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

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

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A Washington man was sentenced to 50 years to life in prison after admitting to a pair of decades-old cold-case killings which investigators linked him to using a piece of gum.

Mitchell Gaff, 74, was sentenced last week after he previously pleaded guilty to the murders of 21-year-old Susan Vesey and 42-year-old Judith “Judy” Weaver in Everett, according to FOX 13.

Investigators linked Gaff to the 1984 murder of Weaver after detectives with the Everett Police Department visited his home while claiming to be researchers working within the gum industry and inviting him to try a free sample, USA Today reported.

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.

DAUGHTERS’ RELENTLESS SEARCH SHATTERS ‘OVERDOSE’ CLAIM, LEADS TO ARREST IN MOM’S 1992 MURDER

Mitchell Gaff pleaded guilty to the rapes and cold case murders of Judith Weaver and Susan Vesey in Everett, Wash., according to the Everett Police Department. (KCPQ)

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.

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Susan Vesey was murdered inside her home in Everett, Wash., on July 12, 1980, according to authorities. (Everett Police Department)

“I am sorry, not because I was caught, but the consequences,” Gaff said, according to NBC News. “No one did anything to deserve me coming into their lives.”

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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.

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Authorities found Judy Weaver’s body inside her home on Rucker Avenue in Everett, Washington, after first responders were called to a fire on June 2, 1984. (Everett Police Department)

“I knew he was going to kill me,” O’Brien said, FOX 13 reported.

O’Brien managed to escape the attack and was pivotal in helping authorities identify Gaff, who was arrested several times in the years after and spent time behind bars for the rapes of two teenage sisters in 1984.

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“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.

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“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.”

DECADES-OLD COLD CASE BREAKTHROUGH LEADS TO ARREST IN EXECUTION-STYLE KILLINGS OF MARRIED COUPLE BEFORE CHILD

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.

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“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.

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“The defendant’s history consists of sexually motivated, extremely violent crimes against women,” the judge said, FOX 13 reported. “The appropriate sentence has a minimum is the number of years that the families had to wait.”

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

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Trump says Clock is Ticking for Iran as shaky ceasefire continues

Trump says Clock is Ticking for Iran as shaky ceasefire continues

In an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity Thursday from Beijing, President Trump said that during their summit, Chinese President Xi Jinping assured him that China would not provide military equipment to Iran for its war in the Middle East.

Asked by Hannity how big of a discussion the two leaders had regarding China’s support for Iran, Mr. Trump responded, “We discussed it. When you say support, they’re [China] not fighting a war with us or anything.”

According to Mr. Trump, Xi told him that he’s “not going to give [Iran] military equipment. That’s a big statement. He said that today. That’s a big statement. He said that strongly.”

Last month, CBS News reported that U.S. intelligence agencies had detected signs that China was weighing whether to provide the Iranian regime with advanced radar systems.

Mr. Trump disclosed that Xi also noted to him how much China depends on the oil and gas it imports from Iran.

“But at the same time, he said, you know, they buy a lot of their oil there, they would like to keep doing that,” Mr. Trump said. “He’d like to see the Hormuz strait opened,” adding that Xi “didn’t like the fact that they’re [Iran] charging tolls. I don’t know if they are or not.”

According to analysts at maritime intelligence company Lloyd’s List, early in the war, Iran had been using Larak Island, which is located a few miles off Iran’s coast, as a tolling stop for tankers.

Per the congressional U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, China purchases about 90% of the oil that Iran exports.

And according to analysis from Det Norske Veritas, an independent global assurance and risk management provider, prior to the Iran war, China imported 70% of its oil and gas, the majority of which came through the Persian Gulf.

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Arkansas man allegedly threatened Walmart mass shooting over hantavirus lockdown fears, authorities say

Arkansas man allegedly threatened Walmart mass shooting over hantavirus lockdown fears, authorities say

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An Arkansas man was arrested after allegedly threatening to carry out a mass shooting at his local Walmart if the country went into lockdown over the hantavirus outbreak, authorities said.

Aaron Bynum, 20, of Oakland, was arrested Friday for allegedly making the threats, according to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.

He was charged with first-degree terroristic threatening and harassing communications.

Officials said the arrest followed an investigation into online threats allegedly made by Bynum on May 9.

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Authorities arrested an Arkansas man accused of threatening a Walmart shooting tied to hantavirus lockdown fears. (Marion County Sheriff’s Office; iStock)

The FBI’s National Threat Operations Center received an electronic tip from an individual playing an online video game who alleged another player threatened to carry out a mass shooting at a local Walmart “if the country were locked down again due to the Hantavirus.”

Authorities said the reporting individual provided the player’s gamer username along with an in-game recording of the alleged threats.

Investigators said they subpoenaed the game’s parent company, which identified Bynum as the owner of the account.

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Aaron Bynum, 20, was arrested after allegedly threatening to carry out a mass shooting at a Walmart if the country entered another lockdown over hantavirus concerns, authorities said. (Marion County Sheriff Office)

The FBI’s Fayetteville Field Office then alerted the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, and authorities executed a search warrant at Bynum’s residence Friday.

Investigators said they seized Bynum’s computer and related accessories.

Authorities said Bynum was taken into custody without incident and booked into the Marion County Detention Center on a $2,500 bond.

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Authorities said an Arkansas man threatened to carry out a mass shooting at a local Walmart. (unknown)

The hantavirus outbreak tied to the MV Hondius cruise ship has sickened multiple people aboard the vessel, with WHO reporting as of May 13 that all cases then identified were passengers.

As of May 13, the World Health Organization said 11 cases had been identified in connection with the outbreak, including eight confirmed cases, two probable cases and one inconclusive case. Three deaths had also been linked to the outbreak, and WHO assessed the risk to the global population as low.

Canadian health officials on Sunday confirmed that one of four Canadians who returned from the MV Hondius tested positive for the virus. The Associated Press reported that the Canadian case brought the number of confirmed infections tied to the ship to 10, updating the earlier WHO count from May 13.

While the outbreak has sparked comparisons to the coronavirus pandemic, Fox News senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel previously told Fox News Digital there is “no comparison,” noting hantavirus is difficult to spread.

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The CDC says Andes virus, the strain confirmed in the MV Hondius outbreak, is the only hantavirus documented to spread from person to person, though such transmission is rare and generally requires close, prolonged contact with a symptomatic person.

“It’s not airborne … in terms of respiratory droplets hanging in the air,” he said. “It’s very difficult to transmit.”

Fox News Digital’s Angelica Stabile contributed to this report.

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Austin police arrest 3 juveniles allegedly linked to 12 random shootings injuring 4 people

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Becky Hill’s ‘disgraceful’ comments and book ambitions unraveled Alex Murdaugh’s murder conviction: Docs

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