VIDEO: Court documents have revealed new and shocking details about a man who allegedly set fire to the Governor’s Mansion in Harrisburg, the place Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family call home. Cody Balmer is facing several charges in connection with what officials say was an intentional fire, including attempted murder, aggravated arson, burglary, terrorism and related offenses. The 38-year-old suspect turned himself into authorities on Sunday after the Governor’s Mansion went up in flames overnight, forcing state police to rescue Gov. Shapiro and his family, who were asleep inside.
According to court documents, Balmer admitted to “harboring hatred” towards the governor, and told police that he was responsible for the fire. In a timeline of events, Balmer stated that he filled beer bottles with gasoline from a lawn mower, walked one hour to the house, scaled the fence, broke two windows with a hammer, then threw Molotov cocktails inside. He also claimed he would have beaten Gov. Shapiro with a hammer if he was confronted inside the house, court documents state.
