The Maine Department of Corrections now considers a Maine man who brutally murdered his parents in 2016 a female inmate.
Andrew T. Balcer, 24, was originally listed on Maine Department of Corrections (MDOC) documents as a male following his conviction on murder charges that could keep him behind bars until 2051.
But in September, MDOC altered state records to describe Balcer as a female. MDOC also updated the booking photo associated with his incarceration.
Records list Balcer, of Winthrop, as 6’1″ and 245 lbs.
Balcer’s updated MDOC profile was first reported by Reduxx’s Jennifer Gingrich.
It’s not clear whether Balcer, who is currently incarcerated at a Maine Corrections Center, a Windham facility that houses both men and women, has been moved to the female side of the prison.
MDOC officials declined to respond to a request for information and have not yet fulfilled a request for public records that would shed light on how the agency is handling Balcer’s incarceration.
Balcer was listed as male as recently as September, according to archived versions of MDOC records.
Balcer, who has also gone by the name Andrea, reportedly told his parents at the time that he preferred to live life as a woman. While he later claimed their refusal to support his new gender identity was the motivation behind the double murder, friends and neighbors told Maine media outlets at the time that the Balcers were very supportive of their child.
The chilling 911 phone call Balcer made after killing his parents emerged during his trial in 2017. On the call, Balcer is jocular and manic, excitedly explaining to law enforcement that he “snapped” before stabbing his mother in her sleep. He says the father came because he heard the mother screaming, and that’s when Balcer also murdered him.
“I stabbed the fuck out of him,” Balcer said, of his father, before bursting out in laughter.
“I stabbed the dog too,” he said. “It was barking.”
It’s not immediately clear what other accommodations Balcer may be receiving from MDOC.
MDOC Commissioner Randell Liberty changed state policy in 2020 to require state-run correctional facilities to provide clothing items consistent with an inmate’s gender identification, including push-up bras and chest binders.
According to the policy, Balcer is eligible to receive a push-up bra that would give the appearance of breasts, along with other medical accommodations.
Although Maine’s Medicaid program, which covers healthcare for most inmates in the state, has been covering cross-sex hormones and sex reassignment surgeries for the poor since 2019, MDOC officials haven’t said whether Balcer is receiving taxpayer-funded medical treatments as part of his gender transition.
He was sentenced to 40 years in prison in December 2018.
The failure to address the mental health needs of this man, in a sick society that has lost its morality and community, lead to this awful event. How despairing.
We need a spiritual awakening.
Fuck that dude…..he just thinks he’s so smart that he can get a lesser sentence with his bullshit. He is probably not having a great time in prison and thinks his time will be easier in the women’s side of the prison. He should start to really love anal soon!