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Man pleads guilty to arson attack on Josh Shapiro's home

Man pleads guilty to arson attack on Josh Shapiro's home
The man who set fire to Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro's (D) Harrisburg residence while he and his family were asleep pleaded guilty Tuesday to attempted murder and other charges.The big picture: The incident drew condemnation from across the political spectrum.Driving the news: Cody Balmer, 38, of Harrisburg plead guilty to 22 counts of arson, aggravated arson, burglary, aggravated assault of Shapiro, 21 counts of reckless endangerment and terrorism.He was sentenced to 25-50 years in prison.Shapiro and Pennsylvania First Lady Lori Shapiro submitted victim impact statements before the Dauphin County District Attorney Fran Chardo reached a plea deal.What they're saying: At a news conference Tuesday, Shapiro said, "I've carried with me this enormous sense of guilt. Guilt that doing this job that I love so much has put our children's lives at risk. It has been really hard."He praised Chardo for achieving "real accountability" and said acts of political violence must face consequences.Catch up quick: Balmer entered the governor's residence on April 13 and hurled Molotov cocktails to set the dining room ablaze just hours after Shapiro hosted a Passover seder with his friends and family, according to police.Balmer allegedly told police he would've beaten Shapiro with a hammer if he encountered him.Shapiro and his family evacuated the residence and were unharmed.Zoom in: Balmer's mother told the Associated Press her son suffers from schizophrenia and bipolar disorder and she attempted to get him help days before the attack.Police said they didn't have enough proof that Balmer was a threat to himself or others to have him involuntarily committed.Zoom out: Shapiro, who is Jewish, has faced fierce blowback over his views on the Gaza war.He previously denounced universities for failing to guarantee the safety of students during pro-Palestinian protests last year.The bottom line: Shapiro said no one should accept political violence as normal. "I think it's important that in this time of rising political violence, that none of us grow numb to it." Go deeper: Suspect in arson at Gov. Shapiro's residence called 911 after fireEditor's note: This story has been updated with Gov. Shapiro's comments.

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