Airman guilty in death of Mennonite woman
FLAGSTAFF — A jury in Arizona has convicted a U.S. Air Force airman in the disappearance and death of a Mennonite woman who had been living in New Mexico.
The jury reached its verdict Wednesday after deliberating for about five hours total. Jurors heard closing arguments in the case Friday.
Mark Gooch, 22, faces life in prison on his firstdegree murder conviction. He also was found guilty of kidnapping Sasha Krause in January 2020 from the Farmington Mennonite Church where she was gathering material for Sunday school.
Krause’s body was found more than a month later, hundreds of miles away in a forest clearing outside Flagstaff.
Half of the courtroom was filled at times with Krause’s parents and others who shared in the Mennonite faith, including the general manager of the publishing ministry where she worked in Farmington. Paul Kaufman said Wednesday that his heart goes out to both Krause’s and Gooch’s parents, and that the community doesn’t want to be vindictive of Gooch.
“We desire his complete repentance, that he would turn from darkness to light,” Kaufman said.
Coconino County Attorney William Ring did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
Jurors heard 10 days of testimony from those who knew Krause, investigated her disappearance and tried to track down who was responsible. They heard from ballistics experts who disagreed on whether the bullet taken from her skull was fired from a .22-rifle caliber that Gooch owned. They heard from Gooch’s father, Jim, but they did not hear from the defendant himself.
Gooch had no expression during the trial or when the verdict was announced. As he left the courtroom, he looked toward two family members who sat behind him in court. They declined to comment.
Sentencing has been set for Nov. 24. Coconino County Superior Court Judge Cathleen Brown Nichols separately convicted Gooch of a misdemeanor charge of theft, related to clothing that was missing from Krause’s body.
The San Juan County Sheriff’s Office in New Mexico, which investigated her disappearance, said it will pursue a separate kidnapping charge against Gooch.
“We are delighted to hear that Sasha got some justice today,” Sheriff Shane Ferrari said in a statement.