Massachusetts fugitive known as 'Bad Breath Rapist' caught in California after nearly 17 years

Nearly two decades after a fugitive fled Massachusetts during his trial, a suspect nicknamed the "Bad Breath Rapist" was taken into custody in California, 5 Investigates has learned. Tuen Kit Lee, who went by the name "Dickie," was arrested Tuesday morning, Quincy police said. The U.S. Marshals Service later confirmed that he was arrested in Danville, a community about 15 miles east of Oakland. "I greatly appreciate the work of the Massachusetts State Police Fugitive Unit and the men and women of the U.S. Marshals Service who made this arrest possible," Quincy Police Department Chief Mark Kennedy said in a statement.Lee fled Massachusetts during his trial in 2007 and was convicted in absentia of rape and kidnapping. In 2023, a reward of up to $10,000 was offered for information leading to his capture."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," said Chief Inspector Sean LoPiccolo, acting commander of the U.S. Marshals Service Pacific Southwest Regional Fugitive Task Force in northern California. According to Massachusetts State Police, Lee's family owned the Kagawa restaurant in Quincy, where the victim worked. Lee broke into her home on Feb. 2, 2005, held the victim at knifepoint and used zip-ties to secure her to the bed before the sexual assault. She was found several hours later by her boyfriend."Among the evidence establishing that Lee was the assailant was his foul breath, which the victim recognized. He was subsequently dubbed by media as the 'Bad Breath Rapist,'" state police said in 2023. Massachusetts State Police officials said that in early 2024, images on social media showed an individual whom investigators believed was Lee. They were able to connect those images to a multimillion dollar home in Diablo, California, that belongs to a woman who owns a flower shop.On Tuesday, law enforcement officers saw a man and a woman leave the Diablo home and enter a vehicle. Danville police then stopped that motor vehicle and the man inside, later identified as Lee, initially provided a fake name to officers but ultimately confessed to who he was when he was pressed about his true identity.Authorities said they were able to confirm Lee's identity through fingerprints.MSP officials said Lee was in a relationship with the woman who was with him in the car for 15 years, and that the woman did not know who Lee really was.Lee was booked at the Danville Police Department and is being held there pending his extradition to Massachusetts, according to authorities.