'Bad Breath Rapist,' Caught In Bay Area, Sentenced To Up To 20 Years

DANVILLE, CA — Nearly two decades after Quincy, Massachusetts' "Bad Breath Rapist" was found guilty of raping a coworker at knifepoint — and around three months since he was finally captured by a fugitive team in Danville — he has been sentenced to 18 to 20 years in prison.

Tuen Lee, who was identified by his DNA and horrible breath, faced trial following the Feb. 2005 home invasion and rape of a woman who worked at a restaurant where Lee was a manager. But by the time the jury returned their verdict of guilty on all charges, Lee had already left the state, and it took until May of this year for him to finally be captured by a fugitive team.

"For years, the Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section Metro Team and Quincy PD detectives put hundreds of hours into attempting to locate Lee," Massachusetts State Police said earlier this year. "After multiple media campaigns, including several appearances on America's Most Wanted, investigators in early 2024 caught the break 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 May 28 at a multi-million dollar Diablo, California home owned by a female flower shop owner.

Police watched a man and a woman leave the home and get in a car then conducted a traffic stop. Lee initially provided a fake name but eventually "confessed when pressed about his true identity," which was confirmed by fingerprints, police said. He was booked in Danville.

"His female companion, after 15 years of being together in California, never knew who he really was," according to police.

Lee was sentenced to Massachusetts state prison during a hearing Thursday in Norfolk Superior Court.

"We strongly believed that a substantial period of incarceration was appropriate given the brutality of the crime and demonstrated lack of remorse," Morrissey said in a statement, according to NBC Boston.

Meanwhile, Assistant District Attorney Lisa Beatty recommended an even longer sentence of 28 to 30 years, while Lee's lawyer, Philip Tracy, claimed the sentence was "excessive" and that he would appeal, the Patriot Ledger reported.

During Thursday's sentencing, Beatty read a statement from one of the victims who said she can "still feel his arms around my neck."

The victim added: "I will have to live with this for the rest of my life."