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Cracking Cases: The Science of Solving Crimes
Truly a legend in his own time, Dr. Henry C. Lee is considered by many to be the greatest forensic criminalist in the world. He has gained widespread public recognition through his involvement in many high-profile cases. Now, as a follow-up to his highly acclaimed Cracking Cases, Dr. Lee describes in intimate detail his work in personally investigating five notorious murder cases, while demonstrating the fascinating scientific techniques of forensic science. Taking the reader through the entire investigative process, Dr. Lee shares his thoughts on two high profile Skakel-Moxley Murder. This case, which had remained unsolved for three decades, seized the headlines since it involved the nephews of Ethyl Kennedy and the late Sen. Robert F. Kennedy. In the fall of 1975, the partially clad body of fifteen-year-old Martha Moxley was found by a neighbor near the home of Rushton Skakel, the older brother of Ethyl Kennedy. The night before, Martha had visited Skakel's teenage sons at their house while the father was away on a hunting trip. At 10 p.m., Martha reportedly left the Skakel residence to return to her own house, a few doors away. She never made it home.For twenty-four years no one was prosecuted. Finally, in 1999, Dr. Lee and two other professionals were appointed to a special task force charged with reviewing all of the evidence and reinvestigating the case. In May of 2002, the case finally came to trial and Dr. Lee testified before the jury. Dr. Lee's testimony focused on a reconstruction of the crime scene and "indirect forensic evidence." The ultimate verdict surprised many experienced courtroom observers.The JonBenet Ramsey Case. The murder of six-year-old beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey has created a frenzy of media speculation, partly because local Colorado authorities bungled the initial handling of the evidence. Two months after discovery of the little girl's body, Dr. Lee was asked to help with the inquiry. Dr. Lee knows as much about the forensic evidence in this case as anyone alive ― except for the murderer. He provides a particularly extensive discussion of the complexities of this provocative case.Dr. Lee also describes his investigations of the Serra, Barrett, and Deng murder cases, which took place in California, Florida, and Connecticut. Each of these cases have taken dramatic twists and turns. Dr. Lee presents in scientific detail how he investigated the murders, analyzed the evidence, and used techniques that have played a critical role in bringing many 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. Dr. Lee also makes the point that forensics continues to advance. With every new scientific development, the prospect of solving seemingly baffling "cold cases" becomes greater.This page-turner by a world-renowned expert offers an intriguing insider's look into the pursuit of justice in some of the most notorious and troubling criminal cases of recent times.
313 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 10, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
September 2, 2008
Good book on forensic evidence on some very famous crimes by the King of forensics. I enjoyed it but wasnt AWESOME
April 3, 2025
Dr Henry C Lee books never dissapoint. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
August 14, 2019
Dr. Lee is the real Charlie Chan
There are five cases in this book examined in detail by the illustrious Dr. Henry Lee. They are
The Concetta "Penney" Serra Case
The Skakel-Moxley Case
The JonBenet Ramsey Case
The Lisa Peng Case; and
The Suzan Barratt Case.
I'll look briefly at two of them.
The longest chapter in the book is on the JonBenet Ramsey case. Lee gives a comprehensive summary of events from a forensic point of view including a lot of material about the rift between the Boulder police and the district attorney's office, and the problems they had with the intensive media coverage. I didn't learn anything new, having read several books on the case, but I would note that twice Lee mentions that the blow to the head that JonBenet suffered was "fatal." This is significant since it means that the ligature application around her neck was not the cause of death. This would be another bit of evidence indicating an elaborate attempt at a coverup.
I was disappointed that Lee would not venture an opinion on who killed JonBenet, although at one point he indicates that he advised the District Attorney, Alex Hunter, that she may have died as the result of an accident during some kind of domestic quarrel. The conclusion that many who followed the case came to was that Patsy Ramsey lost her temper (perhaps over JonBenet's bed-wetting) and either hit JonBenet with some instrument--a golf club, a flashlight--or shook her so hard that JonBenet hit her head on something like the porcelain toilet. Unable to revive her child, Patsy Ramsey panicked, and in her distraught state of mind devised an elaborate coverup which she presented to her husband. Although he should have known better, John Ramsey decided to go along with the coverup. What they should have done of course was to own up to the accident. However, by applying the ligature around JonBenet's neck (presumably Patsy did that), they had burned their bridges and so were stuck with the transparent story. Fortunately for them the incompetent police so compromised the crime scene that they were never able to gain enough evidence to prove that the Ramseys were responsible. See Sgt. Steve Thomas's book Jon Benét: Inside the Ramsey Murder Investigation (2000) for an authoritative report on the case.
(For those who cling to the intruder story put out by John and Patsy Ramsey, I can only say the coverup letter and the coverup ligature seem fantastically out of place in such a scenario. However, even though I am fairly sure that the Ramseys in some way "did it," I would not convict them from the evidence I have seen since there is "reasonable" doubt about what actually happened. Furthermore, I believe they stupidly covered up an accident--or at worse a "manslaughter." They didn't mean to kill their daughter.)
In the Skakel-Moxley case, Dr. Lee is a bit more forthcoming in his opinion (perhaps because Michael Skakel was actually convicted of the murder of Martha Moxley). Still it is fascinating to read how carefully Dr. Lee presents his opinions. I followed the case and I've read Mark Fuhrman's book on the subject, Murder in Greenwich (1998). (Yes, he too from the O.J. Simpson trial.) One of the things that Dr. Lee does in this book is emphasize the sheer brutality of the murder as he describes in lurid detail how Skakel killed her with a golf club, hitting her so hard that the club broke; and then he stabbed her with the broken end of the club.
Two quick points:
One, notice that what these two cases (and others) have in common is poor police work by cops who were seemingly in awe of the wealth and status of the accused and their families and connections. In other words, if you're rich and famous, it is easier to get away with murder (literally).
Two, Dr. Lee makes the very excellent point (in his usual careful style) that our over reliance on confessions often does not make for justice. He writes, "questions raised about confessions by an increasing number of writers and scholars today only serve, in my scientist's opinion, to underscore the importance that forensic and scientific evidence will play in courtrooms in the years ahead." (p. 118)
Oh, and yes, Dr. Lee is very much taken with himself, but I think he has license. He really is a brilliant and enormously dedicated forensic scientist, so much so that he is sometimes hired by either the prosecution or the defense just so that he will then not be able to work for the other side! (Actually, it has happened that Dr. Lee has worked for both sides of a case, although I don't believe simultaneously.) He is a frequent visitor on Court TV and other media where his insights into cases are very much worth hearing.
Bottom line: interesting book, very much worth reading, especially if you haven't taken a detailed look at these cases.
--Dennis Littrell, author of the mystery novel, “Teddy and Teri”
There are five cases in this book examined in detail by the illustrious Dr. Henry Lee. They are
The Concetta "Penney" Serra Case
The Skakel-Moxley Case
The JonBenet Ramsey Case
The Lisa Peng Case; and
The Suzan Barratt Case.
I'll look briefly at two of them.
The longest chapter in the book is on the JonBenet Ramsey case. Lee gives a comprehensive summary of events from a forensic point of view including a lot of material about the rift between the Boulder police and the district attorney's office, and the problems they had with the intensive media coverage. I didn't learn anything new, having read several books on the case, but I would note that twice Lee mentions that the blow to the head that JonBenet suffered was "fatal." This is significant since it means that the ligature application around her neck was not the cause of death. This would be another bit of evidence indicating an elaborate attempt at a coverup.
I was disappointed that Lee would not venture an opinion on who killed JonBenet, although at one point he indicates that he advised the District Attorney, Alex Hunter, that she may have died as the result of an accident during some kind of domestic quarrel. The conclusion that many who followed the case came to was that Patsy Ramsey lost her temper (perhaps over JonBenet's bed-wetting) and either hit JonBenet with some instrument--a golf club, a flashlight--or shook her so hard that JonBenet hit her head on something like the porcelain toilet. Unable to revive her child, Patsy Ramsey panicked, and in her distraught state of mind devised an elaborate coverup which she presented to her husband. Although he should have known better, John Ramsey decided to go along with the coverup. What they should have done of course was to own up to the accident. However, by applying the ligature around JonBenet's neck (presumably Patsy did that), they had burned their bridges and so were stuck with the transparent story. Fortunately for them the incompetent police so compromised the crime scene that they were never able to gain enough evidence to prove that the Ramseys were responsible. See Sgt. Steve Thomas's book Jon Benét: Inside the Ramsey Murder Investigation (2000) for an authoritative report on the case.
(For those who cling to the intruder story put out by John and Patsy Ramsey, I can only say the coverup letter and the coverup ligature seem fantastically out of place in such a scenario. However, even though I am fairly sure that the Ramseys in some way "did it," I would not convict them from the evidence I have seen since there is "reasonable" doubt about what actually happened. Furthermore, I believe they stupidly covered up an accident--or at worse a "manslaughter." They didn't mean to kill their daughter.)
In the Skakel-Moxley case, Dr. Lee is a bit more forthcoming in his opinion (perhaps because Michael Skakel was actually convicted of the murder of Martha Moxley). Still it is fascinating to read how carefully Dr. Lee presents his opinions. I followed the case and I've read Mark Fuhrman's book on the subject, Murder in Greenwich (1998). (Yes, he too from the O.J. Simpson trial.) One of the things that Dr. Lee does in this book is emphasize the sheer brutality of the murder as he describes in lurid detail how Skakel killed her with a golf club, hitting her so hard that the club broke; and then he stabbed her with the broken end of the club.
Two quick points:
One, notice that what these two cases (and others) have in common is poor police work by cops who were seemingly in awe of the wealth and status of the accused and their families and connections. In other words, if you're rich and famous, it is easier to get away with murder (literally).
Two, Dr. Lee makes the very excellent point (in his usual careful style) that our over reliance on confessions often does not make for justice. He writes, "questions raised about confessions by an increasing number of writers and scholars today only serve, in my scientist's opinion, to underscore the importance that forensic and scientific evidence will play in courtrooms in the years ahead." (p. 118)
Oh, and yes, Dr. Lee is very much taken with himself, but I think he has license. He really is a brilliant and enormously dedicated forensic scientist, so much so that he is sometimes hired by either the prosecution or the defense just so that he will then not be able to work for the other side! (Actually, it has happened that Dr. Lee has worked for both sides of a case, although I don't believe simultaneously.) He is a frequent visitor on Court TV and other media where his insights into cases are very much worth hearing.
Bottom line: interesting book, very much worth reading, especially if you haven't taken a detailed look at these cases.
--Dennis Littrell, author of the mystery novel, “Teddy and Teri”
October 29, 2017
Dr. Lee is back again, to wow and amaze us with tales of forensic daring do in a fresh handful of cases.
The problem is, he doesn't.
While there is some interesting material here, for the most part it felt as though the book was spent talking about all Dr. Lee's "close and great and professional" friends, with very little in the way of actually discussing the science of the cases, which is what most readers are coming here for. He frequently spends pages upon pages explaining how a given police department screwed up (the chapter on the Ramsey case is particularly laden with this), rather than discussing the evidence that was found and provided useful or interesting.
That being said, the prose is fairly well done, clear and concise. What points he does make are laid out with relative simplicity, not requiring a degree in forensics to understand. It also serves as an interesting springboard if one wishes to delve into the cases via other research; the Martha Moxley case, in particular, proved an interesting study and Dr. Lee has provided an excellent bibliography to run down further information if the reader so desires.
Worth looking at if you're a fan of the man, or as a starting point for further study. If you're looking for deep insight into the Ramsey case (which is the most prominent of the cases presented here) you should probably look elsewhere, however.
The problem is, he doesn't.
While there is some interesting material here, for the most part it felt as though the book was spent talking about all Dr. Lee's "close and great and professional" friends, with very little in the way of actually discussing the science of the cases, which is what most readers are coming here for. He frequently spends pages upon pages explaining how a given police department screwed up (the chapter on the Ramsey case is particularly laden with this), rather than discussing the evidence that was found and provided useful or interesting.
That being said, the prose is fairly well done, clear and concise. What points he does make are laid out with relative simplicity, not requiring a degree in forensics to understand. It also serves as an interesting springboard if one wishes to delve into the cases via other research; the Martha Moxley case, in particular, proved an interesting study and Dr. Lee has provided an excellent bibliography to run down further information if the reader so desires.
Worth looking at if you're a fan of the man, or as a starting point for further study. If you're looking for deep insight into the Ramsey case (which is the most prominent of the cases presented here) you should probably look elsewhere, however.
January 7, 2012
For anyone who is interested in forensic science or the investigative process, this book is for you. Lee describes the background, facts, and process of five cases that he has worked on in the past. He goes into incredible detail about each case which allows the reader great insight about the crimes. At some points, the book can get slow, but the cases are intruiging and captivating, making the reader try to guess who did it on their own. Lee not only goes into detail about the cases, but he takes the time to describe the victims and their families, giving not only a name but an identity, something that a victim sometimes loses in the midst of the investigation. Though not every case in this book was solved, Lee shows how even the smallest piece of evidence can change the direction of an investigation, sometimes implicatiing a guilty suspect or exonerating an innocent one. Forensic evidence doesn't takes the sides of the prosecution or defendant, it's soley on the side of the truth.
February 13, 2018
First let me say, I am a HUGE Henry Lee fan. I have followed his work for decades now so when I saw this book I got a little too excited!! Unfortunately, the book was so lackluster in everything that I didn’t even finish the last chapter. It seemed repetitive, and lacking any type of excitement. The only challenge within the book was, the challenge to stay awake and keep turning the page.
January 20, 2011
Very interesting book that dealt with solving crimes with Dr. Henry Lee. I liked it but it just got really convoluded in the JonBenet Ramsey case. It got a little wordy and boring. But otherwise a great book!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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December 15, 2013All the cases are interesting and Dr. Lee gives very detailed, intelligent descriptions of the specifics. The JonBenet case is by far the most interesting but alas, no definite answer as to the murderer.
July 17, 2015
Modern Forensic evidence
Does not replace good old fashioned police work. Dr. Lee shows how necessary excellent thorough police report is in order for the forensic evidence to be useful. Interesting insight into behind the scenes of famous cases.
Does not replace good old fashioned police work. Dr. Lee shows how necessary excellent thorough police report is in order for the forensic evidence to be useful. Interesting insight into behind the scenes of famous cases.
December 26, 2016
Very interesting book. It was trilled to read all cases and know about how important of forensic science. Some unsolved cases from 1970 become enlighten and solve due to advance forensic science around 1990+. But So sad to know for some unsolved murder cases.
February 20, 2013
Cracking cases was far more interesting
July 5, 2014
Verrrry in-er-es-ting......
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews