An Ohio man who beat his ex-wife with a baseball bat, tried to strangle her, and set her home on fire while telling her she would not survive the night has been sentenced to a minimum of 39 years in prison — nearly double what prosecutors had requested.
Frederick L. Harroff, 66, of Columbiana County, pleaded guilty in late March to attempted murder, aggravated arson, felonious assault, kidnapping, and strangulation stemming from a vicious attack on the night of June 2, 2025. On Friday, Columbiana County Common Pleas Court Judge Scott Washam handed down the sentence, which could extend to 44 and a half years if prison officials determine additional time is warranted.
The attack began shortly after 10 p.m., while the victim was lying in bed. Harroff had earlier taken several pills, left the home, and returned with a threat already on his lips. He then began beating her with a wooden baseball bat.
“I have nothing to live for, you’re not going to live either,” the woman recalled him telling her as the assault began. “I’m going to burn this place down and we’re both going to die.”
What followed was, by the victim’s own account, an hour of desperate survival. Harroff put a rope around her neck, attempted to strangle her with his bare hands, tried to hogtie her, and ultimately set the house ablaze — all while telling her death was inevitable. “An entire hour, I fought for my life,” she told the court, according to a report by The Review.
Bloodied and bruised, she managed to escape through the back door and reach a neighbor’s house. Officers who responded to the scene found a blood-soaked bed and a rope left behind in the chaos. Harroff had fled but did not get far — he was arrested hiding in the woods roughly 100 yards from his trailer on Columbiana-Lisbon Road, covered in blood and burn marks.
During Friday’s sentencing hearing, the victim did not hold back. “He is an evil, cruel, malicious monster,” she testified. “He has shown no remorse.” Harroff did offer an allocution, though his words drew skepticism. “I never wanted to see her hurt,” he said. “I take responsibility for everything that happened that night. I don’t remember all that happened. I was not in my right mind.”
Judge Washam, who noted the defendant’s military service, long employment history, mental health struggles, and clean prior record, nonetheless issued a sentence that far exceeded the state’s recommendation of 20 to 25 and a half years. “His conduct was truly vicious and horrific,” Washam said. “Unfortunately, that changed dramatically on June 2, 2025.” The victim’s niece closed the hearing on a defiant note. “He did not win,” she said. “He did not break her and he did not break us.”
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