Jury Acquits Former New York State Trooper of Murdering 11-year-old Girl

Former New York state trooper Christopher Baldner was acquitted Thursday of second-degree murder and reckless endangerment in a 2020 crash that killed 11-year-old Monica Goods. However, the trial didn't end there. Moments after the jury delivered its partial verdict, the judge instructed them to return to the deliberation room and continue considering the still-pending manslaughter charge.

The tragic incident happened nearly four years ago. Prosecutors accused Baldner of deliberately ramming his patrol vehicle into the Goods family’s SUV during a chase on the State Thruway in December 2020, causing the vehicle to overturn. Monica, who was riding in the back seat, died as a result.

Baldner had pulled over a Dodge Journey driven by Tristan Goods, who was traveling with his wife and two daughters. Prosecutors said Goods drove off from the traffic stop which prompted Baldner to pursue the SUV for about a mile at speeds exceeding 120 miles per hour. During the pursuit, prosecutors alleged Baldner struck the rear of the vehicle twice. They argued the second impact forced the SUV off the road where it rolled over twice. The crash partially ejecting Monica, resulting in her death.

Jurors started deliberations earlier in the week and on Thursday sent a series of notes to the judge asking for clarification on previous testimony, New York State Police pursuit policies, and the definitions of both manslaughter and reasonable doubt. Later in the afternoon, the jury returned to the courtroom with its partial verdict acquitting Baldner of the murder charge and the reckless endangerment counts. They were then ordered to continue deliberating the unresolved manslaughter charge.

The case has bounced through multiple courts over the last few years. Baldner was first indicted in the fall of 2021, but in February 2023 Ulster County Court Judge Bryan Rounds dismissed the murder charge and reduced the reckless endangerment counts. In his ruling, Rounds said the evidence did not support a finding that Baldner acted with depraved indifference and pointed to what he described as evidence showing Baldner attempted to brake before the second impact.

That decision was overturned in September 2024 when the New York Supreme Court’s Appellate Division reinstated the murder and first-degree reckless endangerment charges. The ruling came after an appeal filed by State Attorney General Letitia James.

Only the manslaughter charge is left unresolved.

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Jury Acquits Former New York State Trooper of Murdering 11-year-old Girl