Featured Image Credit: US Marshall/WCVB
Topics: Crime, US News, Sex and Relationships
Niamh Spence
Warning: This article contains discussion of rape which some readers may find distressing.
A woman was shocked to find her partner's dark history before they met included a serious sexual conviction, and that he'd spent 17 years on the run from the law.
The woman, who is a florist in San Francisco, had been living in her $4.3 million California mansion for the last 15 years with boyfriend 'Randy'. However Randy was not who he said he was, and was in fact former restaurant manager Tuen Kit Lee, a runaway rapist from Massachusetts.
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Lee was convicted in September 2007 for breaking into a colleague's home and sexually assaulting her at knifepoint in February 2005. He was given the nickname of the 'Bad Breath Rapist' due to the odour of his breath, despite wearing a mask over his face whilst he carried out the attack.
DNA evidence later confirmed he was the suspected rapist and attacker.
Whilst Lee was convicted of the attack in 2007, he fled before jurors returned their guilty verdict and had been on the run for the past 17 years.
Now he's been caught by the US Marshals Service, who revealed he has been living with his new partner in a California mansion.
State police from Massachusetts and California traced Lee to the home as they revealed she had no idea about his past. Senior Inspector Chris Tamayo told the Daily Mail: "The woman he was with had absolutely no clue who he was. Her life got completely turned upside down.
"I definitely have sympathy for her situation. She couldn’t believe it."
Lee was caught due to a Massachusetts State Police officer who re-launched the investigation around two years ago and tracked him down.
Tamayo added: "He found one picture on social media that tied him to California that we were able to start running with and eventually identify him."
Lee was arrested after leaving for work at the florist shop his girlfriend owns as they left their home together at 6.30am.
He later admitted who he was under pressure from officers, and fingerprints confirmed his real identity.
Chief Inspector Sean LoPiccolo, acting Pacific Southwest Regional Fugitive Task Force commander, said in a statement: "There are violent offenders out there who believe they can commit crimes and not be held accountable for their actions.
"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."
If you've been affected by any of the issues in this article, you can contact The National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800.656.HOPE (4673), available 24/7. Or you can chat online via online.rainn.org