An Ohio man is headed to prison for decades after a terrifying attack on his ex-wife that prosecutors say escalated from a beating with a baseball bat to an attempted killing that nearly ended in flames.
Frederick L. Harroff, 66, pleaded guilty in March to multiple charges tied to the June 2025 assault, including attempted murder, aggravated arson, felonious assault, kidnapping, and strangulation.
On Friday, a judge sentenced him to a minimum of 39 years behind bars, with the possibility of up to 44 and a half years depending on prison determinations—a punishment far harsher than the 20 to 25-year sentence prosecutors had requested.
The disturbing details of the attack came out in court as the victim described the hour-long ordeal she endured.
“An entire hour, I fought for my life,” she told the court.
According to her testimony, the attack began just after 10 p.m. on June 2, 2025, while she was lying in bed. Harroff had left earlier, taken several pills, then returned and began threatening her before launching into a violent assault with a wooden baseball bat.
“I have nothing to live for—you’re not going to live either,” she recalled him saying. “I’m going to burn this place down and we’re both going to die.”
But the violence didn’t stop there.
She told the court that Harroff placed a rope around her neck, tried to strangle her with his hands, and attempted to hogtie her. As the attack continued, he allegedly set the home on fire while continuing to threaten her life.
Despite being severely beaten, bloodied, and injured, the woman managed to escape through the back door and run to a neighbor’s house for help.
When police arrived, they found a horrifying scene inside—blood covering the bed and a rope left behind. Harroff had fled, but officers later found him hiding in nearby woods, about 100 yards from his trailer, covered in blood and burn marks.
During the sentencing hearing, the victim did not hold back.
“He is an evil, cruel, malicious monster,” she said. “He has shown no remorse.”
Harroff, however, told the court he did not intend to hurt her and claimed he wasn’t in his right state of mind.
“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.”
The judge ultimately sided with the severity of the crime, calling Harroff’s actions “truly vicious and horrific.”
While the court acknowledged his past—including military service, steady employment, mental health struggles, and no prior criminal record—the judge made it clear everything changed that night.
“Unfortunately, that changed dramatically on June 2, 2025,” he said.
The victim’s family also spoke during the hearing, showing support and strength in the aftermath of the attack.
“He did not win,” her niece said. “He did not break her, and he did not break us.”