Everett, WA — Mitchell Gaff, 68, was sentenced on May 13, 2026 to 50 years to life in prison for the murders of Judith “Judy” Weaver and Susan Vesey, two cold case killings from the 1980s. Gaff pleaded guilty in April 2026 after decades of evading law enforcement.
Weaver, 42, was found dead in her Everett home in June 1984 after a fire. Authorities allege Gaff beat, sexually assaulted, and bound her before setting the house ablaze in an attempt to destroy evidence. DNA recovered from Weaver’s bindings was eventually linked to Gaff through CODIS, the FBI’s DNA database.
Investigators connected Gaff to Vesey’s murder, which occurred in 1980, the morning after her 21st birthday. Prosecutors allege he attacked, raped, and strangled Vesey while her two young children were in the home.
Detectives finally obtained a direct DNA sample from Gaff during a clever undercover operation in January 2024. Posing as gum company representatives conducting a flavor survey, detectives collected chewed gum discarded by Gaff, which confirmed the DNA match to the victims.
Gaff, who legally changed his name to Sam Price at one point, had previously served prison time for raping two teenage sisters in 1985 and had been designated a sexually violent predator in separate proceedings in 1994 and 2000. Family members and loved ones of both victims attended the sentencing hearing, seeking justice decades in the making.
