The arson suspect believed to have set Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s home on fireplace on the primary night time of Passover admitted to authorities that he hated Shapiro — and stated he would’ve overwhelmed him with a hammer if he’d discovered him, based on a prison criticism.
Cody Balmer, 38, has been charged with prison murder, aggravated arson, housebreaking, terrorism and aggravated assault, amongst different costs, the Harrisburg police division wrote in a prison criticism obtained by The Put up on Monday.
Balmer admitted to authorities that he had eliminated gasoline from a garden mower and poured it into two Heineken bottles, which he later used as do-it-yourself Molotov cocktails, the docs reveal.
He reportedly walked an hour from his residence to Shapiro’s earlier than scaling the perimeter fence, breaking two home windows with a hammer and throwing the Molotov cocktails inside, the criticism reads.
Authorities stated they positioned the 2 damaged Heineken beer bottles containing gasoline inside Shapiro’s lounge.
Balmer “forcibly entered” Shapiro’s residence early Sunday, simply hours after the governor had company over for Passover, and used do-it-yourself incendiary units to set the house on fireplace as Shapiro and his household slept, Lt. Col. George Bivens of the Pennsylvania State Police stated.
“He clearly had a plan,” Bivens stated, based on CNN. “He was very methodical in his strategy.”
Whereas authorities have stated the assault was “focused,” a motive was not instantly identified.
Balmer’s arrest comes days earlier than he was anticipated in court docket for a plea listening to in a separate case stemming from a 2023 easy assault cost, based on CNN.
He additionally pleaded responsible in 2016 to forgery and theft by deception costs originating from a separate case.
Following his arrest, Balmer’s mom, Christie Balmer, informed CBS her son is “mentally sick” and “went off his remedy.”
The mom stated she tried to get her son “picked up” and reached out to 4 totally different police departments however “couldn’t get anyone to assist.”
“So he was mentally sick, went off his meds, and that is what occurred,” she stated.
Shapiro, who’s Jewish, turned visibly emotional as he spoke concerning the 2 a.m. assault on his residence as he and his household slept inside after having folks over for the primary night time of Passover.
“If he was attempting to terrorize our household, our mates, the Jewish group, who joined us for a Passover Seder in that room final night time, hear me on this: We celebrated our religion final night time, proudly, and in just a few hours, we are going to have fun our second Seder of Passover,” he stated.
All the residence was safely evacuated and nobody was injured, Shapiro wrote on X.
