KINGSTON N.Y. (AP) — A former New York state trooper was accused in court Tuesday of using his patrol car as a battering ram in a high-speed pursuit that killed an 11-year-old girl, a case one prosecutor called a “fatal abuse of power.”
Christopher Baldner faces multiple charges for his actions on the night of Dec. 22, 2020, after he pulled over a Dodge Journey driven by Tristin Goods for speeding. Goods was driving north on the New York State Thruway with his wife and two daughters for a holiday with family.
The trooper and the driver argued, and Baldner pepper-sprayed the inside of the vehicle. Goods drove off and Baldner pursued at speeds as high as 130 mph, twice ramming the SUV, causing it to lose control and flip over after the second impact, according to prosecutors.
“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 a jury in her opening statement.
Eleven-year-old Monica Goods was found dead inside the vehicle.
Gashi said Baldner’s actions that night were deliberate, willful and depraved. The case was not about a tragic accident, but a “fatal abuse of power,” she said.
Baldner was indicted in October 2021 on charges of murder, second-degree manslaughter and first-degree reckless endangerment. Three of the six endangerment charges stem from a separate 2019 case on the Thruway in which he is accused ramming the back of a Dodge Caravan with three people aboard, causing the vehicle to crash into a guard rail.
A defense attorney told the jury the prosecution was trying to “demonize” Baldner, who was dealing with a belligerent and uncooperative driver.
Tristin Goods refused to show the trooper his license and registration, or to provide his name. He was raging and swearing, despite pleas from his family to calm down, said attorney Anthony Ricco.
“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.
Ricco said Baldner did not act out of depravity.
Baldner had radioed dispatch that night that the SUV had rammed his vehicle, according to court papers. Ricco told the jury it was possible the SUV decelerated before impact.
Baldner. has been free on $100,000 bail. He retired in 2022 after almost 20 years with the state police.
The trial is expected to take several weeks.
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