Refugee known as ‘rapist with bad breath’ caught after 16 years on the run

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

Tuen Kit Lee was arrested in California on Tuesday after being on the run for 16 years, according to a U.S. Marshals news release. Lee is believed to have fled Massachusetts, but investigators did not know where he was until the Massachusetts State Police Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section (VFAS) received 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. Officers from Massachusetts traveled to California to assist local law enforcement with the arrest.

“There are violent criminals who believe they can commit crimes without being held accountable for their actions,” said Chief Inspector Sean LoPiccolo, deputy commander of the USMS 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.”

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 based on his DNA and foul breath, earning him the nickname “Bad Breath Rapist.”

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

Lee was on the run for more than 16 years, even after appearing several times on “America’s Most Wanted.”

It wasn’t until earlier this year that investigators finally had a chance to find and arrest Lee. Police learned of a multimillion-dollar home in Diablo, California, owned by a woman who owned a flower shop. Investigators were provided with images on social media 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 getting into a vehicle. Local police stopped the vehicle and the man gave a false name before eventually confessing his true identity, the MSP reported.

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

Lee is awaiting extradition to Massachusetts.