A sadistic restaurant owner dubbed the “Bad Breath Rapist” has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after fleeing his trial and spending almost as long in hiding.
Tuen Kit Lee, 55, broke into his young subordinate’s home, tied her up with cable ties and sexually assaulted her at knifepoint for hours on February 2, 2005.
He hid his face, but his 21-year-old victim recognised his “putrid” breath from working together at her family’s restaurant in Boston, where he was a manager.
Lee, a Chinese immigrant, acquired the distinctive smell by using traditional herbal medicines, and DNA evidence later confirmed her suspicions.
Just before he was due to testify at his September 2007 trial, he went on the run until he was tracked down at a mansion near San Francisco on May 28.
Tuen Kit Lee, 55, nicknamed the “bad breath rapist”, has been jailed for 20 years after fleeing his trial and spending almost as long in hiding.
Just before he was due to testify at his September 2007 trial (pictured during a 2005 hearing), Lee went on the run for nearly 17 years.
Lee was found guilty in absentia by a jury and sentenced Thursday to 18 to 20 years in prison by Norfolk Superior Court Judge Joseph Leighton.
“I’m so sorry to everyone, I hope God forgives me for everything I did,” he said, lowering his head in shame.
Prosecutors called his crimes “a prolonged, violent and terrifying kidnapping and series of rapes.”
His victim, a junior employee at the restaurant located in the Quincy neighborhood at the time, gave a haunting impact statement in court.
“The impact this incident has had on me has been devastating, profound and far-reaching. It has affected every aspect of my life and every part of myself,” she said.
‘It left a permanent scar on my body and soul, as if a dark shadow followed me no matter where I went.
“I’m so sorry to everyone, I hope God forgives me for everything I did,” he said, lowering his head in shame.
Police saw him leaving with his girlfriend before getting into a car at 6.30am, stopped the vehicle on Diablo Road and arrested Lee.
“I should have spent my twenties laughing, studying, and celebrating. Instead, I spent them in court, testifying, waiting, fearing.
‘In the years since my trauma, I felt like a dark shadow was constantly following me around, reminding me of the horrors I went through.
“After 19 years, I wasn’t sure if this nightmare would ever end. Every time I think about the incident I feel trapped, like I never really escaped.”
Lee will serve five years of supervised probation once his sentence is complete, likely while wearing an ankle bracelet, and will register as a sex offender.
Prosecutors had asked for 28 to 30 years in prison, but his defense attorney, Philip Tracy, who also defended him at trial in 2007, wanted only eight to 10 years.
Tracy vowed to appeal the sentence, arguing that Lee had been given extra years for escaping custody, which should not be done.
“In prison he had been beaten, attacked, bitten. That’s why he was afraid of going back to prison. It’s a human weakness,” Tracy said.
Lee was handcuffed and led away by police officers in Diablo on May 28.
Lee’s trial recounted how he entered the woman’s apartment while her boyfriend was out, gagged her with duct tape, tied her up and threw her into a spare bedroom.
She was then repeatedly raped while he crudely covered her face using a woollen cap with holes for her eyes.
After escaping, Lee was on the run for so long that the case went cold, but he was finally located after a Massachusetts State Police trooper resumed the investigation about two years ago.
“He found a photograph on social media that linked him (Lee) to California and we were able to start investigating and ultimately identify him,” US Marshals Chief Inspector Chris Tamayo told DailyMail.com.
Police discovered he was living a double life in a $4.3 million mansion in the small town of Diablo, about 20 miles east of the Bay Area.
His 15-year-old girlfriend, the owner of the mansion and known as ‘Randy Lee’, was shocked when police revealed he was a convicted rapist.
Massachusetts and California state police tracked Lee to the home this year and waited outside for him to emerge.
Lee (pictured in 2005) broke into a co-worker’s home and raped her on February 2, 2005.
Lee, a Chinese immigrant, acquired the distinctive scent by using traditional herbal medicines, and DNA evidence later confirmed her suspicions.
They saw him leaving with his girlfriend before getting into a car at 6.30am, stopped the vehicle on Diablo Road and arrested Lee.
He initially insisted his name was Randy, but eventually admitted who he was under pressure from officers, and fingerprints confirmed his true identity.
His girlfriend was horrified when officers told her who “Randy” really was, Tamayo said.
“She didn’t have the slightest idea,” he told DailyMail.com. “The woman she was with didn’t have the slightest idea who she was.”
“Her life changed completely. I definitely feel sorry for her situation. I couldn’t believe it.”
Tamayo said the woman owned a flower shop in San Francisco, a 35-minute drive from her luxury apartment, and Lee had been working at the store with her.
Lee was finally located after a Massachusetts State Police trooper resumed the investigation about two years ago.
He said Lee had “given up everything from his past life” to flee and “created a new identity” to hide his horrendous criminal history.
Tamayo added that his victim, who had been waiting for closure of the case for almost 20 years, felt “a sense of relief” when police told her they had finally arrested him.
“There are violent criminals who believe they can commit crimes and not be held accountable for their actions,” Chief Inspector Sean LoPiccolo, acting commander of the Pacific Southwest Region Fugitive Task Force, said in a statement.
‘Tuen Lee has been on the run for over 16 years and it is hoped that the unwavering dedication of law enforcement in locating and arresting him will bring peace of mind to the victim and her family.’