A former New York state trooper, Christopher Boldner, has been acquitted of murder charges connected to the death of an 11-year-old girl following a high-speed chase. A jury found him not guilty on Thursday of seven out of eight charges related to the case.
This incident happened on December 22, 2020, when Boldner pulled over a Dodge Journey driven by Tristin Goods for speeding on a highway. The family was on their way from New York City to celebrate the holidays.
After an argument with Goods, which escalated with officers using pepper spray, the driver fled, initiating a chase with Boldner in pursuit. Prosecutors claim that Boldner rammed the SUV twice, resulting in a loss of control that led to a fatal rollover.
In this tragic occurrence, the young passenger, Monica Goods, lost her life. Boldner’s legal team argued that he was responding to a contentious situation, asserting that the crash was primarily due to the driver’s actions—specifically, that Goods lost control after briefly colliding with Boldner’s vehicle.
During the trial, the prosecution characterized Boldner’s actions as a significant misuse of authority. However, Boldner’s defense maintained that he faced an uncooperative driver and that the crash itself was an unfortunate consequence of Goods’ evasive maneuvers.
As the jury deliberated, the last remaining charge against Boldner—manslaughter—still awaited resolution. Meanwhile, the attorney general’s office had not provided immediate commentary on the verdict.
In a related case from 2019, Boldner was also found not guilty of three charges of reckless endangerment stemming from another incident in which he allegedly rammed a Dodge Caravan, causing it to crash into a guardrail. His attorney argued the other vehicle may have slowed down before the collision occurred.
Boldner is now out on a $100,000 bail and had a long tenure with the state police, retiring in 2022 after nearly two decades of service.
