No Bail For State Trooper Christopher Baldner, Accused Of Killing 11-Year-Old Monica Goods

KINGSTON N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- A veteran New York State trooper charged with murder in the death of an 11-year-old Brooklyn girl will remain in jail.

An Ulster County judge on Thursday rejected a proposal for cash bail and home confinement, CBS2's Tony Aiello reported.

Suspended Trooper Christopher Baldner looked stunned after Judge Bryan Rounds sent him back to jail.

Baldner faces murder and other charges in the death of Monica Goods, who was in a car with her father, Tristin Goods, on Dec. 22, 2020. Baldner stopped him for driving more than 100 mph on I-87.

There was a dispute, Baldner used pepper spray, and Tristin Goods took off. Prosecutors say Baldner gave chase before ramming the other car twice, causing it to flip. Monica Goods was ejected and killed.

"Rather than being accidental, the defendant's actions on Dec. 22 were deliberate, willful, and depraved," Assistant Attorney General Jennifer Gashi said.

Baldner's defense team offered a bail package of $100,000 cash, home confinement with electronic monitoring, and surrendering of his passport. In rejecting that, the judge seemed to agree with prosecutors from the attorney general's office that the serious murder charge makes Baldner a flight risk.

Tom Mungeer, president of the state troopers' union, spoke after court.

"You have a trooper that has lived in this area for almost two decades. He has a family, he has kids, he owns a house. He's not going anywhere. So I believe that the bail reduction act of 2019 has worked for everybody, but in this instance it did not work for my trooper," Mungeer said.

The judge's denial of bail was welcomed by protesters and the dead child's mother.

"We're still at the beginning of this fight. He got remanded today. Well, that's where he deserves to be," Michelle Surrency said.

A source told Aiello the Ulster County DA is looking at whether the actions of the victim's father merit charges.

Baldner is due back in court in February. Protesters say they'll be outside, voicing their outrage over the death of the young girl.

Second-degree murder is one of the crimes still eligible for remand under the Bail Elimination Act of 2019. Prosecutors say the suspended trooper has a history of ramming vehicles during pursuits on I-87.