits, left his Los Angeles mansion. He came back at midnight with a gorgeous blonde actress, Lana Clarkson. They got drunk. He played the piano, they sang. But at two o’clock in the morning, there was a single gunshot that echoed over the neighborhood. And then Phil Spector stepped out of the door and said, “I think I just shot her”.
Phil Spector at the murder trial
Or did he?
Because when the man known as America’s modern-day Sherlock Holmes began to investigate, it was not so clear.
On CrimeWaves podcast - a master class with Dr. Henry C. Lee.
Dr Lee was the first pioneer of the linkage between DNA analysis and detective work. He is an expert in crime scene analysis and a superb investigator. He trains police forces around the world but, in this episode, he talks about this high-profile Hollywood crime case, the tragedy surrounding it and the attack on his professional reputation.
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