The New York Supreme Court of Appeals reinstated murder charges against a retired state trooper in the death of an 11-year-old Black girl four years ago after he allegedly crashed his police vehicle into her family’s SUV “like the Dukes of Hazard,” justices noted in the ruling.
Christopher G. Baldner faces a charge of second-degree murder in the death of Monica Goods, of Brooklyn, and six counts of first-degree reckless endangerment, following his initial indictment in October 2021.
Earlier this year, however, Ulster County Court Judge Bryan Rounds concluded that the evidence did not convincingly show Baldner acted with “depraved indifference to human life” in the deadly rollover crash involving the family’s Dodge Journey in December 2020.
As a result, Rounds dismissed the murder charge, effectively leaving Baldner to face only lesser offenses. He also reduced the reckless endangerment charges, scaling them back to second-degree violations and cutting the total number in half.
New York Attorney General Letitia James later challenged the outcome, appealing the case to the Appellate Division, Third Judicial Department of the State Supreme Court, which agreed to reinstate all the charges in a 4-1 opinion issued in Albany last Thursday.
Only one judge expressed dissent against the decision, while the majority cited the strong language from the original indictment handed down in the case.
“The grand jury heard that, in September 2019, defendant ‘came out of the woods like the Dukes of Hazard’ in his State Police vehicle, sirens activated, when he observed a minivan speeding at 80 miles per hour,” the opinion reads.
“The evidence of the December 2020 incident follows a similar pattern. The grand jury heard from witnesses that, around 11:40 p.m., defendant was ‘see[ing] if he could get one last ticket’ before meeting his partner when he stopped an SUV for speeding.”
The court was referring to the classic TV series “The Dukes of Hazzard” — known for its harrowing car chases and high-speed stunts.
In his dissent, Justice J.P. Egan Jr. acknowledged that Baldner was “doing his job in a reckless and undisciplined fashion,” but argued that his actions did not amount to an “utter disregard for human life.”
However, the majority disagreed, pointing out that even when Baldner applied his service vehicle’s brakes during the pursuit, it was to “intentionally ram the SUV.”
The court emphasized that such actions are permitted under state police regulations only when a supervisor is present, and Baldner’s conduct was consistent with a pattern of prior behavior.
The girl’s father, Tristan Goods, was behind the wheel of the SUV when the situation rapidly escalated following a traffic stop.
“[D]efendant began the traffic stop by angrily and profanely accusing Goods of traveling over 100 miles per hour,” the court wrote — according to the statement offered by the girl’s father. “An argument between defendant and Goods ensued in front of Goods’ wife and two children, who tried to calm him.”
Witnesses said the defendant left to get a supervisor but returned and, without warning, pepper-sprayed the SUV, causing Goods’ wife and children to scream in pain. Goods, shielding his eyes, fled the scene as the spray canister ended up inside the vehicle.
Baldner immediately gave chase, reporting to dispatch that the SUV was “fleeing” with his pepper spray still inside.
During the pursuit, Baldner allegedly rammed his police vehicle into the rear of the SUV twice, according to a statement from James issued after his indictment. After the second time, the SUV flipped multiple times before coming to a stop upside down.
Monica Goods was ejected from the vehicle and died from her injuries before paramedics arrived.
The ruling indicated that the appellate court accepted the father’s account of the incident, while also highlighting critical details about the circumstances surrounding each collision.
Attorney General James issued a statement last week, praising the court’s decision to hold Baldner accountable.
“As a former State Trooper, Christopher Baldner was responsible for serving and protecting the people of New York, but the indictment alleges that he violated that sacred oath and used his vehicle as a deadly weapon, resulting in the senseless death of a young girl,” James wrote.
“While nothing can return Monica Goods to her family’s loving arms, this decision from the court will enable my office to continue our efforts to seek some semblance of justice for the Goods family. We must hold law enforcement professionals to the highest standards, and we will continue our work on this case to ensure that justice is served.”
In another statement about the ruling, the Police Benevolent Association of the New York State Troopers Inc. criticized the court’s decision.
“We strongly disagree with the decision, which we believe improperly reinstated the ‘depraved indifference’ charge,” the union said.
“We are deeply concerned that this ruling, if it stands, sets a dangerous precedent that could put a chill on law enforcement officers’ ability to do their job effectively and protect and serve the public. The PBA will continue to support retired Trooper Baldner and cover his legal expenses as he seeks leave to appeal this decision.”
