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Mass's 'Bad Breath Rapist' Captured After 16 Years On Run

A man accused of raping a co-worker at her home in 2005 was arrested in California after nearly two decades on the run. He was living a new life under an assumed name when police cuffed him in front of his girlfriend on Tuesday, May 28, authorities said. 

Tuen K. Lee

Tuen K. Lee

Photo Credit: Massachusetts State Police

Tuen Lee was accused of raping a woman who worked at Kagawa, his family-owned restaurant in Quincy, Massachusetts State Police said. She said the man broke into her home on Feb. 2, 2005, zip-tied her to the bed, and raped her at knifepoint. 

She identified Lee by his bad breath, and DNA backed up her claims. Investigators nicknamed him "The Bad Breath Rapist."

A jury found Lee guilty in 2007, but he ran away before the case was over. He remained on the loose for years despite multiple media campaigns, including repeat appearances on "America's Most Wanted," and a $10,000 reward for his arrest, troopers said. 

That was until earlier this year when the once-cold case suddenly heated up. 

Police learned he had been living in Diablo, California, with a woman. Despite being together for 15 years, she did not know his true identity, state police said. It's unclear if he'd fixed his halitosis in the intervening years. 

US Marshals and California police were watching as the couple left their home Tuesday morning when they arrested him. 

He is being held in Danville, California, and is awaiting processing for police to return him to Massachusetts. 

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