SALISBURY, MD - Ralph Harmon Jr., who was found guilty in the 2023 kidnapping and attempted murder of an 80-year-old Seaford woman, has been sentenced to life behind bars.
According to the State's Attorney for Wicomico County, Harmon will serve life in prison plus an additional 60 years.
Harmon's trial in November lasted four days. He was found guilty of Attempted First Degree Murder, Attempted Second Degree Murder, Rape First Degree, Rape Second Degree, Kidnapping, False Imprisonment, Armed Robbery, and related offenses.
In January of 2023, Harmon forced the 80-year-old victim into her car at gunpoint in Seaford, pistol whipped her, and drove away with her in the car. Harmon used the woman's debit card at multiple ATM's, sexually assaulted her, and then drove to a home on Riverside Drive in Salisbury. He then forced the bound woman onto a pier and pushed her into the Wicomico River.
The woman survived eleven minutes in the freezing water before she freed herself and was able to climb up a kayak ramp. A passing motorist called 911 and the woman was treated at a local hospital.
Harmon was officially charged on January 15th, 2023.
“I am thankful to the victim for her extraordinary courage, her resilience, and her unwavering faith in our system of justice," said Wicomico County State's Attorney Jamie Dykes. "Harmon is the embodiment of evil, but thanks to the courage and fortitude of the victim, the work of law enforcement and prosecutors, and the sentence imposed by Judge Beckstead, our community is now safe from Ralph Harmon and the victim will have a measure of justice as she continues to recover from this horrific crime.”
The life sentence was handed down today, February 15th, by Chief Judge of the Circuit Court for Wicomico County.