In the all-out warfare of celebrity trials, forensic scientist Henry C. Lee is the nuclear weapon. Prosecutors and defense lawyers scramble to hire him in the hours after a high-profile arrest -- not only to bolster their cases but also to keep him from joining the other side.
Lee has worked on the biggest celebrity cases of the last two decades: O.J. Simpson, William Kennedy Smith, Kobe Bryant, JonBenet Ramsey, Scott Peterson, Chandra Levy, Michael Skakel. His work has brought him his own fame. He has had his own cable TV show, courtrooms fill with spectators when he shows up for a trial, and he is hounded for autographs in public.
So when Lana Clarkson, a 40-year-old actress, was found shot to death Feb. 3, 2003, in music producer Phil Spector's home, attorney Robert Shapiro immediately flew in Lee from his Connecticut home. The lawyer got Lee into Spector's Alhambra mansion by the next evening to begin the scientific hunt for evidence to prove Spector innocent -- or at least produce doubt of his guilt in jurors' minds.
But in a startling blow to Lee's illustrious career, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler said he already has reasonable doubt -- about Lee's credibility.
Fidler ruled last month that prosecutors could present testimony that Lee took evidence from the crime scene and kept it from prosecutors.
The judge said testimony about what was taken was inconclusive, but prosecutors claimed that it was a piece of Clarkson's acrylic nail that was blown off when she held her hand in front of her face to try to defend herself against the bullet that killed her. That could show that, contrary to the contention of Spector's lawyers, she did not kill herself.
Lee, when vigorously denying that he improperly took anything from the crime scene, captured the magnitude of the allegation. "I think my reputation [is] severely damaged," he said.
Fidler's ruling could weaken Lee's testimony, although defense attorneys say they plan to stick with him. An expert on analyzing the patterns of bloodstains, Lee is expected to testify that the size and number of blood spots on Spector's jacket show he was standing too far from Clarkson to have shot her.
The judge's decision could also damage Lee beyond the Spector case. Future courtroom opponents might cite the ruling to chip at Lee's stature; prosecutors and defense attorneys might even decide not to hire him at all.
