He Kidnapped And Threw Her Into A River. Then He Tried To Put A Hit On Her.
An 80-year-old woman was outside her home in Seaford, Delaware, when a man approached her, displayed what appeared to be a firearm and forced her into her own vehicle.
According to federal prosecutors, 26-year-old Ralph Harmon placed his arm around the woman and forced her inside the vehicle.
The woman tried to escape through the passenger door, but Harmon pistol-whipped her and forced her to remain inside.
Harmon then drove away from her home toward Laurel, Delaware.
Along the way, prosecutors said he stopped and forced the woman to provide information he could use to access her ATM account.
Harmon then crossed into Maryland and s*xually assaulted the woman.
He forced her facedown in the front passenger seat, tied her hands with a shoelace and continued driving.
Prosecutors said Harmon eventually drove to a residential neighborhood and forced the woman onto a dock in a backyard.
He then shoved her into the Wicomico River while her hands were still bound.
When the woman surfaced, Harmon pistol-whipped her again. Prosecutors said Harmon later admitted that he intended to kill her.
Harmon fled the area.
The woman managed to climb out of the river and received help from bystanders. She was later taken to a hospital, treated for her injuries and released.
After leaving the woman behind, prosecutors said Harmon met with friends and continued withdrawing cash and using her ATM cards at local businesses.
Harmon and his friends later went to a tattoo parlor in Salisbury, Maryland, where law enforcement located the woman’s stolen vehicle.
Harmon fled from police but was taken into custody. Authorities recovered a black BB gun during his arrest.
Harmon was later charged in Maryland with offenses that included attempted murder, kidnapping, assault, s*x offenses, robbery, armed robbery, resisting arrest and theft.
While awaiting trial in Maryland, prosecutors said Harmon used a recorded jail phone to try to arrange for an associate to kill the woman so she could not testify against him.
He also repeatedly contacted the victim, including eight calls around 1 a.m. during one night.
The woman became so fearful that she left her home before testifying.
Harmon was convicted in Maryland before being transferred to the District of Delaware for federal proceedings in April 2024.
On August 17, 2026, Harmon was sentenced to 45 years in federal prison for kidnapping, carjacking and cyberstalking.
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