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Rifle owned by Mark Gooch matches with bullet used to kill Mennonite woman, forensic scientists say

Gooch is accused of killing Sasha Krause and dumping her body near Sunset Crater in January, investigators say.

COCONINO COUNTY, Ariz. — A forensic investigation revealed that a bullet used to kill a Mennonite woman was fired from a rifle owned by Luke Air Force Base airman Mark Gooch, the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office announced Wednesday.

Gooch, 21, is accused of killing Sasha Krause, 27, and dumping her body near Sunset Crater in January.

A woman collecting firewood at Sunset Crater found Krause's body, according to police reports. Body camera from the scene shows the body was dumped behind a bush a distance from the road. Deputies believed they saw drag marks near the body.

After Gooch's arrest, a man living near Luke Air Force Base called the police and told them Gooch had asked him to hold a .22 caliber rifle for him.

Gooch's brother, Sam Gooch, was later arrested after allegedly trying to convince that man to destroy the gun.

Police reports obtained by 12 News in May showed that the Luke Air Force Base airman held a grudge against the Mennonite faith, according to Sam.

Police also tracked Krause's movements through her phone, then compared that record to all other phones located in the same areas and found that the only phone in all the same places Krause's belonged to Gooch.

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