The man charged with setting fire to the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion, occupied by Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family, entered a guilty plea in court on Tuesday as part of a plea deal.
Cody A. Balmer, 38, pleaded guilty to attempted murder, aggravated arson, 22 counts of arson, burglary and other charges, the Dauphin County District Attorney’s Office said.
Balmer has been sentenced to 25 to 50 years in state prison under the plea deal, the district attorney’s statement said.
Balmer reportedly was upset with Shapiro’s stance on the Israel-Hamas war. Shapiro condemned Hamas’ attack and the rise of antisemitism in recent years.
Prosecutors said Balmer climbed a security fence at the governor’s mansion on April 13 and set a fire that left significant damage and forced the Shapiro family and guests to evacuate.
Shapiro was with his wife Lori, their four children, two dogs and another family celebrating the Jewish holiday of Passover and were woken up by state troopers pounding on the door to alert them of the fire.
Security footage released by authorities show a man climbing the fence, breaking one of the home’s windows and throwing a Molotov cocktail inside. The fires caused significant damage to some of the rooms in the house, but no one was injured.
A search was underway during the day for a suspect and Balmer later turned himself in.
Shapiro reacted to the plea deal, noting that it brings “some closure,” but also serves as a reminder of the need to combat political violence.
Shapiro, in a Substack post, shared that it’s difficult to grasp that someone tried to burn his family to death. He said he and his wife have struggled to explain it to their children.
“I’ve carried with me this enormous sense of guilt — guilt that doing this job that I love so much has put our children’s lives at risk. It’s been really hard,” Shapiro said.
The governor said the ongoing construction in the home and security measures for the family are constant reminders of what happened and that “our safety is not assured.” He thanked the law enforcement and firefighters for their work that night.
Shapiro noted that his family is not the only one experiencing political violence. He called for an end to the rise of violent political acts and expressed gratitude for accountability in this case.
The April attack was widely condemned by leaders of both political parties. It’s one of several acts of political violence happening across the country, including the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump, the assassination of a Minnesota state Democratic lawmaker and her husband, and the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, among others.