Cold case killer who chewed cops' undercover DNA bait faces survivor, families in courtroom showdown

Gaff reportedly obliged, providing the undercover detectives with a sample that was subsequently sent through the federal database CODIS, where investigators ultimately linked him to Weaver's murder.

He was arrested in May 2024 and was later charged with Vesey's killing while behind bars, with investigators revealing she had been murdered inside her apartment the day after her 21st birthday on July 12, 1980, officials said. 

Speaking in court on Wednesday, Gaff offered an apology to the families of both victims seated in the courtroom, while pointing to drugs and alcohol as contributing factors to his history of violence.

The court also heard from Jacqueline O'Brien, a former law enforcement officer who survived a violent attack by Gaff inside her Everett home's garage in 1979.

"I knew he was going to kill me," O'Brien said, FOX 13 reported. 

"My nightmare occurred 47 years ago, but it seems like yesterday," O'Brien added. 

Vesey's son, Joshua Vesey, told the court he was just 3 months old and inside the apartment when his mother was killed by Gaff, FOX 13 reported.

"What the defendant took from me and my sister was not just a life, it was a mother's unconditional love," Joshua Vesey told the court, according to the outlet. "At any point he could have stopped the confusion, the suspicion and the pain that spread through my family."

Leon Gregory, Weaver's brother, also emphasized how the case haunted his family for years as they grappled with the possibility of never receiving closure.

"Your Honor, as we all know, it's been a long 42 years," Gregory said, according to FOX 13. "My parents, brother, two other sisters, passed on years ago, never knowing who killed Judy."

Before determining Gaff's fate, the judge pointed to his history of violence and attempts to cover up the crimes throughout the years as a determining factor in denying the defense's request that he receive the minimum sentence.

The Snohomish County Prosecutor's Office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.