NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – Mark Gooch‘s father took the stand during his trial on Thursday. Gooch is accused of driving to Sasha Krause‘s Mennonite community near Farmington last year, abducting her then shooting her and dumping her body near Flagstaff.
Jim Gooch: “Because we were not born in the Mennonite community. There were some rough spots, simply because we didn’t always see things eye to eye.”
Attorney: “Were you aware the defendant referred to the church and members of it as a cult?”
Jim: “Not to my knowledge.”
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Prosecutors allege Gooch who grew up with Mennonite parents, resented the church and had been watching Krause’s community before she was murdered. Gooch’s father testified he didn’t know Mark ever felt like an outsider.