# Killer’s chewing gum blows open 40-year-old murders, detective warns there may be more victims

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/killers-chewing-gum-blows-open-40-year-old-murders-detective-warns-there-may-be-more-victims/
- Published: 2026-11-08T12:00:48+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-08T12:18:51+00:00
- Original publisher: Fox News (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://www.foxnews.com/us/killers-chewing-gum-blows-open-40-year-old-murders-detective-warns-there-may-be-more-victims
- Topics: World

## Key points

- Chewing gum DNA linked Gaff to two 1984 murders.
- He was sentenced to 50 years to life.
- His history has raised questions about possible other victims.

## Summary

DNA evidence gathered from chewing gum helped link Mitchell Gaff to the 1984 murders of Judith “Judy” Weaver and Susan Vesey, crimes to which he pleaded guilty in April 2026. His history of sexual violence and his release from civil commitment in 2018 have prompted questions about whether he may have harmed other victims.

Weaver was found bound, sexually assaulted and strangled in Everett in June 1984; Vesey was found beaten and bound at home on her 21st birthday. Gaff was arrested in May 2024 after a detective obtained his DNA from discarded gum, and was sentenced to 50 years to life in May 2026. Court records say he admitted to six rapes during psychological evaluations, and that he had previously been convicted of assault and rape.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.