Former State Trooper Killed 11-year-old Girl by Using Patrol Car as a 'Battering Ram'

A former New York State trooper is facing charges after prosecutors accused him of deliberately using his patrol car to ram a family’s SUV during a high-speed chase, killing an 11-year-old girl.

Christopher Baldner appeared in court Tuesday where prosecutors outlined their case that his conduct during the December 22, 2020, pursuit amounted to a “fatal abuse of power.”

According to the Attorney General’s Office, Baldner pulled over a Dodge Journey on the New York State Thruway for speeding. Behind the wheel was Tristin Goods, who was traveling north with his wife and two daughters to visit family for the holidays.

Court records show an argument ensued between Baldner and Goods, during which the trooper sprayed pepper spray into the vehicle. Goods then drove off, prompting a chase that reached speeds of 130 mph. Prosecutors allege Baldner twice struck the SUV from behind with his patrol car, causing it to lose control and flip after the second impact.

“He used his patrol car as a weapon and rammed into the back of the Goods’ family car, not once, but twice,” Assistant Attorney General Jennifer Gashi told jurors during her opening statement.

Eleven-year-old Monica Goods was killed in the crash.

Gashi told the jury Baldner’s actions were not accidental but intentional. She argued that the former trooper’s conduct was “deliberate, willful and depraved,” calling the case not just a tragedy but a “fatal abuse of power.”

Baldner was indicted in October 2021 on charges including murder, second-degree manslaughter, and reckless endangerment. Three of the endangerment counts are tied to a separate 2019 incident where Baldner allegedly rammed a Dodge Caravan carrying three passengers on the Thruway, forcing it into a guard rail.

Defense attorney Anthony Ricco countered that prosecutors were attempting to “demonize” Baldner, insisting that the trooper was responding to a difficult and aggressive driver.

Ricco told the jury that Tristin Goods had refused to provide identification or registration and “was raging and swearing, despite pleas from his family to calm down.” He argued that Baldner had focused on Goods’ behavior, not on harming the family.

“New York State Trooper Baldner was laser-focused on a man who conducted himself that way in front of his wife and children,” Ricco said.

Baldner also reported to dispatchers that night that the SUV had rammed into his patrol vehicle, according to court filings. Ricco suggested that the impact may have occurred because the SUV decelerated before the collision.

Baldner retired in 2022 after nearly two decades with the New York State Police. He has been out on $100,000 bail since his indictment.

The trial, which will examine both the 2020 and 2019 incidents, is expected to last several weeks.

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Former State Trooper Killed 11-year-old Girl by Using Patrol Car as a 'Battering Ram'