Inset: Frederick Harroff (Columbiana Prosecutor”s Office). Background: The area near where Harroff tried to kill his ex-wife with a baseball bat in Columbiana, Ohio (Google Maps).
An Ohio resident faces several decades in prison for a brutal attempt to murder his ex-wife, an attack that commenced with a baseball bat assault last summer.
In March, Frederick L. Harroff, aged 66, admitted to charges including attempted murder, aggravated arson, felonious assault, kidnapping, and strangulation, all stemming from the violent incident in June 2025.
On Friday, Columbiana County Common Pleas Court Judge Scott Washam handed down a sentence of at least 39 years, which could extend to 44 1/2 years pending evaluations by prison authorities.
During the same court session, the victim recounted her harrowing experience, explaining how her ex-husband’s assault involved more than just a baseball bat, as reported by The Review, a newspaper serving East Liverpool, Ohio.
She described how Harroff attempted to strangle her with his hands, wrapped a rope around her neck, tried to bind her, and eventually set her house ablaze while threatening her demise.
“For an entire hour, I battled for my life,” she testified.
Ultimately, the woman’s story was moving – prompting the judge to issue a sentence far in excess of what the state recommended. Prosecutors had asked for a sentence of 20 to 25 1/2 years.
“His conduct was truly vicious and horrific,” Washam said.
On June 2, 2025, just after 10 p.m., the attack began when the woman was lying in bed. Earlier, Harroff took several pills, left, came back, issued a threat, and started beating her with a wooden baseball bat.
“I have nothing to live for, you’re not going to live either,” the woman recalled the since-condemned man telling her as the violence began. “I’m going to burn this place down and we’re both going to die.”
Covered in blood and bruises, however, the woman was able to escape out the back door and make it to a neighbor’s house.
Inside, police found a crimson-soaked bed with a bloody rope strewn about. Meanwhile, the defendant fled the scene of the crime. He was arrested – covered in blood and burn marks – hiding in the woods some 100 yards away from his trailer on Columbiana-Lisbon Road.
“He is an evil, cruel, malicious monster,” the woman testified during the sentencing hearing. “He has shown no remorse.”
The defendant offered contrition during an allocution.
“I never wanted to see her hurt,” Harroff said. “I take responsibility for everything that happened that night. I don’t remember all that happened. I was not in my right mind.”
In assessing the lengthy sentence, the court took note of the defendant’s military service, decades of steady employment, mental health and suicide attempts, and prior lack of a criminal record.
“Unfortunately that changed dramatically on June 2, 2025,” Washam said.
The victim also testified that her light changed that night. Her family also testified during the sentencing hearing.
“He did not win,” the woman’s niece said, striking a positive note. “He did not break her and he did not break us.”
