Former trooper found guilty of manslaughter, remains free on bail

ULSTER COUNTY―Former State Trooper Christopher Baldner has been found guilty of second-degree manslaughter in the 2020 death of a young girl during a high-speed pursuit.

An Ulster County jury deliberated for about five hours on Thursday and Friday before reaching the verdict.

The case stems from a traffic stop on the New York State Thruway in Ulster County when a fleeing vehicle crashed while being pursued by Baldner, resulting in the death of 11-year-old backseat passenger Monica Goods.

“I offer my sincerest condolences to the family and loved ones of Monica Goods,” said New York State Attorney General Letitia James, whose office prosecuted the case.

“While nothing can bring Monica back, this verdict is some semblance of justice for her loved ones,” James said.

It was the second time the New York State Attorney General’s Office brought Baldner, 47, of Durham to trial in the case. In November, a jury found him not guilty of second-degree murder and multiple counts of reckless endangerment but remained deadlocked on the charge of second-degree manslaughter.

Judge Bryan Rounds declared a mistrial and a new trial on the sole manslaughter charge commenced on February 17.

Charles W. Murphy, president of The Police Benevolent Association of the New York State Troopers (PBA), Baldner’s former union, issued a statement saying that the conviction “sends a troubling message to all law enforcement officers who must make split-second decisions to protect the public.”

Murphy added the union is “deeply disappointed” and that Baldner “was simply following his training when he responded to a rapidly evolving and highly dangerous situation.”

Baldner, who remains free on $100,000 bail, retired from the State Police in 2022 after serving for nearly 20 years.

The incident began around 11:39 p.m. on December 22, 2020, when Baldner, in a marked State Police patrol vehicle, was parked in a U-turn on the Thruway. According to court records and testimony, a Dodge Journey operated by Tristan Goods of Brooklyn drove by him in the northbound lanes at 101 mph.

In the vehicle was Tristan Goods’ then-wife and two daughters, including Monica Goods who was not wearing a seatbelt.  

According to court records, when Baldner stopped the vehicle, a profanity-laced argument ensued with Tristan Goods who declined to produce his driver's license. Baldner ultimately administered pepper spray into the SUV and Tristan Goods drove off after grabbing the canister, sparking a pursuit that reached speeds in excess of 100 mph, court records show.

According to the Attorney General’s Office, Baldner twice used a precision immobilization technique (PIT) maneuver that involves gradually moving the front end of a police vehicle into the rear quarter panel of a fleeing vehicle causing it to spin to a stop.

That second impact caused the Goods’ vehicle to flip over several times before coming to a rest upside down.

Baldner’s defense team, headed by Albany attorney Stephen Coffey of O'Connell & Aronowitz, argued that Tristan Goods’ reckless driving caused the wreck.

Tristian Goods, who has never faced charges, sustained minor injuries, while his wife and one daughter were not hurt. Monica Goods was found dead and pinned under the SUV.

In an eleventh hour request on Wednesday, prosecutors asked Rounds to allow the jury to also consider a lesser charge of criminal negligent homicide. Round rejected the request.

New York Executive Order 147, signed in 2015 by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, authorizes the Attorney General’s Office to investigate, and gives them the authority to prosecute, police-involved deaths of unarmed civilians. Baldner was the first member of the State Police to be charged with murder resulting from a pursuit under the executive order.

Sentencing is scheduled for June 2. Baldner could be given as little as an unconditional discharge or up to a maximum of 5-15 years in prison.