A sadistic restaurant owner nicknamed the “Bad Breath Rapist” has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after fleeing trial and spending almost as long in hiding.
Tuen Kit Lee, 55, broke into his young subordinate’s home on February 2, 2005, tied her up with cable ties and threatened her with a knife for hours.
He hid his face, but his 21-year-old victim recognized his “foul” breath from working with his family at the Boston restaurant where he was a manager.
Lee, a Chinese immigrant, acquired the distinctive odor from using traditional herbal remedies. DNA evidence later confirmed her suspicions.
Just before he was scheduled to testify in September 2007, he went on the run until he was tracked down on May 28 at a mansion near San Francisco.
Tuen Kit Lee, 55, nicknamed the ‘Bad Breath Rapist’, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after fleeing trial and spending almost as long in hiding
Shortly before he was to testify in September 2007 (pictured at a 2005 hearing), Lee had been on the run for nearly 17 years
Lee was convicted in absentia by a jury on Thursday and sentenced to 18 to 20 years in prison by Norfolk District Court Judge Joseph Leighton.
“I’m so sorry to everyone, I hope God forgives me for everything I’ve done,” he said, bowing his head in shame.
Prosecutors described his crimes as “a prolonged, violent and terrifying abduction and a series of rapes.”
His victim, then a young employee at the restaurant in the Quincy neighborhood, gave a shocking statement in court.
“The impact of the incident on me was devastating, profound and far-reaching. It affected every area of my life and every part of myself,” she said.
‘It has left a lasting scar on my body and soul, like a dark shadow following me wherever I go.
“I’m so sorry to everyone, I hope God forgives me for everything I’ve done,” he said, bowing his head in shame
Police saw him leave with his girlfriend before getting into a car at 6:30 a.m., pulling the vehicle over to Diablo Road and arresting Lee.
‘I should have spent my twenties laughing, studying, and celebrating. Instead, I spent my time in courtrooms, testifying, waiting, fearing.
‘In the years following my trauma, I felt like I was constantly being followed by a dark shadow, reminding me of the horrors I had experienced.
‘After 19 years, I wasn’t sure if this nightmare would ever end. Every time I think back to the incident, I feel trapped, like I never really escaped.’
Lee will have to spend five years under court supervision after his sentence, likely while wearing an ankle monitor, and register as a sex offender.
The Public Prosecution Service had demanded a prison sentence of 28 to 30 years, but his lawyer Philip Tracy, who also defended him during the trial in 2007, only wanted eight to ten years.
Tracy promised to appeal the sentence, because according to him Lee got extra years in prison because he fled. That is not the intention.
“He had been beaten, attacked, bitten early in prison. So he was terrified of going back to prison. Human weakness,” Tracy said.
Lee was handcuffed and taken away by police officers in Diablo on May 28
Lee’s lawsuit describes how he entered the woman’s apartment while her boyfriend was away, duct-taped her, tied her up and threw her into a spare bedroom.
She was then repeatedly raped while he covered his face in a primitive manner with a woolen cap with holes cut out for the eyes.
After Lee escaped, he was on the run for so long that the case was shelved. He was finally tracked down after a Massachusetts State Police trooper restarted the investigation about two years ago.
“He found a photo on social media that linked him (Lee) to California, and that’s what we were able to work on and eventually identify him,” U.S. police Chief Inspector Chris Tamayo told DailyMail.com.
Police discovered he was living a double life in a $4.3 million mansion in the town of Diablo, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) east of the Bay Area.
His unsuspecting girlfriend of 15 years, who owned the mansion and knew him as “Randy Lee,” was shocked when police revealed he was a convicted rapist.
Massachusetts and California state police were able to track Lee to the house this year and waited outside for him to come out.
Lee (pictured in 2005) broke into a coworker’s home and raped her on February 2, 2005
Lee, a Chinese immigrant, acquired the distinctive odor through the use of traditional herbal remedies, and DNA evidence later confirmed her suspicions
They saw him leave with his girlfriend before getting into a car at 6:30 a.m. They stopped the car on Diablo Road and arrested Lee.
At first he insisted his name was Randy, but eventually, under pressure from the officers, he admitted who he was. In addition, fingerprints confirmed his real identity.
His girlfriend was shocked when officers told her who “Randy” really was, Tamayo said.
“She had absolutely no idea,” he told DailyMail.com. “The woman he was with had absolutely no idea who he was.
“Her life has been completely turned upside down. I certainly understand her situation. She couldn’t believe it.”
Tamayo said the woman owned a flower shop in San Francisco, a 35-minute drive from their luxury apartment, and that Lee worked with her at the shop.
Lee was eventually tracked down after a Massachusetts State Police trooper restarted the investigation about two years ago
He said Lee had “given up everything from his previous life” to go on the run and had created “a new identity” to hide his horrific criminal past.
Tamayo added that his victim, who has been waiting nearly 20 years for closure in the case, felt “a sense of relief” when police told her he had finally been apprehended.
“There are violent criminals who believe they can commit crimes without being held accountable,” Chief Sean LoPiccolo, acting commander of the Pacific Southwest Regional Fugitive Task Force, said in a statement.
‘Tuen Lee was on the run for over 16 years and the tireless efforts of the police to track him down and arrest him will hopefully give peace of mind to the victim and her family.’