Criminal evidence expert catapulted to stardom
Top Chinese American forensic expert Henry Lee has signed a contract to playhimself in a TV show based on his life's work, the scientist has revealed in an exclusive interview with RFA's Mandarin service.
"Court TV Fox has signed a contract with me," Lee said. The 13-episode series will document the forensicexpert's best-known cases for a U.S. audience.
"The first [segment] will be in Hawaii. A detective in Hawaii murders his wifeand deliberately makes the scene look like a car accident. Following ourinvestigation, the case is eventually solved," Lee said.
Lee, who has been lauded in the international media for his forensic talent, has a track record of more than 7,000 investigations, both in the UnitedStates and internationally.
After the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Lee led a team of forensic experts whose job was to identify victims from human remains found in the wreckage of the Twin Towers by means of DNA tests.
His tenacious and diligent approach, along with his low-key wisdom, makeLee a quietly compelling hero in a country fascinated by litigation, aswell as a champion of the scientific rules of hard evidence and thesupremacy of the rule of law.
"I have seen thousands of people die in front of me. I have seen penniless,homeless people die in front of me. People are all the same in the end," Leesaid. "The most important thing is how to achieve a perspective on life andhow an ordinary person like me can influence other people."
Lee, 66 and a native of Jiangsu Province, told RFA last January that too much of a fuss had been made of his achievements, which had "built up too much of a legend."
Nevertheless, Lee will give a verbal account of his most famous cases to theeditorial team that writes the show.
But he maintains a down-to-earth approach in the face of stardom, sayingthat he has no wish to expand or exaggerate the shock of criminal wrongdoing. He simply hopes that with the aid of other people's stories, he can show that the law always prevails in the end.
Lee's work is also known and valued in the country of his birth. He is bestknown in China by his Chinese name, Li Changyu, after he helped to catch aserial killer in the central city of Wuhan.
He is honorary director of forensic science at China's prestigious national police academy, and he ran classes there for several months.
And the advice he offers to aspiring detectives the world over?
"The most important thing is to have scientific evidence. The second is tokeep a clear head. You cannot be too subjective," he says. "Study hard everyday."#####