Attempt by Airman’s attorney to narrow the evidence in the murder trial has been denied | State-regional

An Arizona judge ruled Thursday that expert testimony on cell phone data is allowed in the case of a US Air Force aviator accused of kidnapping and killing a Mennonite woman.

Authorities used the data and other records to link Mark Gooch to the shooting of Sasha Krause, 27. She disappeared from her parish outside of Farmington, New Mexico on January 18, 2020 while collecting supplies for a Sunday school class.

Her body was found in a clearing outside of Flagstaff, Arizona, more than a month later, with her hands cuffed with duct tape.

Gooch’s attorney Bruce Griffen tried to prevent a man who checked cell phone and other data from testifying in Gooch’s trial, which is due to begin later this month. Griffen argued that Sev Dishman didn’t have enough experience working with AT&T data to be able to pinpoint exactly where Gooch was when Krause disappeared.

Griffen also noted a warning with the data stating that it cannot be relied on to determine the location.

Coconino County Superior Court Judge Cathleen Brown Nichols dismissed the defense. She said Dishman had determined through working with his current employer and his time in the military that he was an expert.

Prosecutor Ammon Barker said the cell phone data matched Gooch’s financial records, surveillance video, and Gooch’s admission that he was in northwestern New Mexico at the time of Krause’s disappearance. The jury would have a hard time interpreting the data without Dishman’s guidance, Barker said.