“Rapist with bad breath” caught after 16 years on the run

(KRON) – A fugitive known as the “Bad Breath Rapist” was found in the San Francisco Bay Area and arrested Tuesday after 16 years on the loose, U.S. Marshals Service officials told Nexstars KRON.

Massachusetts investigators traveled to California to locate and take into custody convicted rapist Tuen Kit “Dickie” Lee near Danville, California.

Lee, 55, fled his trial in Massachusetts in September 2007. A jury found him guilty in absentia of kidnapping and raping a young woman.

The victim was at home in 2005 when Lee broke into her house, tied her to a bed with zip ties and raped her at knifepoint, according to Massachusetts State Police. Lee wore a mask to conceal his identity during the attack.

However, the victim recognized the rapist’s “bad breath” because she worked at Lee’s family restaurant, state police said. The media dubbed him the “bad breath rapist.”

After fleeing his trial, Lee remained on the run for 16 years.

“Tuen Kit Lee was believed to have fled Massachusetts, but his whereabouts were unknown until investigators with the Massachusetts State Police VFAS received information that Lee may have been in Diablo, California,” the Marshals Service wrote.

With the help of Danville police, it was determined that Lee was actually in Diablo on the eastern edge of the San Francisco Bay Area, investigators said.

Lee’s arrest was coordinated by the Danville Police Department, the U.S. Marshals Service PSWRFTF, the USMS Massachusetts Fugitive Task Force, and the USMS Cold and Complex Case Team.

“There are violent offenders who believe they can commit crimes without being held accountable for their actions,” said Commander Sean LoPiccolo of the U.S. Marshals Service’s Pacific Southwest Regional Fugitive Task Force. “Tuen Lee was on the run for more than 16 years and the tireless commitment of law enforcement to find and capture him will hopefully bring peace of mind to the victim and her family.”

Lee faces a life sentence in prison.