Fugitive Known As ‘Bad Breath Rapist’ Captured After 16 Years On The Run

A Massachusetts man known as the “Bad Breath Rapist” who fled after he was convicted in 2007 of rape has been arrested in California.

Tuen Kit Lee was arrested in California on Tuesday after being on the run for 16 years, a U.S. Marshals press release said. Lee was believed to have fled Massachusetts, but investigators didn’t know where he was until the Massachusetts State Police Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section (VFAS) developed information that the fugitive was in northern California.

Investigators sent information to the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) in northern California and, with the help of local police in Danville, California, were able to track down and arrest Lee. Authorities from Massachusetts traveled to California to assist local law enforcement in the arrest.

“There are violent offenders out there who believe they can commit crimes and not be held accountable for their actions,” said Chief Inspector Sean LoPiccolo, acting commander of the USMS Pacific Southwest Regional Fugitive Task Force. “Tuen Lee was on the run for more than 16 years and the unwavering dedication by law enforcement to locate and arrest him hopefully brings peace of mind to the victim and her family.”

On February 2, 2005, Lee broke into a co-worker’s home and raped her, the Massachusetts State Police (MSP) said in a press release. Lee was quickly identified as a suspect using DNA, as well as his horrible breath, earning him the nickname the “Bad Breath Rapist.”

Lee was convicted in 2007 after a jury deliberated for two days. He was found guilty of the rape but had already fled the jurisdiction.

For more than 16 years, Lee remained on the run, even after being featured on “America’s Most Wanted” multiple times.

It wasn’t until earlier this year that investigators caught the break they needed to ultimately find Lee and arrest him. Police learned of a multi-million dollar home in Diablo, California, belonging to a woman who owned a flower shop. Investigators were provided social media images of a person they believed to be Lee interacting with the woman.

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On May 28, local California authorities, along with the USMS, observed the man and woman leaving the home and entering a vehicle. Local police performed a vehicle stop, and the man provided a fake name before ultimately confessing to his true identity, the MSP reported.

Fingerprints confirmed the man was, indeed, Lee, and his female companion – who had been with him for 15 years – was shocked to learn who he really was.

Lee is awaiting extradition back to Massachusetts.