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The retrial of former New York State Trooper Christopher Baldner resumes today (Monday, March 2) in Kingston, after an unexpected delay due to the presiding judge's illness. Baldner faces second-degree manslaughter charges for the December 2020 death of 11-year-old Monica Goods during a high-speed chase on the New York State Thruway.
According to Daily Freeman, the incident occurred when Baldner, a 19-year veteran of the state police, pursued a vehicle driven by Monica's father, Tristan Goods, after a traffic stop for alleged speeding. Prosecutors allege that Baldner rammed his cruiser into the family's SUV twice, causing it to overturn and partially eject Monica, resulting in her death.
The first trial, held in November 2025, ended in a mistrial after the jury deadlocked on the manslaughter charge, despite acquitting Baldner of second-degree murder and reckless endangerment charges. The jury deliberated for over 15 hours before reaching a stalemate.
Spectrum News reports that the retrial began with testimony from several witnesses, including Monica's mother, April Goods, and sister, Tristina Goods, who were in the vehicle during the crash. Expert testimony regarding crash reconstruction is expected to be pivotal, as prosecution experts claim Baldner did not attempt to avoid the collision, while defense experts argue he took evasive action.
Baldner remains free on $100,000 bail. If convicted of second-degree manslaughter, he faces a minimum sentence of one-and-a-half to three years and a maximum of three to 15 years in state prison.