The armed biker who attacked a woman and her children in Philadelphia on October 1, 2023 has pled guilty and is currently awaiting a sentencing hearing. The biker, 27-year-old Cody Heron, has been in custody since shortly after his attack of Nikki Bullock and is currently being held on a $4 million bail, as the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. He pled guilty on Thursday to two counts of aggravated assault and one count of possession of an instrument of crime; the former is a felony in the Commonwealth of Philadelphia, while the latter is a misdemeanor.
State prosecutors were ready to take the case to trial, but Heron pled guilty, as the Philly Assistant DA told reporters. From the Philadelphia Inquirer:
Prosecutors were prepared to go to trial on Wednesday for the Oct. 2023 attack in which Heron stomped out the back windshield of Nikki Bullock’s car before pointing a gun at her and headbutting her with his helmet on, Philadelphia Assistant District Attorney Fernanda Sandoval said Thursday morning. But Heron, 27, instead decided to plead guilty Wednesday to two counts of aggravated assault and one count of possession of an instrument of crime, she said at a news conference.
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Prosecutors will pursue a sentence of 3 to 6 years in prison for Heron, Sandoval said. Heron is in custody, being held on a $4 million bail, she said. He is scheduled for sentencing in June, according to court records.
Prosecutors previously said they would prosecute Heron to the full extent of the law, but Heron’s lawyer, Justin Capek, insists that he will pursue a “minimally sufficient” sentence — possibly even attendance at a state-run boot camp.
Police are still not disclosing further information, nor have they explained their lack of a response when Heron attacked Bullock. A police cruiser is visible in footage of the attack, and it remains unclear why officers did not help the woman. Many of the city’s residents have asked why authorities did not come to her aid, but the police are mum on the matter, per the Inquirer:
The video of the assault inspired Philadelphians and others who saw it to rally around Bullock , sending support to fix her car, and a wave of tips to police to help identify Heron. Three days after the attack, Heron was arrested.
Along with public outcry, the video led to questions about what Philadelphia’s police department was doing to prevent dirt bikes and ATVS from swarming parts of the city, and why it appeared nobody intervened in the attack. The video shows a Philadelphia Police car close behind where Heron attacked Bullock, but no officers are shown exiting the car or approaching the altercation.
When asked Thursday about the police car present at the time of the attack, Lt. Kenneth Flaville said he did not have any new information to provide.
As the report from the newspaper explains, it was Philadelphia residents who provided the young mother and her family assistance following the assault. It was private citizens who helped locate Heron, leading to his arrest — including the man’s boss from his place of work at the time. The police found Heron three days after the assault thanks to the public, and investigators later found evidence Heron tried to paint his motorcycle and helmet to evade capture.
And it was Bullock’s Philly neighbors who replaced the rear glass of the Ford Fusion, which Heron stomped out during the assault, as KYW-TV reports:
Philadelphia’s Assistant DA tells the Philadelphia Inquirer that Nikki Bullock is “incredibly happy” that the situation has been addressed. She adds that, despite her not being at the press conference where Heron’s guilty plea was announced, Bullock and her family are relieved to have a resolution and they are happy to move past the incident.
