Killer’s chewing gum blows open 40-year-old murders, detective warns there may be more victims
DNA evidence from discarded chewing gum has linked Mitchell Gaff to two cold-case murders in Washington, decades after he admitted to six rapes in psychological evaluations.
Decades before DNA evidence connected him to the murders, Mitchell Gaff had already admitted to six rapes during state psychological evaluations, according to court records. Despite this history, a judge ended his civil commitment in September 2018, allowing him to live in the community without restrictions under Washington's sexually violent predator program.
Gaff pleaded guilty in April 2026 to the murders of Judith "Judy" Weaver and Susan Vesey. A Snohomish County Superior Court judge subsequently sentenced him to 50 years to life in prison in May, bringing a measure of justice to crimes that had remained unsolved for 40 years.
Cold case breakthrough
In June 1984, authorities found Weaver bound, sexually assaulted and strangled inside her Everett apartment. Investigators determined Gaff had sliced her clothing with a knife and set a fire to destroy evidence. Initially, the investigation focused on Weaver's fiancé, who remained a suspect until his death in 1994.
The breakthrough came in November 2023 when Everett Police Detective Susan Logothetti submitted evidence from Weaver's case for modern DNA testing after obtaining a sample through a ruse involving discarded chewing gum. This evidence later linked Gaff to Vesey's murder, whose body was found beaten and bound inside her Everett home on June 2, 1984.
Psychologically, if he'd confessed but discovered there'd be no consequence, he'd likely feel emboldened to potentially repeat it.
History of violence
Court records reveal a disturbing pattern of violence dating back to 1979, when Gaff was convicted of first-degree burglary and second-degree assault. While on probation in 1984, he broke into an Everett home and raped two teenage sisters at knifepoint, receiving an exceptional prison sentence of 138 months.
Before his scheduled release, Washington authorities petitioned to commit him as a sexually violent predator. Despite his admissions to six rapes and his history of violent crimes, he was unconditionally released from civil commitment in 2018, later living in Olympia under the alias "Sam Wise Price." His convictions have raised questions about whether there may be additional victims.
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