According to the British "Daily Mail" reported on the 27th, a police officer in the US state of New York was charged with murdering an 11-year-old girl, who was accused of driving a police car and deliberately crashing into the private car in which the girl was riding.
On the 27th local time, the Ulster County Court indicted the police officer named Christopher Baldner for second-degree murder, manslaughter and reckless endangerment, accusing him of killing 11-year-old Monica Goods in December 2020.
Christopher Baldner US Media Infographic
According to the indictment, on December 22 last year, the girl Monica's family was driving near sign 92 on Highway 92 in New York State in a station wagon driven by her father, Tristan Goods, and Police Baldner stopped his car after believing Goode was speeding. The girl's father said the two had an argument, and the policeman lost his temper and sprayed pepper spray into the car.
Fearing that his life would be in danger, the girl's father sped away in a car, sparking a chase, after which the police twice slammed the car into the back of the private car. A second impact caused the car to hit the guardrail, flipped over several times and ejected the girl in the car from her seat, killing her.
Monica Image source: foreign media
New York Attorney General Letitia James said, "The policeman's duty is to protect and serve the people, but Baudner seems to have violated that duty by killing a young girl with his own police car as a lethal weapon." While nothing will bring Monica back, we must enforce the law to the highest standards. ”
The police officers involved were summoned and detained on the 27th, and his bail hearing is scheduled for November 4. If convicted, he could face a sentence ranging from 25 years to life in prison.
Previously, the governor of New York issued an executive order last week authorizing the attorney general to investigate and possibly prosecute the police officer. Baudner was also accused of driving a police car into other vehicles in two other incidents. The first occurred in January 2017; the second occurred in September 2019 and endangered the lives of the driver and two passengers. Both non-fatal accidents occurred on a New York State highway in Ulster County.
Image source: Foreign media
Meanwhile, the girl's mother filed a lawsuit with the state government on grounds of "negligence." The mother's lawyer said, "This is an important step towards justice for the unexpected death of a beautiful girl and the psychological harm suffered by her sister." The lawsuit also alleges that Monica's 12-year-old sister was also in the car at the time of the crash and that she was interrogated by police without her parents present. The family said the deceased's sister endured physical pain from the accident and the trauma of watching her sister die.
Speaking at Monica's funeral, a pastor said, "This state police officer decided to use excessive force, rear-ended the car twice, causing her death." (Edit: HHJ)