HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A man who scaled an iron security fence in the middle of the night, evaded police and used beer bottles filled with gasoline to set fire to the occupied Pennsylvania governor’s mansion pleaded guilty Tuesday to attempted murder of Gov. Josh Shapiro.
Cody Balmer also filed terrorism charges: 22 counts of arson, aggravated arson, burglary, aggravated assault, 21 counts of reckless endangerment and loitering in connection with the April 13 attack that caused millions of dollars in damage to the brick state building.
As part of a plea deal, Balmer was sentenced to 25 to 50 years in prison, far less than he could have faced if he went to trial. He declined to inform the judge about the crime and answered questions with compact, straightforward answers.
Defense attorney Bryan Walk said Balmer “takes full responsibility” and is paying “a heavy price for a man who is 38 years old.”
Accountability for political violence
Shapiro said afterward that he and his family support the plea deal and that it provides real accountability.
They had to be woken up and evacuated, but no one was injured in the fire. The numerous charges of arson and endangerment reflected the number of people in the residence at the time, including guests and state troopers.
Shapiro lamented the impact of increasing political violence, noting that he had heard from leaders around the world about their own sense of vulnerability and from potential political candidates who said they did not want to run because it would endanger their families. The Democrat spoke about eliminating hate days after the assassination of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk and criticized the subsequent “rhetoric of anger” from Republican President Donald Trump, who himself was hit by a bullet while campaigning in Pennsylvania last year.
Shapiro said Tuesday that political violence should not be accepted as normal business for elected officials.
Shapiro called it a “continuous effort” to ease his children’s worries after the attack.
“Why would anyone want to harm us, our children will ask. How could they get so far into the governor’s mansion, a place that is supposed to be the safest place we could possibly be?” Shapiro said at a news conference after the plea deal.
Video of the security breach
Security video played in court shows Balmer breaking a window, hurling a Molotov cocktail into a dining room often used to entertain crowds and then using a diminutive sledgehammer to break another window to crawl into the room. The footage shows Balmer got far enough into the building to kick the doors leading to Shapiro and his family, but he couldn’t get through.
He lights a second fire, then leaves the room and walks back across the yard without encountering the state police on the property.
Judge Deborah Curcillo called the video “terrifying” and “very frightening.”
Shapiro and his wife Lori provided a victim impact statement read in court in which they described feeling exposed in unimaginable ways, calling it “a fear and anxiety that we learn to live with.”
According to court documents, Balmer told police that he planned to hit Shapiro with the diminutive sledgehammer if he encountered him after the break-in. Balmer turned himself in the next afternoon.
Questions about motive and mental health
The attack hours after the family celebrated the Jewish holiday of Passover with a Seder at the residence raised questions about Balmer’s motivation, but Balmer told The Associated Press in a May letter from prison that the governor’s faith played no role.
“He can be a Jew, a Muslim or a purple man-eater as far as I’m concerned and as long as he leaves me and mine alone,” Balmer wrote.
Balmer told investigators he was concerned about the possible death toll in the Gaza war, and his comments suggested he was willing to take a life for what he saw as compensation for the war, Chardo said.
Balmer told the AP in a brief video interview from Camp Hill State Prison on June 9 that he had previously considered whether children could be hurt.
“Does anyone ever think about children?” Balmer said in June. “It doesn’t seem like that. I certainly did. I’m glad no one got hurt.” Asked why he felt Shapiro had somehow wronged him, Balmer replied: “I’m not going to answer that.”
Balmer’s mother said days after his arrest that she tried to get him aid for mental health issues, but “no one would help.” The trial was delayed while he underwent mental health treatment, his lawyer said.
A letter from Balmer’s relatives read out in court on Tuesday said he had stopped taking his medication, which had led to manic episodes and a “dark and difficult path”.
Balmer previously told a judge he was an unemployed welder with no income or savings and “lots of kids.”
The home, built in 1968, did not have a sprinkler system. The fire charred walls, tables, buffet dishes, plates and a piano. Window panes and bricks around doors and windows were also damaged.
Work to repair the damage and improve safety features continues.
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Associated Press reporter Holly Ramer in Concord, New Hampshire, contributed to this report.