HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A man who scaled an iron security fence in the middle of the night, eluded police and used beer bottles filled with gasoline to ignite the occupied Pennsylvania governor’s mansion pleaded guilty Tuesday to the attempted murder of Gov. Josh Shapiro and other charges.
Cody Balmer also entered pleas to terrorism, 22 counts of arson, aggravated arson, burglary, aggravated assault of Shapiro, 21 counts of reckless endangerment and loitering in the April 13 attack that caused millions of dollars in damage to the state-owned brick building.
Under a plea deal, Balmer was sentenced to 25 to 50 years in prison, far less than he could have faced if the case had gone to trial. He declined to address the judge about the crime, answering questions with short, simple answers.
Defense attorney Bryan Walk said Balmer “is taking full responsibility” and paying “a hefty price for a man who's 38 years old.”
Shapiro said during a news conference soon after the sentencing that he and his family support the plea deal, and that it provides real accountability.
Shapiro and members of his family had to be awakened and evacuated, but no one was injured in the fire. The multiple arson and endangerment charges reflected the number of people in the residence at the time, including the governor’s family, guests and state troopers.
Shapiro lamented the impact of political violence, warning it is discouraging candidates from running for office. He said his family isn’t alone in experiencing political violence, and it shouldn’t be accepted as the normal course of doing business.
Shapiro said as leaders across the world have reached out to him after the attack, “inevitably, those conversations turn to their own sense of vulnerability and their own worry about political violence.”
He says he has talked to potential candidates who said they don’t want to run because it would put their families at risk.
The fire was set hours after the family celebrated the Jewish holiday of Passover with a Seder in the residence. Prosecutors played video clips that showed Molotov cocktails going off and a figure inside and outside the residence. Judge Deborah Curcillo called the video “horrific” and “very frightening.”
Dauphin County District Attorney Fran Chardo told the court the video shows Balmer hitting the doors leading to where Shapiro and his family were sleeping, but he was unable to get through. Smoke was building up inside as Balmer deployed the second incendiary device. Fifteen overnight guests — including children — and two state troopers were inside.
Shapiro and his wife, Lori, provided a victim statement read in court that described how they were left feeling exposed in ways they would not have imagined, calling it “a fear and anxiety we are learning to live with.” The experience has added stress to their children's lives, they wrote.
Balmer told police he planned to beat Shapiro with a small sledgehammer if he had encountered him after breaking into the building, according to court documents. Balmer turned himself in the next afternoon.
Police say Balmer broke in through the southern wing of the residence, into a room often used to entertain crowds and display art. Investigators recovered two broken glass beer bottles containing gasoline. The fire charred walls, tables, buffet serving dishes, plates and a piano. Window panes and brick around doors and windows were also damaged.
The attack against a Jewish governor during the Passover weekend raised questions about Balmer's motivation, but Balmer told The Associated Press in a May letter from jail that had not been a factor in his decision.
“He can be Jewish, Muslim, or a purple people eater for all I care and as long as he leaves me and mine alone,” Balmer wrote.
Chardo said Balmer told investigators he was concerned about the war in Gaza and “the potential for many millions dying — his words. And he said, you know, even if I just have to take a life, I'm not crazy about having to take a life, but I will if it's because of the millions endangered. So he viewed this as an offset to the the war in the Middle East.”
Balmer told the AP in a brief June 9 video interview from Camp Hill State Prison that he did think beforehand about whether children might be injured.
“Does anyone ever consider children?” Balmer said in June. “It doesn't seem that way. I sure as hell did. I'm glad no one got hurt.” Asked why he felt Shapiro had somehow done him wrong, Balmer replied: “I'm not going to answer that.”
Balmer’s mother said days after his arrest that she had tried to get him assistance for mental health issues, but “nobody would help.” Court proceedings were delayed while he received mental health treatment, his lawyer has said.
A letter from Balmer's relatives read in court on Tuesday said he stopped taking medication, leading to manic episodes and a “dark and difficult path.”
At a court hearing a few days after the fire, Balmer told a judge he was an unemployed welder with no income or savings and “a lot of children.”
The residence, built in 1968, did not have sprinklers. Work to fix the damage and to bolster its security features continues.