A former New York state trooper was convicted Friday of manslaughter for causing a crash that killed an 11-year-old girl during a high-speed chase. Christopher Baldner, 47, faces up to five to 15 years in prison when he is sentenced June 2.
Key Takeaways
A former New York state trooper was convicted of manslaughter for causing a crash that killed an 11-year-old girl during a high-speed chase. Christopher Baldner faces up to five to 15 years in prison.
- Former NY trooper Christopher Baldner found guilty of manslaughter
- Crash occurred during high-speed chase on New York State Thruway
- Monica Goods, 11, was killed in the December 2020 crash
- Baldner acquitted of murder and reckless endangerment charges
- Sentencing scheduled for June 2
Prosecutors say Baldner rammed the SUV twice on the New York State Thruway north of New York City, causing it to lose control and flip over. Eleven-year-old Monica Goods was killed in the December 2020 crash. Defense attorneys argued that the accident occurred after the SUV cut off Baldner as he pulled alongside during the pursuit.
While nothing can bring Monica back, this verdict is some semblance of justice for her loved ones, state Attorney General Letitia James said in a prepared statement. A jury acquitted Baldner of murder and reckless endangerment charges in November but deadlocked on a second-degree manslaughter charge. Judge Bryan Rounds declared a mistrial, and a second trial began last month.
Assistant State Attorney General Jennifer Gashi told jurors during the latest trial that Baldner chose to recklessly use his patrol car as a weapon during the chase. Defense attorney Anthony Ricco argued it was the driver of the SUV — Monica's father, Tristin Goods — who acted recklessly and caused her death.
Baldner pulled over Tristin Goods for speeding on the highway near Kingston the night of Dec. 22, 2020. Defense attorneys said Goods collided with Baldner's trooper car twice during the pursuit. An accident reconstruction expert testified that Goods lost control of the SUV when he overcorrected after a very minor impact. According to CBS News, Baldner deployed pepper spray into the vehicle during the traffic stop before pursuing and ramming it.
Taken a long time, but as Martin Luther King said, 'The arc of justice is long,' attorney Sanford Rubenstein said. In this case, while the arc of justice may have been long, justice was done with this guilty verdict of manslaughter in the killing of a beautiful young girl.
Charles W. Murphy, president of the Police Benevolent Association of the New York State Troopers, said in a written statement that Baldner was simply following his training and expressed disappointment with the verdict.
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