DUBLIN, Calif. (TCD) — A Massachusetts man dubbed the “Bad Breath Rapist” was captured in Northern California over the weekend after he had been on the run for 16 years.
The U.S. Marshals Service announced Tuen Kit Lee was arrested Tuesday, May 28, after investigators found out he had been staying in Diablo, which is in the East Bay near Oakland. Officials from multiple law enforcement agencies, including the U.S. Marshals Pacific Southwest Regional Fugitive Task Force, Massachusetts State Police Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section, and others, assisted in taking Lee into custody.
According to Massachusetts State Police, on Feb. 2, 2005, Lee broke into a co-worker’s home while masked, zip-tied her to her bed face-down, and raped her at knifepoint. The victim reportedly worked at the restaurant that Lee’s family owned. Her boyfriend found her hours later.
He was later arrested and charged with aggravated rape, home invasion, kidnapping, armed burglary, armed robbery while masked, and other charges. He posted bail and testified during his 2007 trial but did not appear for closing arguments. Lee faced up to life in prison. By that time, he had already fled the state.
Massachusetts State Police said Lee got the name “Bad Breath Rapist” because he “was ultimately identified by DNA and his horrible breath.”
Investigators caught a break in the case earlier this year after they found a photo on social media of someone they believed was Lee. They also linked him to a multimillion-dollar home in Diablo that was in the name of a female flower shop owner.
Massachusetts State Police said in their statement that on May 28, officials saw a woman and man leave the home and get into a car. Danville Police conducted a traffic stop, and Lee allegedly initially provided a fake identity. However, he later “ultimately confessed when pressed about his true identity.” Lee had been in a relationship with the woman for 15 years, and she reportedly “never knew who he really was.”
Lee will be extradited back to Massachusetts to face charges.