Mark Gooch-Arrested for the murder of Sasha Krause

[steve-in-kville]

I've honestly never understood how they can match slugs to guns. Gun manufacturers produce tens of thousands of identical firearms using the same machine tools. How are they not all indistinguishable?

My understanding is that in use each gun develops distinctive scratches that it marks the projectile with.

And to really blow minds, they can match firing pin strikes to spent brass, too.

[mike]

It sounds to me like the phone records are the most damning evidence against Gooch. Both the data and his own confession at his first interview place him at the scene of the abduction, although Gooch claimed during that interview that it was several hours different from what the records showed. He committed the classic blunder of talking extensively with police without a lawyer, because he didn't realize how much they already had on him. I heard snippets last night of the defense attorney getting a detective to admit that it is not uncommon for a person's memory of exact times to be off a couple hours. I assume this was an attempt to get the jury to think of the discrepancy as a common mistake rather than a lie.

The phone records also apparently showed he was casing other Mennonite churches, and was at the scene where the body was found, and lots of other incriminating things.

[Signtist]

After watching some of this trial, I began to wonder what makes an attorney represent a likely criminal.

This is what I learned. Which is not the most pleasant thing to learn...

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/547 ... -attorneys

A lot of them have no choice. Watching them in real life working to defend someone who has beyond reasonable doubt committed a violent crime against your loved ones is almost more than a decent person can stomach. "It's just doing their job."

[Signtist]

I expect that the conclusion to the trial will be worth watching particularly if/when Sasha’s family speaks in court.

I'd say they could use prayers as they prepare victim impact statements, if they plan to share them. That is absolutely gut wrenching, heart shredding stuff.

[Ken]

I've honestly never understood how they can match slugs to guns. Gun manufacturers produce tens of thousands of identical firearms using the same machine tools. How are they not all indistinguishable?

My understanding is that in use each gun develops distinctive scratches that it marks the projectile with.

That is my understanding too. But I still don't understand it. If each gun is individually "evolving" over time, then the gun that was fired 5 years ago won't be the same gun that is fired today. Because that is what they are saying if they claim that say two identical Glocks will diverge into unique identifiable weapons with use. Also, couldn't any criminal just de-identify their gun by running a little sandpaper or a round file into the barrel and over the firing pin to smooth off any distinctive markings?

[mike]

I expect that the conclusion to the trial will be worth watching particularly if/when Sasha’s family speaks in court.

I'd say they could use prayers as they prepare victim impact statements, if they plan to share them. That is absolutely gut wrenching, heart shredding stuff.

I'm sure it is. I will be praying.

[Josh]

I've honestly never understood how they can match slugs to guns. Gun manufacturers produce tens of thousands of identical firearms using the same machine tools. How are they not all indistinguishable?

My understanding is that in use each gun develops distinctive scratches that it marks the projectile with.

That is my understanding too. But I still don't understand it. If each gun is individually "evolving" over time, then the gun that was fired 5 years ago won't be the same gun that is fired today. Because that is what they are saying if they claim that say two identical Glocks will diverge into unique identifiable weapons with use. Also, couldn't any criminal just de-identify their gun by running a little sandpaper or a round file into the barrel and over the firing pin to smooth off any distinctive markings?

They could, yet almost never do.

A rather obvious thing to do would be to use a revolver and dispose of your own shell casings instead of leaving them scattered about at the scene. And then dispose of the murder weapon too.

The types of people who shoot people tend not to do such things, and thus the prosecution can fairly easily prove the murder weapon if they can find it.

[steve-in-kville]

The lands & grooves on a bullet can easily be matched to the barrel of the firearm it was fired from. Spent casing can be used as well, as they expand when fired and become a copy to the bore they were fired from. Simple, yet amazing technology

[steve-in-kville]

I expect that the conclusion to the trial will be worth watching particularly if/when Sasha’s family speaks in court.

I'd say they could use prayers as they prepare victim impact statements, if they plan to share them. That is absolutely gut wrenching, heart shredding stuff.

That brought back a memory. It was exactly a year ago I started our own. Had to edit it down from seven pages to one. I was at that for days.

[Signtist]

That brought back a memory. It was exactly a year ago I started our own. Had to edit it down from seven pages to one. I was at that for days.

No doubt. And yet I think it's important to write one. It must be taken into account at sentencing. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring up memories, this thread kinda does that tho.