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| Mitchell Gaff: Where Is the Killer Now? Inside the Washington Murder Case. |
Mitchell Gaff is serving a sentence of 50 years to life at Stafford Creek Corrections Center in Aberdeen, Washington, after admitting to the murders of Susan Vesey and Judith “Judy” Weaver, two women killed in Everett in 1980 and 1984. The cases remained unsolved for decades until advances in DNA technology helped investigators identify the man responsible. A carefully planned chewing gum operation then helped police obtain the evidence needed to make an arrest. The case is explored in CBS' 48 Hours: The Detective and the Chewing Gum Sting, which examines the investigation and the determined efforts to bring answers to the victims' families.
Born around 1958, Mitchell Allen Gaff had a documented history of sexual violence before the two murders that would eventually lead to his imprisonment for life. His criminal history began drawing attention in November 1979, when he reportedly attacked Jacalyn O’Brien, then 29, in her garage in Everett and attempted to rape her. O’Brien managed to escape, and Gaff faced assault and burglary charges. He received five years of probation and one year of work release. In hindsight, the incident was an alarming warning, although the full extent of his crimes would not become clear until much later.
On 12 July 1980, Gaff broke into the Casino Road home of Susan Vesey, a 21-year-old mother of two, raped her and strangled her to death. Her killing devastated her family and left investigators searching for answers. Four years later, another Everett woman, Judith Weaver, would suffer a similarly tragic fate.
The similarities between the cases would become increasingly significant as forensic science developed, but the evidence available at the time was not enough to identify the perpetrator conclusively. For the families, the absence of an answer meant years of uncertainty, with no clear explanation of who had taken their loved ones away.
On 2 June 1984, Gaff attacked Judith “Judy” Weaver at her apartment on Rucker Avenue in Everett. He used drawstrings and telephone extension cords to strangle her before setting fire to the property in an apparent attempt to destroy evidence.
The fire added another complication to an investigation that would remain unresolved for decades. Two months later, in August 1984, Gaff reportedly raped two teenage sisters. In February 1985, he was convicted of raping the sisters and sentenced to 11 and a half years in prison. His DNA profile was subsequently entered into the national Combined DNA Index System, commonly known as CODIS. That record would eventually become crucial to solving the earlier murders.
Gaff was released from prison in October 1994. He was subsequently involved in proceedings concerning his classification as a sexually violent predator and reportedly admitted to sexually assaulting several other women. His criminal history was extensive, yet the deaths of Vesey and Weaver remained officially unresolved. It was a frustrating situation for investigators: serious crimes had occurred, evidence had been collected, and a convicted offender had a known history of sexual violence, but the technology needed to connect him to the two killings had not yet provided the answer.
The breakthrough arrived in November 2023, when detectives revisited the evidence from Weaver's murder using advances in DNA analysis. The results pointed towards Gaff, but investigators still needed a fresh DNA sample to confirm the connection. Obtaining it without alerting him required an unusual approach. Rather than simply approaching him for a sample, officers devised a chewing gum sting operation, presenting themselves as representatives of the gum industry conducting a survey about flavours and consumer preferences.
At the time, Gaff was living in Olympia, Washington, under the legally changed name Sam Wise Price. Investigators obtained a piece of chewing gum he had used and recovered DNA from it. Laboratory analysis then provided the evidence needed to connect him to Weaver's killing. It was an unconventional operation, but the objective was straightforward: secure reliable forensic evidence without giving the suspect an opportunity to avoid the investigation. Sometimes the most important breakthrough in a decades-old murder case does not come from a dramatic confrontation, but from a piece of discarded chewing gum.
On 1 May 2024, Gaff was arrested in Olympia and charged in connection with Weaver's murder, facing multiple allegations, including kidnapping, arson, rape and aggravated first-degree murder. Investigators continued examining the evidence associated with Vesey's death.
In March 2025, DNA evidence also linked him to her killing, leading to additional murder charges. The developments finally connected two cases that had haunted Everett for more than four decades. For the families, the arrest marked a significant step towards accountability, although no legal outcome could restore the lives lost or return the years spent waiting for answers.
On 16 April 2026, Gaff pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder with premeditated intent in connection with the deaths of Vesey and Weaver. As part of his plea agreement, he admitted that he did not know either woman before attacking them.
His statement about Weaver's murder described how he approached her home while looking for opportunities to rape women or burgle their properties. He admitted forcing his way inside, binding and raping her, and ultimately strangling her. He acknowledged responsibility for her death, leaving little ambiguity about his role in the crime.
Gaff also admitted killing Vesey in 1980, explaining that he had been trying random doors before finding hers unlocked in Everett. His admissions brought a formal conclusion to two investigations that had remained open for decades. They also reinforced the devastating reality that both women had been targeted by a man who did not need a personal connection to his victims to commit these crimes. The randomness of the attacks made the case particularly disturbing for the families and the wider community.
On 13 May 2026, less than a month after his guilty pleas, Gaff appeared for sentencing. Susan Vesey's daughter, Debra Newton, delivered a victim impact statement describing the family's decades-long struggle to understand what had happened to her mother. She explained that the family had spent more than 45 years living without knowing who had taken Vesey from them. Her words also made clear that the outcome mattered not only to her, but to her brother and the other relatives and friends who had loved the young mother.
Gaff also addressed the court, expressing regret and acknowledging that his actions had harmed people who had done nothing to deserve it. His apology, however, could not undo the consequences of his crimes or return the years lost to uncertainty. The court ultimately sentenced him to 50 years to life in prison, ensuring that he would remain incarcerated for the foreseeable future. The sentence marked the end of a long legal process, but for the families, the emotional consequences of the murders will not simply disappear because a verdict has been delivered.
So, where is Mitchell Gaff now? As of October 2026, he is serving his 50-years-to-life sentence at Stafford Creek Corrections Center in Aberdeen, Washington. Now 68, he is imprisoned under the name associated with his convictions, following years in which he also lived as Sam Wise Price. His case demonstrates how advances in DNA technology can reopen investigations once thought unlikely to be solved, while also showing why preserving forensic evidence matters long after a crime has taken place. For anyone following the case through 48 Hours, the most striking detail may be that a simple piece of chewing gum helped investigators establish the connection they had sought for decades.
In my view, the Mitchell Gaff case is a sobering reminder that justice can take far longer than anyone should have to wait. The DNA breakthrough deserves recognition, particularly because it gave investigators a way to revisit evidence that had remained unresolved for years. The chewing gum operation also shows how creative police work can support scientific investigation when conventional methods have reached a dead end.
Still, the most important part of this story is not the unusual sting or the eventual arrest; it is Susan Vesey and Judy Weaver, whose families spent decades living with unanswered questions. A guilty plea and a lengthy prison sentence bring legal accountability, but they cannot give relatives back the time they lost or erase the grief they endured. The case also highlights the importance of retaining forensic evidence and continuing to review unsolved crimes as technology improves. Justice arrived late, but the truth finally emerged.
The case is a reminder that even investigations that remain dormant for decades can move forward when new technology meets persistent detective work. Gaff's conviction has provided answers that the families of Vesey and Weaver had waited years to receive, although the loss itself remains permanent. What stands out most to you about this case: the decades-long DNA investigation, the unusual chewing gum operation, or the determination to keep pursuing answers for the victims? Share your thoughts on how advances in forensic science are changing the way cold cases are solved.