Cody A. Balmer in his arrest photo. Credit: Dauphin County District Attorney’s Office
A Central Pennsylvania man pleaded guilty Tuesday morning to attempted murder of Gov. Josh Shapiro, aggravated arson, and related charges for a pre-dawn attack on the Governor’s Residence in April.
Cody A. Balmer, 38, of Penbrook Borough, received a sentence of 25 to 50 years in state prison after pleading guilty to all counts, including 22 counts of arson — one for each of the 22 people within the residence — burglary, and related offenses.
Dauphin County Court of Common Pleas Judge Deborah E. Curcillo accepted a plea agreement offered by District Attorney Fran Chardo.
Balmer will be eligible for parole no earlier than April 13, 2050, when he will be 63. His maximum sentence is 50 years. If paroled, he would remain under supervision until April 13, 2075, at age 88, according to the Dauphin County District Attorney’s Office.
Cody Balmer leaves the Dauphin Co. Courthouse after pleading guilty to all counts. Investigators say he firebombed the Governor's residence in April.
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The charges stem from an April 13 incident when Balmer traveled to the Governor’s Residence on Front Street with the goal of carrying out the attack.
The district attorney called Balmer’s actions “fairly sophisticated” and said the attacker had conducted surveillance on the state-owned residence ahead of the early morning attack.
According to the guilty plea, Balmer hid outside the fenced area in Harrisburg for a long period of surveillance before climbing a high fence on the north side of the property. He carried two Molotov cocktails with gasoline inside, and a sledgehammer.
Balmer approached the south side of the mansion, and he used the sledgehammer to break a glass window. He then threw a flaming Molotov cocktail into the residence, which started the blaze. He immediately moved past a locked double door to a second window, which he struck multiple times with the sledgehammer until he could enter the residence, according to the plea.
The time elapsed from striking the first window until he entered the second was approximately 34 seconds, prosecutors said.
Once inside, Balmer moved deeper into the residence, holding the second Molotov cocktail. He struck two doors, including one leading to where the governor’s family and guests slept, but could not break through. He then threw the second Molotov cocktail in the dining area, which ignited a second fire.
Balmer then fled the state-owned residence, which had hosted a Passover dinner hours before, on foot through an exit door.
At the time Balmer set the fires, the governor, the first lady, three of their children, 15 overnight guests — including other members of the governor’s family — and two Pennsylvania State Police troopers were inside the residence. Eight of those endangered were children ranging in age from 8 to 16.
All 22 people, who were celebrating the Passover holiday, were evacuated safely.
Officials said all of those inside the residence were asleep except for the two state troopers on guard.
Troopers jumped into action to evacuate the state’s first family and their guests from the burning residence.
Hours after the incident, Balmer surrendered at Pennsylvania State Police departmental headquarters. He confessed to the actions and admitted that he targeted Shapiro, according to court papers.
Balmer cited the military actions of Israel in Gaza as his motive, telling police he disagreed with Shapiro’s position on the Israeli response to the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Balmer told investigators that if he had encountered the governor, who is Jewish, he would have struck him with the hammer, officials said.
A review of Balmer’s Facebook page showed several anti-establishment posts, including that former President Joe Biden owed him money, and he shared a dislike for Biden supporters. He also shared posts from conservative political influencers. He also mocked supporters of President Donald Trump and encouraged people to “stop being Democratic or Republican.”
Shapiro, a Democrat, and his wife, Lori, told reporters after the plea that it was still hard for them to wrap their heads around the fact Balmer attempted to kill the governor and “burn our family to death while we slept.”
The governor said it has been tough to make sense of the attack and explain it to their children and nieces and nephews.
“It’s been really hard,” he said. “Candidly, I don’t know that I’ve been able to give them the right answers. I don’t know that I’ve been able to ease our children’s’ worries. I can tell you we’ve tried and it is an ongoing effort.”
Shapiro told reporters that watching the videos of the attack, which Chardo’s office released, troubles him.
The governor said the reminders of the attack on the home are still visible.
Shapiro confirmed the plea agreement came after his family was consulted by the district attorney, and the governor and first lady submitted a victim impact statement.
“We are grateful for some closure on this chapter of our lives,” the governor said.
Shapiro said the threats against him didn’t always feel real until the attack. He added that political violence scares people from running for office and should not be tolerated.
“We need real accountability for acts of political violence,” Shapiro said, adding he appreciated the jail time.
Shapiro has spoken out against political violence in the wake of the assassination attempts on President Donald Trump, the attacks on Democrats in Minnesota, and the murder of Charlie Kirk.
The Governor’s Residence has needed millions in repairs due to the damage from the fire bombing.
In the wake of the attack on the Governor’s Residence, the Pennsylvania State Police, who are tasked with protecting the governor, his family, the lieutenant governor and his family, have stepped up security for the protectees and at the residence. They also secure Shapiro’s personal home in Montgomery County.
Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Col. Christopher Paris informed legislative leaders in the spring that a new uniformed division within the Executive Services Office, which provides close protection to the governor and his family, will maintain “an additional visible physical presence” at the residence near the Capitol. The move is in addition to the existing, non-uniformed security detail.
Construction is underway for new fencing and other security measure around the Governor’s Residence, which is surrounded by security cameras.
Following the attack, the state police retained Jeffrey B. Miller, a former state police commissioner and nationally-known security consultant, to conduct an independent review of security protocols.
Miller delivered his report to the state police and the governor’s office on April 28.
State police said at the time that the full report would not be released to the public, citing the “sensitive and detailed information” it contains about operational security.
