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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 man is facing several decades in prison for a violent assault on his former wife, which initially involved a baseball bat last summer.
In late March, Frederick L. Harroff, aged 66, admitted guilt to charges including attempted murder, aggravated arson, felonious assault, kidnapping, and strangulation stemming from the severe attack in June 2025.
On Friday, Judge Scott Washam of the Columbiana County Common Pleas Court sentenced Harroff to at least 39 years in prison, with the possibility of extending the term to 44 and a half years if deemed necessary by prison authorities.
During the proceedings, the victim recounted how her ex-husband employed more than just a baseball bat in his attempt to end her life, as reported by The Review, a daily publication from East Liverpool, Ohio.
The woman testified that Harroff wrapped a rope around her neck, attempted to strangle her with his hands, tried to bind her, and ultimately set her house ablaze, all while threatening her with imminent death.
“An entire hour, I fought for my life,” she said.
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.”