A man who set fire to the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion while Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family were inside pleaded guilty Tuesday to attempted murder and other charges.
Cody Balmer, 38, scaled a security fence around the state-owned building in April, smashing windows with a hammer and igniting two Molotov cocktails. The blaze caused substantial damage, including destroying the state dining room.
Balmer pleaded guilty in Dauphin County Court to the attempted murder of Shapiro, aggravated arson, 22 counts of arson, burglary and other related offenses. He was sentenced to 25 to 50 years in prison and will not be eligible for parole until 2050.
Shapiro, who was hosting a Seder for the Passover holiday just before the attack, had to be awakened and evacuated in the night along with his family, other guests and employees and his two dogs.
“It’s hard for me to stand before you today and utter the words ‘attempted murder’ when it’s your own life, to know that someone tried to kill me,” an emotional Shapiro said at a news conference with his wife, Lori, after the court hearing.
“It’s especially hard to know that he tried to burn our family to death while we slept,” Shapiro added, noting that they have struggled to settle their children’s fears since that night. Balmer called 911 himself right after the attack and “cited the military actions of the State of Israel in Gaza,” according to the Dauphin County District Attorney’s Office. Balmer told state police he hated Shapiro and planned to hit him with a hammer if he came into contact with him. Balmer’s family has said he suffers from mental illness.
Erum Salam is a breaking news reporter and producer for MS NOW. She previously was a breaking news reporter for The Guardian.
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