After more than four decades of questions, Mitchell Gaff has admitted what Everett detectives long suspected. The 68-year-old pleaded guilty Friday to first-degree murder in the killings of two Everett women in the 1980s, according to court records. His pleas resolve charges in the 1980 slaying of 21-year-old Susan Vesey and the 1984 death of 42-year-old Judy Weaver. Gaff, who has been in jail since his arrest last year, is scheduled to be sentenced May 13, 2026. The guilty admissions mark a major step toward closure in cases that were revived with modern DNA techniques.
Gaff entered the pleas in Snohomish County Superior Court, admitting to aggravated first-degree murder in Vesey’s case and first-degree murder in Weaver’s killing, according to The Seattle Times. Court filings state that Gaff has also used the name Sam Price in public records. With the guilty pleas now on the record, the cases head straight to a sentencing hearing instead of a jury trial.
The victims and the scenes
On July 12, 1980, Vesey was found dead in her Casino Road home the morning after her 21st birthday. Her 2-year-old daughter and infant son were inside the residence and were unharmed, according to the Everett Police Department. Investigators said Vesey had been sexually assaulted and strangled. Years later, renewed forensic testing of preserved evidence produced the DNA link that broke the case open. The department credited Detective Susan Logothetti and modern DNA analysis for the breakthrough.
Weaver's case and the gum ruse
On June 2, 1984, Judith “Judy” Weaver was found dead in her Rucker Avenue apartment after firefighters responded to a blaze. Investigators later concluded she had been bound, sexually assaulted and strangled, and that the bedroom was deliberately set on fire in an apparent effort to cover up the crime, HeraldNet reported. Prosecutors’ filings allege Gaff used a drawstring and a telephone extension cord to strangle Weaver. Family members and longtime Everett residents kept pressing for answers as the case lingered for decades.
How investigators linked him
Detectives reopened Weaver’s file in 2020 and sent preserved evidence back to the lab for modern testing. A DNA profile taken from ligatures in the Weaver case matched a profile already in CODIS, pointing investigators toward Gaff. Officers then used an undercover “gum ruse” to collect a saliva sample, which confirmed the DNA match. That new evidence also led to a charge in Vesey’s 1980 killing earlier this year, KIRO 7 reported.
Gaff’s criminal history
Records and previous reporting show Gaff had earlier convictions for a 1979 assault and for raping two teenage sisters in 1984. He was later civilly confined under Washington’s sexually violent predator laws. Gaff spent years at the state Special Commitment Center on McNeil Island before being returned to community supervision in the 2000s, HeraldNet reported. Prosecutors say that history, combined with the new DNA evidence, created a compelling case against him.
What happens next
Gaff is due to be sentenced on May 13, 2026. Prosecutors had charged him with aggravated first-degree murder in Vesey’s case and first-degree murder in Weaver’s killing, according to The Seattle Times. With the guilty pleas now entered, the legal fight shifts from questions of guilt to how severe the punishment will be. If prosecutors secure the maximum penalties, the convictions could mean life behind bars.
Everett officials and investigators say the outcome highlights the value of reexamining cold cases with modern forensic tools. Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin said in a statement that she was “so proud” of the department’s work and that the city honors Susan’s memory, according to the Everett Police Department. Detectives said they will continue checking for any other possible victims and urged anyone with information to contact Everett police.
