Suvechha Sarkar
The episode titled ‘Family Comes First’ of Investigation Discovery’s ‘Signs of a Psychopath’ takes everyone through the harrowing murders of Alice Balcer and Antonio Balcer in their home in Winthrop, Maine, in 2016. When the day of Halloween actually turned bloody, it left the community shocked, including the neighbors, friends, and their elder son, Christopher Balcer. As the authorities received a chilling call, it revealed a disturbing truth that the couple’s younger child, Andrea Balcer, was responsible for their untimely demise.
Andrea Balcer Called the Authorities Herself After the Murders
Born as Andrew Balcer on December 3, 1998, Andrea Balcer was surrounded by the love and support of her parents, Alice and Antonio Balcer. She also had the unwavering adoration of her elder brother, Christopher. The 17-year-old Andrea was a great person and a bright student in high school. She was also planning to go to college and pursue higher studies. Everything seemed perfect, and the family was living quite happily. However, on October 31, 2016, the officials received a call around 1:49 am from Andrea, who informed them that she had “snapped” and killed her parents. The officials allegedly presumed it to be a hoax since they often receive such calls during Halloween. As time passed, it became clear that the crime had actually taken place.
Andrea explained how she had taken her “K-bar” and stabbed her mother. When her father woke up to her mother’s screams and came to the spot, she claimed that she stabbed him as well. The officials asked her if they could get any help for them at that moment, but she stated that there was no helping them anymore. Although Antonio allegedly fought back while trying to push her away, she ended up stabbing him as well. The detective tried to find out if there were any other victims, and Andrea revealed that she allowed her older brother, Christopher, to leave the house unharmed. As law enforcement arrived at the scene, they found the bodies of the victims covered in blood, and there was a trail of blood from the bedroom to the kitchen.
When she was taken into custody, the detective started questioning her about the details of the murders. Andrea reportedly told them that the previous day had passed by normally, and she got along with her parents just fine. She then mentioned not remembering anything other than her standing with a knife in her hand and shaking. Furthermore, Andrea informed them about a constant high-pitched sound that was going on in her head before the murders. Ultimately, the couple’s cause of death turned out to be from multiple stab wounds. Upon further questioning, she informed that she also stabbed their dog, which was barking at that time. According to the reports, the thought of killing her parents had crossed her mind previously, but it did not turn out to be anything more. After the interrogation, Andrea was charged with the murder of both of her parents.
Andrea Balcer Has Been Brought to Justice and is Serving Her Sentence
Following Andrea’s arrest, she had to go through several hearings at juvenile court. However, the case soon garnered a lot of attention since the judge decided that she should be tried as an adult. This decision was made due to the “lack of remorse” she displayed after the gruesome killings. Later, she was transferred from Long Creek Youth Development Center to a prison on State Street in Augusta. A big twist soon came forth when Andrea spoke out about her gender identity issues and how she always felt that she was a girl trapped in a boy’s body. She started identifying herself as a girl and preferred to be called “Andrea.” Furthermore, she alleged that when she opened up about this to her parents, they didn’t take the news positively. In 2018, her trial as an adult finally commenced, where both the prosecution and defense put forth their arguments.
The prosecutors claimed the murders to be premeditated since Andrea methodically carried out the crime and did not act out of fear or resentment. On the other hand, the defense reportedly claimed that the abuse she allegedly faced from her mother, mental trauma, and gender identity issues tipped her to the point of committing the crime. However, Christopher denied all these allegations, and the rest of the family was quite shocked. Talking about the alleged abuse from her parents, Andrea testified, “No one would think that two respectable people would ever do or have done such things. I just want people to know that even when something seems perfect, there might be something much worse going on underneath.” On September 19, 2018, Andrea pleaded guilty to the murders of Alice and Antonio Balcer.
This was in the hope of getting a reduced sentence from the maximum of 55 years in prison. The defense had also reportedly proposed a 25-year sentencing. They stated that it would be appropriate because she was a juvenile at the time of committing the crime. On December 4, 2018, right before her sentencing, she asked for forgiveness from her family. “I do not speak today to beg for lenience or to try to save myself from due punishment. I’m here only to ask for one thing, the forgiveness of my family,” she said. Ultimately, she was sentenced to serve 40 years in prison for the brutal murders at the Capital Judicial Center in Augusta, Maine. As of writing, Andrea Balcer is serving her time at the Maine Correctional Center in Windham, Maine. Since it holds both men and women inmates, she is currently held on the women’s section of the prison facility and will not be released anytime before 2051.
