MA rapist with bad breath caught after nearly two decades on the run

“His partner, after 15 years of being together in California, never knew who he really was,” according to police.

May 29, 2024 9:11 amEDT | Updated May 29, 2024 9:22 amEDT

MASSACHUSETTS — Nearly two decades after the Massachusetts “bad breath rapist,” identified by his DNA and horrible breath, was convicted of raping a co-worker at knifepoint, a team of fugitives has captured him, announced state police Tuesday night.

The man, Tuen Lee, was facing trial following the February 2005 home invasion and rape in Quincy. But by the time the jury returned its verdict of guilty on all charges, Lee had already left the state, according to police.

“For years, the Metro Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section Team and Quincy Police Department detectives spent hundreds of hours trying to locate Lee,” Massachusetts State Police said. “After multiple media campaigns, including several appearances on America’s Most Wanted, investigators in early 2024 got the breathing room they needed in a case that seemed to have gone cold.”

After receiving new information that “broke the case wide open,” including images of Lee on social media, police said they set up surveillance Tuesday at a multimillion-dollar home in Diablo, California, owned by a flower shop owner.

After seeing a man and woman leave the house and get into a car, police stopped the car. Initially, Lee provided a false name, but eventually “confessed when pressed about his true identity,” which was confirmed by fingerprints, police said.

“His partner, after 15 years of being together in California, never knew who he really was,” according to police.

Lee was taken to the Danville Police Department for booking and will remain in custody pending his release to Massachusetts.