Dauphin County District Attorney Fran Chardo said authorities are trying to flesh out a statement by police in the arrest affidavit that Cody Balmer "admitted to harboring hatred towards" Shapiro, who is Jewish.
The arson attack at the governor's mansion hit the Jewish community hard in a state where such pain is achingly familiar. It targeted Pennsylvania’s religiously observant Jewish governor in the very place where just hours before he had hosted one of the central rituals of the Jewish calendar.
Police have said that Cody Balmer harbored hatred toward Shapiro. Balmer called 911 less than an hour after the fire erupted, promised a confession and talked about Palestinians being killed, police wrote in search warrants.
The suspect, Cody Balmer, had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder but didn't believe the assessment, according to his brother, who said he said he twice helped him get treatment at the Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute.
A 20-year old planned to commit a mass shooting at State College High School on April 21, a day after the 26th anniversary of the Columbine High School massacre.
During a police interview, the arson suspect, Cody Balmer, "admitted to harboring hatred towards Governor Shapiro," but a motive for the attack, including whether it had anything to do with Shapiro's politics or religious beliefs, wasn't immediately clear.
During a police interview, authorities said Cody Balmer told them after he was taken into custody that he would have beaten Shapiro with a small sledgehammer if he had found him.
Police allege that 38-year-old Corey Balmer broke into the Harrisburg residence and set a fire in a room using a homemade incendiary device. Shapiro, his family, and guests, were staying at the mansion to celebrate Passover.
Cody Balmer, 38, of Harrisburg, is in custody, and will face charges for allegedly setting an early morning fire that badly damaged the governor's mansion and forced Gov. Josh Shapiro, his family, and guests to quickly escape.
Sonya McKnight, a former elected judge in Dauphin County, faces up to 60 years in prison for shooting her ex-boyfriend in the head as he slept last year.
