National

‘Bad Breath Rapist’ caught across the country after 16 years on the run

Written by ABC Audio ALL RIGHTS RESERVED on May 29, 2024

(DIALBLO, C.A.) — A convicted rapist dubbed the “Bad Breath Rapist” has been caught more than 16 years after he fled Massachusetts, according to authorities.

Tuen Lee — who was arrested in Northern California on Tuesday — broke into a co-worker’s house and raped her on Feb. 2, 2005, according to the Massachusetts State Police.

“He was ultimately identified by DNA and his horrible breath, which produced the nickname ‘The Bad Breath Rapist,'” police said in a statement.

In 2007, a jury found Lee guilty of rape and kidnapping, according to the U.S. Marshals Service said. But he had already fled the state, authorities said.

Authorities hunted for Lee for years, with detectives putting in hundreds of hours into the search, police said. Investigators also publicized the case on the TV show “America’s Most Wanted,” according to police.

Then, this year, police zeroed in on a multimillion-dollar home owned by a woman in Diablo, California, about 25 miles east of Oakland, authorities said.

On Tuesday, police surveilled Lee and a woman leave that home and they conducted a traffic stop on their car, authorities said.

Lee at first gave authorities a fake name, state police said, but he later admitted his true identity, which was confirmed by fingerprints.

“His female companion, after 15 years of being together in California, never knew who he really was,” state police said.

“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,” Chief Inspector Sean LoPiccolo, acting commander of the U.S. Marshals Service Pacific Southwest Regional Fugitive Task Force, said in a statement.