Professor of Law and Professor of Forensic Sciences, George Washington University

James Starrs is a professor of law at The George Washington University Law School and a professor of forensic sciences in the Department of Forensic Sciences at the university’s Columbian School of Arts and Sciences. He is a distinguished fellow of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, a past chairman of the academy’s Jurisprudence Section, and a former member of the academy’s Board of Directors.

In 1996, the academy bestowed upon him its Distinguished Fellow medallion. A former member of the editorial board of the "Journal of Forensic Sciences," Professor Starrs is co-author of "Scientific Evidence in Civil and Criminal Cases," senior co-editor of "Scientific Sleuthing Review" and a member of the advisory board of the Encyclopedia of Forensic Sciences.

Professor Starrs is best known for having directed a number of exhumations of historical figures in controversial historical matters, including the assassination of Louisiana Senator Huey P. Long, the death and cannibalism of the five victims of Colorado prospector Alfred Packer, the LSD-related death of CIA scientist Frank R. Olson, and the identification of the remains of Jesse James. He has investigated the death of famed American explorer Meriwether Lewis and the mysteries underlying the death of longtime FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover.

In 1999, Professor Starrs was director of excavations in an attempt to locate and identify the remains of George Washington’s brother, Samuel, in Charles Town, WV. Among other accomplishments, he crafted computerized simulations of the killings of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman, as well as the Menendez parents, both of which were shown on national TV.

An Interview with Professor Starrs

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