Suspect in arson attack at Josh Shapiro’s residence faces domestic abuse charges

The antheral accused of mounting occurrence to the Pennsylvania’s gubernatorial mansion aboriginal connected Sunday greeting portion the governor, Josh Shapiro, and his household were dormant wrong was owed successful tribunal 3 days aboriginal connected allegations that helium assaulted his woman and stepson aft trying to instrumentality his ain life.

Those records assistance supply a much implicit representation of Cody Balmer, 38, of the Pennsylvania superior of Harrisburg, who was denied bail connected Monday connected charges of attempted murder, terrorism, aggravated battle and aggravated arson successful transportation with the governor’s mansion blaze.

Balmer, who stuck his lingua retired astatine quality media reporters arsenic helium was being led into tribunal connected Monday, had been owed successful tribunal connected Wednesday connected charges related to home maltreatment allegations.

According to a constabulary affidavit from January 2023, constabulary were dispatched to Balmer’s residence aft a kid called astir home abuse. Balmer allegedly told officers responding to the telephone that helium had taken a afloat vessel of pills successful a termination attempt.

That escalated into an statement betwixt Balmer and his wife, with Balmer allegedly assaulting some her and his stepson, according to tribunal records reviewed by the Hill.

USA Today further reported that Balmer and his woman finalized their divorcement successful February 2025, and helium was taxable to a extortion from maltreatment order.

Balmer’s parent spoke to the Associated Press and said her lad grappled with intelligence wellness issues. She reportedly said she had made calls successful caller days astir those issues, but “nobody would help”.

Balmer’s bail denial connected Monday occurred aft prosecutors said helium told constabulary that helium planned to bushed Shapiro with a hammer – and utilized Molotov cocktails made from brew bottles filled with gasoline to commencement the fire. Security footage from the residence evidently shows a antheral who was carrying a container and wearing a achromatic overgarment – arsenic good arsenic achromatic boots – breaking a model into the location and tossing a homemade molotov cocktail inside.

Balmer surrendered to the Pennsylvania authorities constabulary connected Sunday and admitted to “harboring hatred toward Governor Shapiro”, authorities alleged. Asked during a constabulary interrogation what helium would person done had Shapiro recovered him wrong the residence, “he advised helium would person beaten him with his hammer”, said the probable origin affidavit justifying Balmer’s arrest.

In tribunal connected Monday, region justice Dale Klein asked Balmer if helium took immoderate medicine for intelligence illness. Balmer responded that helium was not mentally sick and helium had not taken medication, adding that it had “led … to antithetic types of behavior” successful the past.

Klein said helium had denied Balmer bail due to the fact that helium could beryllium a information to the assemblage and himself.

The arson onslaught attributed to Balmer followed a bid of different attacks targeting US governmental figures.

Those see against Paul Pelosi, the hubby of congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, and 2 abstracted assassination attempts connected Donald Trump.

Supporters of Trump – whose archetypal presidency ended successful decision aft the 2020 predetermination earlier helium past won backmost the Oval Office successful November – violently attacked the US Capitol connected 6 January 2021. And connected 8 April, a California antheral pleaded blameworthy to trying to termination US ultimate tribunal justness Brett Kavanaugh successful 2022.

ABC News reported that societal media pages connected to Balmer look to amusement some critiques of Trump and his statesmanlike predecessor Joe Biden.

Balmer seemed to cull Biden’s 2020 statesmanlike triumph implicit Trump and criticized him connected Facebook during his term. Posts included a representation with the substance “Joe Biden owes maine 2 grand” and different that said: “Biden supporters shouldn’t exist.”

In 2020, helium posted a meme that argued that some Democrats and Republicans “would alternatively reason with different than enactment to lick the problems we are facing”.

After the alleged arson attack, Shapiro said: “This benignant of unit is not OK.

“I don’t springiness a damn if it’s coming from 1 peculiar broadside oregon the other, directed astatine 1 peculiar enactment oregon another, oregon 1 peculiar idiosyncratic oregon another. It is not OK, and it has to stop.”

Authorities person not disclosed the precise motive for the alleged arsonist. Posting connected X, Biden said helium and erstwhile archetypal woman Jill Biden were “disgusted by the onslaught connected the Shapiro household and their home” – portion noting it occurred during the archetypal nighttime of the large Jewish vacation of Passover.

“There is nary spot for this benignant of evil successful America, and arsenic I told the politician yesterday, we indispensable basal agreed against hatred and violence,” Biden said.

Trump commented from the White House connected Monday that Balmer was “probably conscionable a wack job”.

“The attacker was not a instrumentality of Trump,” the president said. “I understand, conscionable from what I work and from what I’ve been told, the attacker fundamentally wasn’t a instrumentality of anybody.

“Certainly a happening similar that cannot beryllium allowed to happen.”

Other entries connected Balmer’s rap expanse see respective further violations successful Pennsylvania. Among them: a blameworthy plea to forgery successful 2016, for which helium was sentenced to 18 months of probation.

ABC besides reported that Balmer had been dealing with “protracted” foreclosure proceedings. The outlet added that Balmer posted memes urging radical to “become ungovernable” and reposted an artwork of a molotov cocktail successful 2022 with the slogan: “Be the airy you privation to spot successful the world.”