A New York jury has found former state trooper Christopher Baldner guilty of second-degree manslaughter for the death of 11-year-old Monica Goods during a 2020 high-speed chase on the New York State Thruway.
The verdict was returned Friday in Kingston at Baldner's second trial, after jurors in a 2025 proceeding acquitted him of murder and reckless endangerment but deadlocked on the manslaughter charge. Baldner, 47, remains free on bail and faces five to 15 years in prison when he is sentenced on Jun. 2.
Prosecutors said Baldner twice rammed an SUV driven by Monica's father, Tristin Goods, during a late-night pursuit in December 2020, causing the vehicle to flip and killing the girl. The crash happened on the Thruway near Kingston as the family traveled north from New York City to visit relatives, according to ABC News.
According to trial testimony, Baldner initially stopped Goods for speeding, and an argument followed. Prosecutors said Baldner pepper-sprayed the interior of the SUV, after which Goods drove off, and the trooper gave chase.
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Assistant State Attorney General Jennifer Gashi told jurors that Baldner "recklessly" used his patrol car as a weapon during the pursuit north of New York City, US News reported. New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement that the verdict offers "some semblance of justice" for Monica's family, while noting nothing could bring her back.
Defense attorney Anthony Ricco argued that Goods' own driving caused the crash, citing an accident reconstruction expert who testified that Goods lost control after a minor impact and overcorrected. Baldner's lawyers maintained the SUV had cut off the patrol car as he attempted to pull alongside it.
Baldner retired from the state police in 2022 after nearly two decades of service. The union representing state troopers said it was disappointed by the decision and claimed Baldner had followed his training in a fast-moving situation, as per Komo News.
