Grandma’s ‘tragic killing’ went unsolved for 40 years — until now, Washington cops say
For nearly 40 years, a Washington grandmother’s killing went unsolved.
Now, decades after her death, there’s been an arrest in the 1984 killing of Judith “Judy” Weaver, 42, “a mother, grandmother, sister, and daughter,” the Everett Police Department said in a May 1 news release.
“After nearly 40 years, Judy Weaver’s loved ones and our community will finally see someone held accountable for her tragic killing,” Mayor Cassie Franklin said in the release.
As smoke billowed out of an Everett apartment building on June 2, 1984, firefighters rushed in and “made a gruesome discovery,” the Everett Herald reported in 2009.
They found Weaver dead in her apartment, the newspaper reported. She “was tied up with a phone cord, strangled, brutalized.”
The night of her killing, police said Weaver, who co-owned a nearby business, walked home alone after work.
Decades passed, and the case remained cold, police said.
While her killing was shrouded in mystery, the Everett Herald reported her family continued searching for answers.
“It’s not going to bring Mom back,” Weaver’s daughter, Cathy Myers told the newspaper in 2009. “But it’s going to be closure.”
And now, decades after her death, Weaver’s family is finally getting some closure.
Mitchell Gaff was arrested in Olympia Wednesday, May 1, after “new DNA evidence” identified him as a suspect, according to police.
“My heart is with Judy’s family and friends as they continue grieving this difficult loss,” Franklin said.
Gaff was booked into jail on multiple counts, including arson, kidnapping, rape and murder, online jail records show.
“Our investigators have worked tirelessly to get justice for Judy Weaver’s family,” Police Chief John DeRousse said in the release. “We are incredibly proud of Det. Susan Logothetti for her effort and persistence which ultimately led to the identification and arrest of this suspect.”
Gaff is expected to appear in court May 2, records show.
Everett is about a 30-mile drive north from Seattle.
This story was originally published May 2, 2024 at 2:58 PM with the headline "Grandma’s ‘tragic killing’ went unsolved for 40 years — until now, Washington cops say."
