Latest / DEEP INSIGHT / Newly released video shows man setting fire to governor's residence

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Newly released video shows man setting fire to governor's residence · DEEP INSIGHT

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Breaking news in Pennsylvania right now, Jessica, go ahead and
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: update our viewers. That's right. The man accused of fire
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: bombing the Pennsylvania governor's mansion earlier this year just pleaded
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  Speaker 1: guilty to a slew of charges that include attending murder
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  Speaker 1: and terrorism. And this is chilling new video. You see
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  Speaker 1: him right there. The DA's office just releasing this showing
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  Speaker 1: thirty eight year old Cody Balumer walking around the governor's
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  Speaker 1: mansion in Harrisburg on the night of April thirteenth, throwing
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  Speaker 1: makeshift maltov cocktails in the home while Governor Shapiro and
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: his family, including his children, were sleeping inside. Scene as
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  Speaker 1: Danny Freeman is in Philadelphia, and Danny, we know in
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  Speaker 1: just a few moments we're going to hear from Governor
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  Speaker 1: Shapiro after we got this news. We're going to take
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  Speaker 1: that when he begins speaking. But again, set the scene
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  Speaker 1: for us. Tell us the very latest.
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  Speaker 2: Here, absolutely, Jessico. Well, as you noted, the very latest
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  Speaker 2: is that Cody Bamber, the man accused then of setting
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  Speaker 2: fire to Governor Shapiro's home back in April on the
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  Speaker 2: first night of the Jewish holiday of Passover, he's a
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  Speaker 2: ficial pleaded guilty to all of these charges, including the
• 1:02
  Speaker 2: attended murder of Governor Shapiro, aggravated arson, and then twenty
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  Speaker 2: two counts of arson as well for the twenty two
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  Speaker 2: people who were actually inside of the residence that evening,
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  Speaker 2: including several children Governor Shapiro's children in fact. But again, Jessica,
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  Speaker 2: while that is the headline, remember Balmer turned himself in,
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  Speaker 2: so it's not necessarily surprising that he pleaded guilty. Excuse
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  Speaker 2: the sirens behind me. But perhaps the most anything is
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  Speaker 2: this video that you were describing at the top, because
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  Speaker 2: it's the first time that we're seeing exactly how this man,
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  Speaker 2: Cody Balmer, really methodically went on to the property of
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  Speaker 2: the governor's residence, then took out makeshift Molotov cocktails and
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  Speaker 2: set fire to the governor's residence. You see on some
• 1:45
  Speaker 2: of this video him actually throwing it down into the
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  Speaker 2: dining room where just hours earlier, Governor Shapiro and his
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  Speaker 2: family were holding a passover Satyr on that evening in April.
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  Speaker 2: The other thing, Jessica that is so terrifying is you
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  Speaker 2: see Balmer try to kick op been another door in
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  Speaker 2: the residence which would have opened into the area of
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  Speaker 2: the Governor's residence where Shapiro and his guests and family
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  Speaker 2: were staying. The door was locked, so he was unable
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  Speaker 2: to get through that particular door. But again that footage
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  Speaker 2: and the moment of him trying to gain entry into
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  Speaker 2: deeper parts of the mansion again truly stunning. The other thing,
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  Speaker 2: Jessica that will point out is there's a picture that
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  Speaker 2: was also released by the Dauphin County District Attorney of
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  Speaker 2: the sledge hammer that Balmber used to break a window
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  Speaker 2: to gain entrance to the mansion. The DA noted that
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  Speaker 2: when Balmber turned himself in, he said that if he
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  Speaker 2: had gotten to Governor Shapiro himself, he would have tried
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  Speaker 2: to hit him with that hammer. So again, just terrifying images,
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  Speaker 2: stunning video about all of this. I'll remind you also
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  Speaker 2: that the DA, in his press release that he just
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  Speaker 2: released a little while ago, cited the quote military actions
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  Speaker 2: of the State of Israel and Gaza as Bomber's motivation
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  Speaker 2: for carrying out this attack at least in part. A
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  Speaker 2: lot of moving parts right here. But again, like you noted, Jessica,
• 3:01
  Speaker 2: we're expecting to hear from Governor Shapiro in about ten
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  Speaker 2: minutes or so, he had said back that night, or
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  Speaker 2: I should say the evening after this happened, because it
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  Speaker 2: happened overnight, that he would not let this attack intimidate
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  Speaker 2: him from either governing the people of Pennsylvania or from
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  Speaker 2: practicing his Jewish faith. So we're going to see if
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  Speaker 2: he says something along those lines when we hear his
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  Speaker 2: remarks in just a little bit. And the last thing
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  Speaker 2: I'll know, Jessica, Balmber accepted this plea deal. He's expected
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  Speaker 2: to serve a sentence of twenty five to fifty years
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  Speaker 2: in a state correctional facility. Jesper.
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: That video is just so scary, and that picture of
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: the sledgehammer. Danny, and you mentioned that the governor had
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  Speaker 1: said this would not intimidate him from governing or from
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  Speaker 1: his Jewish faith, which, of course, this was the night
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  Speaker 1: to Passover, they'd had a satyr. There were so many
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  Speaker 1: questions around motivation here. Balmber apparently told the Associated Press
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  Speaker 1: and May in a letter from jail that this had
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  Speaker 1: not been a factor in his decision. He said he
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  Speaker 1: could be Jewish, Muslim or a purple people eater for
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  Speaker 1: all I care as long as he leaves me in
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  Speaker 1: mind alone. But Danny, the fact remains, this was on
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: night of Passover, and it is something Josh Shapiro has
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  Speaker 1: talked a lot about. I would expect he'd talk more
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  Speaker 1: about that today.
• 4:11
  Speaker 2: That's right, Jessica. And remember, I mean again, you and
• 4:13
  Speaker 2: I were on the air when this was initially breaking news.
• 4:15
  Speaker 2: In those first hours, there was really not a lot
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  Speaker 2: of information out there, so it really was hard for
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  Speaker 2: many people to divorce the fact that it was the
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  Speaker 2: first night have passover, that it was just a few
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  Speaker 2: hours after a satyr, that it was while the governor
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  Speaker 2: and so many family members and guests were there. Remember,
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  Speaker 2: he had posted a picture of his sayor dinner or
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  Speaker 2: of the play settings that evening prior to the attack. Listen,
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  Speaker 2: I think that, as you note from the AP reporting there,
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  Speaker 2: and as we had reported in the days after Balmber
• 4:46
  Speaker 2: was caught and Weland learned of his identity, that there
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  Speaker 2: were perhaps other things going on. There was reports of
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  Speaker 2: him potentially having chewed batteries in the past. So listen,
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  Speaker 2: I think that from the DA's perspective, the most important
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  Speaker 2: thing is that in this first court appearance that Balmber
• 5:02
  Speaker 2: made in Dauphin County in Harrisburg. Just this morning, they
• 5:06
  Speaker 2: were able to secure that guilty plea again for all
• 5:09
  Speaker 2: of these series of intense charges, including most notably the
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  Speaker 2: attentive murder of Governor jos Shapiro,