The Dauphin County District Attorneyâs Office released footage on Tuesday that allegedly shows Cody Balmer committing arson of Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiroâs home in April.
Balmer pleaded guilty to dozens of charges on Tuesday, including attempted homicide, terrorism and aggravated arson, according to a summary from the Dauphin County Court of Common Pleas. The district attorneyâs office released four videos of the April 13 attack on the governorâs mansion.
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The footage allegedly shows Balmer walking up to the mansion, breaking a window and throwing a Molotov cocktail inside, igniting a fire. It then shows him allegedly breaking a second window with the sledgehammer and entering the mansion through it.
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While inside the mansion, the footage allegedly shows Balmer failing to break through two doors before using another Molotov cocktail to set fire to a dining room. He then allegedly fled the residence, according to the district attorneyâs office.
âAt the time Balmer set the fires within the Governorâs Residence, Governor Shapiro, the First Lady, three of their children, fifteen overnight guests, including other members of the Governorâs family, and two Pennsylvania State Police Troopers were all inside the Governorâs Residence,â according to the district attorneyâs office. âThe set fires substantially endangered these twenty-two individuals ⌠Eight of those endangered individuals were children ranging in age from 8 years old to 16 years old.â
Shapiro spoke to the press following Balmerâs guilty plea on Tuesday.
âItâs especially hard to know that he tried to burn our family to death while we slept,â he said.
Shapiro is Jewish and the arson took place over the holiday of Passover. Balmer said he âwill not take part in plans for what he wants to do to the Palestinian people,â according to a warrant.
He received a state prison sentence of 25 years to 50 years, according to the district attorneyâs office.
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