Mark Daniel Gooch murdered 27-year-old Mennonite teacher Sasha Krause in January 2020 after travelling from Arizona to the Mennonite community where she lived near Farmington, New Mexico. Krause disappeared on January 18 while retrieving materials for a Sunday school class, and her body was discovered more than a month later in the Coconino National Forest near Flagstaff, Arizona. She had been shot in the head and her wrists were bound. Gooch, who had been raised in the Mennonite faith but later rejected it, was convicted of first-degree murder and kidnapping in October 2021 and sentenced to natural life imprisonment plus five years for kidnapping in January 2022.
Early Life
Mark Daniel Gooch was born in 1998 and was raised in a conservative Mennonite family in Wisconsin. He grew up within the Mennonite faith but later became increasingly alienated from the community and ultimately rejected the religion.
Gooch joined the United States Air Force and was stationed at Luke Air Force Base near Phoenix, Arizona, where he worked in equipment maintenance. Before Sasha Krause's murder, he had no known relationship with Krause, despite the two sharing a Mennonite upbringing.
Killing Spree
On January 18, 2020, Sasha Krause left the Mennonite community near Farmington, New Mexico, to collect materials from a nearby church for a Sunday school class. She never returned home, and her abandoned vehicle was found in the church parking lot.
Investigators determined that Gooch had driven from Arizona to the Farmington area that day. Evidence presented at trial showed that he encountered Krause near the church and abducted her before driving her hundreds of miles into Arizona. On February 22, a camper collecting firewood discovered Krause's body in a forest clearing near Sunset Crater National Monument. She had been shot in the head and her wrists were bound.
Modus Operandi
Gooch targeted Krause despite having no known personal relationship with her. Prosecutors argued that his hostility toward the Mennonite faith and his resentment toward the community in which he had been raised provided context for the otherwise apparently random abduction.
The killing involved kidnapping Krause from her New Mexico community, transporting her across state lines and shooting her in a remote area of northern Arizona. Investigators used cellphone records, financial transactions, surveillance footage and ballistic evidence to establish Gooch's movements and connect him to the murder.
Capture
The investigation initially focused on locating Krause after her disappearance. Authorities eventually identified Gooch as a suspect after examining surveillance footage, cellphone data and financial records showing his movements between Luke Air Force Base, Farmington and northern Arizona.
A bullet recovered from Krause's skull was determined by a state crime laboratory to have been fired from a .22-calibre rifle owned by Gooch. Investigators also found that his vehicle had travelled to the Farmington area and that his cellphone had communicated with towers along the route. Gooch was arrested in April 2020 and charged with first-degree murder and kidnapping.
Trial & Sentence
Gooch's trial took place in Coconino County Superior Court in September and October 2021. The prosecution relied heavily on circumstantial evidence, including cellphone and financial records, surveillance footage, vehicle movements and ballistic evidence.
The defence argued that there was insufficient physical evidence linking Gooch to the crime and challenged the reliability of the ballistic evidence. Prosecutors also presented messages between Gooch and his brothers concerning Mennonites, arguing that they demonstrated hostility toward the faith and its followers.
On October 13, 2021, a jury convicted Gooch of first-degree murder and kidnapping. In January 2022, he was sentenced to natural life imprisonment for murder, followed by a consecutive five-year sentence for kidnapping. Gooch appealed his convictions and sentences, but the Arizona Court of Appeals affirmed them in April 2023.
Notes
The motive for Krause's murder was never conclusively established. Prosecutors presented evidence that Gooch had developed resentment toward the Mennonite faith after growing up within the community, while the defence argued that comments he had made about Mennonites did not prove that he intended to kill someone because of their religion. Krause and Gooch had not previously known each other.
The case received substantial attention because of the distance between the place of Krause's abduction and the location where her body was discovered. Investigators reconstructed Gooch's movements using technology and records rather than relying on an eyewitness to the abduction or murder. The Arizona Court of Appeals later concluded that sufficient evidence supported the convictions, despite the largely circumstantial nature of the prosecution's case.
Gooch remains incarcerated in Arizona under a natural-life sentence. His appeal was unsuccessful, leaving his first-degree murder conviction and consecutive kidnapping sentence intact.
Sources:
- Coconino County Sheriff's Office
- Coconino County Attorney's Office
- Arizona Court of Appeals
- Arizona Department of Corrections
- Associated Press
- A&E
- Air Force Times
- The Journal
- CityNews
Media
📺 Documentaries / TV Series
Killer Cases - The Murder of Sasha Krause
Examines Sasha Krause's disappearance, the investigation into Mark Gooch and the evidence that led to his conviction.
A&E - Mark Gooch: The Mennonite Murder
Examines Gooch's Mennonite upbringing, his resentment toward the faith and his conviction for Krause's murder.
🎥 Major Video Interviews
Coconino County Sheriff's Office
Investigators discussed Krause's disappearance, the recovery of her body and the evidence connecting Gooch to the crime.
Arizona Court Coverage
News organisations covered Gooch's trial, conviction, sentencing and subsequent appeal.
🎙️ Podcasts
True Crime Podcasts
The case has been examined by true-crime programs focusing on Krause's disappearance, the interstate investigation and the evidence used to convict Gooch.
Courtroom Coverage Podcasts
Programs have reviewed the trial evidence, including cellphone records, surveillance footage and ballistic testimony.
📰 Written Media Coverage
The Mark Gooch case received extensive media coverage from:
Associated Press, A&E, Air Force Times, The Journal, CityNews
Major themes included:
Mark Daniel Gooch, Sasha Krause, Mennonite community, Farmington New Mexico, Flagstaff Arizona, Luke Air Force Base, kidnapping, first-degree murder, firearm, .22-calibre rifle, cellphone evidence, ballistic evidence, Coconino National Forest, natural life imprisonment, and the 2020 Mennonite murder.
