Forensic Expert Hounded for News

Steve Gao, a 23-year veteran of the Monterey Park-based Chinese Daily News, was under strict orders to find out what dozens of other Chinese-language media outlets in Southern California were clamoring to know:

What did forensic scientist Henry Lee conclude about the shooting of Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian and Vice President Annette Lu? They both sustained minor gunshot wounds in a motorcade a day before the March 20 presidential election.

Lee, a well-known investigator whose work helped turn the tide of the O.J. Simpson trial in favor of the defense, returned from Taiwan last week after leading a whirlwind 48-hour probe alongside friends and colleagues from the United States. Seldom has a local Chinese-language newspaper not had Lee on its cover in recent days, often relegating stories about Houston Rockets basketball star Yao Ming to less prominent spots within their pages.

The shooting has plunged the island nation into crisis the last three weeks as violent protests have erupted in the capital, Taipei. Thirteen million ballots were cast, and Chen won by 30,000 votes. Those who oppose the ruling party say the shooting was staged to garner sympathy votes for Chen, a charge the leader has denied.

Under significant pressure, Chen agreed to allow an independent investigation into the shooting assisted by foreign experts such as Lee.

California is home to Taiwan’s largest overseas community in the U.S., with more than 70,000 residents. Many lived under martial law in their homeland that lasted for years after the republic was established in 1949 following the communist revolution. With memories of such hardship, expatriates’ emotions still run high, demonstrated by their willingness to fly back to Taiwan to vote and to rally by the hundreds for and against Chen in Chinatown, downtown L.A. and the San Gabriel Valley.

Saturday afternoon, Gao headed for Las Vegas, where Lee was giving a presentation on forensic science. A rumor had recently leaked out of Taiwan that Lee would hold a news conference Sunday to announce the results of his investigation.

But the rumor was false.

“Everyone thought we were going to have big headline news tomorrow,” said a visibly irritated Gao shortly after he arrived Saturday. “But we’ve got nothing.”

During rehearsal Saturday afternoon, Lee agreed to be interviewed by The Times and said he would release his findings in a month or two. What he has concluded so far, he said, is that the shooting was not an assassination attempt by the opposition party because the caliber of the bullet was too weak to ensure fatal results. Second, he said the president did not shoot himself because the trajectory of the bullet would have made such a feat impossible.

A reporter for a television station with outlets in Los Angeles and New York had flown to Las Vegas from New York in hopes of landing a live interview with Lee. Iru Wang was quickly escorted out by security for breaking an agreement with the event’s producer not to talk to the investigator until told to.

“I told her she was done,” said Lance Shultz, producer of “Three Sleuths,” a three-hour show that brought Lee and two other high-profile forensic experts together on stage. “We agreed to a two-minute interview and then she wanted a live satellite feed. The Chinese press has been dogging Dr. Lee all over the world.”

Lee said he no longer checks his e-mail because of the deluge of media interest.

Chengshui Bai, a professor of communications at Cal State L.A., said the U.S.-based Chinese-language media, mostly centered in the Los Angeles and New York areas, is burgeoning and becoming more sophisticated. There has been an insatiable demand for news from Taiwan, not only because of the election’s impact on the island, but on its neighbor, China, which wants to unify with the island.

“The future of Taiwan hinges on the results of Dr. Lee’s investigation,” Bai said. “Because he is such a reputable and incredible source of information, you can expect the Chinese media to try whatever they can to get ahold of him.”

Lee was a police captain in Taiwan before immigrating to the U.S. in 1965. He became director of Connecticut’s State Police Forensic Science Laboratory, headed the state’s Department of Public Safety and pioneered the University of New Haven’s forensic program.

He gained notoriety for his work on the Simpson trial and is offering his expertise in the Laci Peterson murder trial, the manslaughter case of retired New Jersey Nets basketball player Jason Williams and the rape case of Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant.

But it was only after Lee was asked by the Taiwanese government to assist in the presidential shooting investigation that the Chinese media mobilized in somewhat of a frenzy.

Tim Palmbach, Connecticut’s director of scientific services and a student of Lee’s, was also asked to aid the investigation, flying to Taiwan last month.

He said of the press there: “I’ve never seen anything like that. It was simply, unequivocally, overwhelming. Everywhere we went, there were hundreds of them. They even jumped on the plane with us.”

He said Lee was under a great deal of pressure because his investigation had such massive political implications. “Not like walking on eggshells,” Palmbach said. “It’s more like walking on hand grenades.”

There were no signs that Lee was under strain during his performance Saturday in Las Vegas. There, he cracked jokes and received ample applause from the crowd of 800 people.

Sitting quietly among the audience was Gao of the Chinese Daily News. He made his way into the evening show thanks to a friend who gave him a ticket for the invitation-only event.

Gao listened as Lee recounted his experience on the Simpson trial and later spoke about the shooting of President Kennedy.

Having been denied an interview earlier in the day, Gao attempted to submit a question on an index card during the audience question and answer period after the show. He was told he was too late.

When Lee sat down for a book signing, the reporter instantly saw another opportunity. He persuaded a woman in line to hand over her book and let him ask for Lee’s signature. Once it was his turn, Gao fired his questions in Mandarin to a smiling Lee who shook the reporter’s hand.

Even though he had gained an interview many of his competitors lacked, Gao walked toward the exit unsatisfied: “I wish I remembered to bring my camera.”