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New York trooper charged with murder after ramming family's car, causing it to flip, killing girl
New York trooper charged with murder after ramming family's car, killing girl
A New York State trooper has been charged with murder and manslaughter in the death of 11-year-old Monica Goods, Attorney General Letitia James announced Wednesday. Christopher Baldner is accused of ramming a car with four members of the Goods family inside, flipping the car and killing Monica while on duty in December 2020.
The attorney general's office said Baldner was in his police car when he stopped Tristan Goods for speeding in Ulster County just before midnight on December 22. He was going to visit family for Christmas and had his wife and two daughters, who are 11 and 12 years old, in the car with him. During the stop, Baldner administered pepper spray into the Goods' car and Tristan Goods sped off, the indictment said.
The trooper followed the family's car, ramming into the back of their car twice before Goods' vehicle flipped multiple times. Monica Goods was ejected from the car and died, the attorney general said.
It is not clear whether the other members of the Goods family were injured in the incident.
The attorney general charged Baldner with second-degree murder — which carries a maximum sentence of 25 years to life in prison — second-degree manslaughter and reckless endangerment.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/new-york-trooper-charged-with-murder-after-ramming-family-s-car-killing-girl/ar-AAQ1C5w
“He was screaming at me, ‘You were going 100 miles per hour and you shook my car!’ Goods told The New York Daily News in a June 20 report.
Goods said he responded by saying the trailer in front of him shook Baldner’s car. He maintained that he had his hands on the steering wheel and that he did not get out of the vehicle. Baldner allegedly demanded to know if there were guns or drugs in the car, and said the following when Goods’s wife April said she was tired: “I don’t give a shit if you’re tired.”
Goods said the trooper went back to the cruiser and returned to the SUV with pepper spray. According to Goods, Baldner knew there were young girls in the vehicle. Baldner never warned them or told him he was under arrest, Goods claimed.
Goods said he then drove away instinctively.
“I didn’t know what he was going to do next,” Goods said. “I was like, ‘Holy shit. This guy is going to kill me now.'”
Baldner allegedly rammed the Goods vehicle twice, and after the second hit, the family’s SUV struck a guardrail, flipped and rolled. Monica was ejected from the car.
Goods was driving his wife, daughter Monica, and 12-year-old daughter during the incident.
“This should have been a traffic ticket,” said Goods’ attorney Joseph O’Connor.
Baldner faces charges of murder in the second degree, manslaughter in the second degree, and reckless endangerment in the first degree. He is also charged with ramming a car in an unrelated incident from September 2019.
https://lawandcrime.com/crime/grand-jury-indicts-trooper-on-murder-charge-for-allegedly-ramming-familys-car-killing-11-year-old-girl/
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