An Air Force Airman charged with murdering a Mennonite woman and leaving it dead in the wild is on trial in Coconino County, Arizona. Mark Gooch, 22, allegedly killed Sascha Krause, 27, and harbored a deep hostility towards Mennonites, although (or perhaps because) he had grown up as one. You can watch it at the top of the player.
Krause went missing near her community near Farmington, New Mexico, in January 2020 and died in a clearing outside of Flagstaff, Arizona. These were more than a four hour drive away.
According to KRQE, the following February, a camper said she found Krause dead while collecting firewood. MPs said the 27-year-old was handcuffed with tape. She was shot in the back of the head. Gooch stole her headgear and underwear, authorities said.
They claim that his cell phone was the only other one communicating on the same cell tower that Krauses cell phone was connected to when she went missing. Gooch, who was assigned to Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, allegedly said he visited Farmington, New Mexico because he missed the Mennonite community and wanted to attend a church service, according to the WJLA. The cell phone dates, however, did not match his alleged timeline.
Gooch also grew up in a Mennonite family but never officially joined the Church. Brothers Sam Gooch reportedly told authorities Mark Gooch a grudge against the community. The same brother pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three years probation in 2020, according to the Associated Press. The Wisconsin resident admitted traveling to Arizona to retrieve the rifle he believed was used to kill Krause.
Incidentally, the Gooch brothers seem to share a disdain for the Mennonite community. A third brother Jacob GoochHe resigned as a Virginia State Trooper over a text in which he reportedly told Mark and Sam that he had given a Mennonite man a ticket and coughed him “so that he would spread corona at the wedding they went to. lol, ”according to The Associated Press.
Law & Crime Live
Don’t miss a judgment. Watch the Law & Crime Network Live 24/7 online.
Do you have a tip we should know? [email protected]
Comments are closed.