AI Image
DNA from chewed gum links elusive Washington state murder suspect to two cold case killings
CBS News • • nation
Key Points:
- Detective Susan Logothetti reopened the cold case of Judy Weaver, a 42-year-old bar manager murdered in 1984, initially suspected to have been killed by her fiancé Bill Richards, who died in 1994 without charges.
- DNA evidence in 2023 linked the murder to Mitchell Allen Gaff, a Level 3 registered sex offender with a history of violent sexual assaults, including attacks on a police officer and teenage sisters in 1984.
- To confirm the DNA match, detectives used a clever undercover operation involving chewing gum to collect fresh DNA from Gaff, leading to his arrest and confession to several crimes, including Judy Weaver's murder.
- Further investigation connected Gaff to the 1980 murder of Susan Vesey, whose case had remained unsolved for 45 years; DNA evidence confirmed his involvement, resulting in a second murder charge.
- In 2026, Gaff pleaded guilty to the murders and was sentenced to 50 years in prison, with victims and families expressing relief and hope for closure after decades of trauma and injustice.
