Ledes from the Land of Enchantment

Judge allows cell phone evidence in Sasha Krause’s murder trial

FLAGSTAFF, Arizona – An Arizona judge ruled Thursday that expert testimony on cell phone data is allowed in the case of a U.S. 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 in January 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.

This February 2019 file photo provided by Erica Sauder shows Sasha Krause, whose body was found in a forest outside of Flagstaff, Arizona, more than a month after she disappeared from a Mennonite community near Farmington, NM in January 2020 .

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 information was consistent with Gooch’s financial records, surveillance videos, and Gooch’s admission that he was in northwest New Mexico at the time Krause went missing. The jury would have a hard time interpreting the data without Dishman’s guidance, Barker said.

“In this case, it will be crucial where the defendant was traveling and where he was at certain times and dates,” said Barker.

Dishman, a retired sergeant major, said he has consulted or reviewed cell phone law enforcement records hundreds of times in the United States and is giving courses on the technology for investigative purposes. He agreed that the cell phone data should not be viewed alone.

“I use this as a breadcrumb activity,” he said.

The motion was one of several that Brown Nichols picked up during a Thursday hearing that continued Friday afternoon. She did not immediately rule on all inquiries, including one from the defense, to see if statements Gooch had made against a detective were legitimately obtained. She said she needed more time to listen to the interview.

Brown Nichols turned down a request from Barker to admit evidence that Gooch may have targeted Mennonites in break-ins as a teenager in Wisconsin. A Gooch childhood friend testified Thursday that he can’t remember Gooch saying he didn’t like Mennonites.

Mark Gooch

Gooch and Krause didn’t know each other and the prosecutors aren’t sure why he would have targeted them. Luke Air Force Base, where Gooch was stationed in the greater Phoenix area, is about a seven-hour drive from Farmington.

Gooch told authorities he had traveled to northwest New Mexico and two Mennonite communities near Phoenix because he longed for the community. He denied having anything to do with Krause’s disappearance or death, according to public records.

He faces life imprisonment if convicted of first degree murder.

Gooch attended the hearing practically black eyed from prison on Thursday, the result of a fight a few days ago with another inmate, said Coconino County Sheriff’s spokesman Jon Paxton. The authorities are investigating what led to this.

Gooch’s parents were Mennonite Church members and he grew up in the faith but never officially joined the church, he told authorities.

Griffen has requested that evidence of Gooch’s connection to the Mennonite Church and communication with his family also be excluded from the trial. He said the prejudice was way too big.

Barker said the evidence suggests a pattern of Gooch’s alleged disdain for Mennonites.

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