News stories about US forensic scientist Dr. Henry Lee (
The former commissioner of Connecticut's Department of Public Safety was born in Juhao County, Chiangsu Province, China, on Nov. 22, 1938. With his 12 brothers and sisters, Lee moved to Taiwan with his parents in 1947. Lee's father died during the trip.
When he was 19, Lee was admitted to Tamkang College, National Taiwan Ocean University and Central Police University. He decided to attend Central Police University because he could not afford the tuition at the other schools.
After he graduated, Lee, like many other officers, started on the force as a captain in the foreign affairs department. Eventually he quit his job because at that time the most important positions on the force were assigned only to military personnel.
Lee and his wife Margaret decided to move to Malaysia to begin a new life. In Kuala Lumpur, Lee was editor in chief of a Chinese-language newspaper. The couple decided to move to New York in 1966.
Six years later, Lee earned his second bachelor's degree in forensic science from John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
Lee continued his studies and earned a master's in science and a doctoral degree in biochemistry from New York University. He completed his graduate studies in only two years.
In 1975, he volunteered to assist the Connecticut State Police in developing their forensic laboratory services and he introduced the Major Crime Squad concept for criminal investigations. In the meantime, he had also completed special training courses at the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the Drug Enforcement Agency, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and at other institutions.
In 1979, he was appointed the first chief criminalist for the state of Connecticut.
Currently, he is the chief emeritus of the Connecticut State Police, founder and professor of the Forensic Science Program at the University of New Haven and an adjunct professor at 10 other universities and law schools in the US and abroad.
Lee, already well-known, became famous when he testified in the O. J. Simpson case in 1994. Partly due to Lee's forensic analysis, Simpson was found not guilty.
When he was appointed the commissioner of Connecticut's Department of Public Safety in 1998, he was the first Taiwanese-American to become the top police officer in any US state.
During his 45 years as a forensic scientist, Lee has investigated more than 4,000 homicides a year. He testifies as an expert witness more than 100 times a year.
Lee has assisted local investigators with many cases in Taiwan, such as the Hsichih Trio murder case and the murder of naval captain Yin Ching-feng (
Lee's wife once described him as a workaholic. Her view seems to be confirmed by Lee's coming to Taiwan to assist in the investigation of Chen and Lu's shooting.
According to Hou You-yi (侯友宜), commissioner of the National Police Administration's Criminal Investigation Bureau, Lee started working immediately after he landed in Taiwan at 5am on Friday. He didn't eat or drink anything until around 8am, in Tainan.
"He spent more than 20 hours in the air, another 20 hours working afterward and then got up again to have a meeting with us yesterday morning. He only slept for about four hours but he never said he was tired," Hou said. "He did nothing but work."
In addition to his professional skills and expertise in forensic science, Lee is also well-known for his passion for helping the younger generation. Most forensic scientists in Taiwan were his students at one time, including Taiwan's top forensic officer, Judy Cheng (程曉桂).
"Lee has been my mentor. Because of this, I try to tell my students everything I know whenever we have a chance to work on cases," Cheng said.
"If there is anything good that I have, I got it from him," she said.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
INCREASED CAPACITY: The flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays would leave Singapore in the morning and Taipei in the afternoon Singapore Airlines is adding four supplementary flights to Taipei per week until May to meet increased tourist and business travel demand, the carrier said on Friday. The addition would raise the number of weekly flights it operates to Taipei to 18, Singapore Airlines Taiwan general manager Timothy Ouyang (歐陽漢源) said. The airline has recorded a steady rise in tourist and business travel to and from Taipei, and aims to provide more flexible travel arrangements for passengers, said Ouyang, who assumed the post in July last year. From now until Saturday next week, four additional flights would depart from Singapore on Monday, Wednesday, Friday
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday reported the return of large-scale Chinese air force activities after their unexplained absence for more than two weeks, which had prompted speculation regarding Beijing’s motives. China usually sends fighter jets, drones and other military aircraft around the nation on a daily basis. Interruptions to such routine are generally caused by bad weather. The Ministry of National Defense said it had detected 26 Chinese military aircraft in the Taiwan Strait over the previous 24 hours. It last reported that many aircraft on Feb. 25, when it spotted 30 aircraft, saying Beijing was carrying out another “joint combat
Taiwan successfully defended its women’s 540 kilogram title and won its first-ever men’s 640 kg title at the 2026 World Indoor Tug of War Championships in Taipei yesterday. In the women’s event, Taiwan’s eight-person squad reached the final following a round-robin preliminary round and semifinals featuring teams from Ukraine, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, the Basque Country and South Korea. In the finals, they swept the Basque team 2-0, giving the team composed mainly of National Taiwan Normal University students and graduates its second championship in a row, and its fourth in five years. Team captain
RSS