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Salisbury resident Ralph Harmon, Jr., will spend decades in prison after robbing, raping, and literally walking an 80-year-old woman down a pier and tossing her into the water while her hands were bound earlier this year during a spine-chilling day that spilled over from Delaware into Maryland.
Prosecutors say that On Jan. 13, the woman was walking to her driveway in Seaford, Delaware, when Harmon forced her into a vehicle at gunpoint, pistol whipping her in the process, and robbed her of jewelry while demanding the PIN number for her debit card.
Harmon was barely beginning.
According to officials, once in Maryland, Harmon sexually assaulted the elderly woman and bound her hands together. They visited multiple ATMs, then he forced her to drive to Riverside Drive in Salisbury, where he demanded she walk down a pier.
Following his demands, the woman walked to the end of the pier and was then pushed into the river, and when she managed to surface - still bound - Harmon laid down on the pier and again pistol whipped the woman, causing her to dip below the water and leaving her with a laceration on her head.
"Satisfied that she would not survive, Harmon walked back to the victim's vehicle then left the area," prosecutors said.
The woman had other ideas in mind.
Refusing to go down without a fight, the 80-year-old fought for more than 10 minutes in the water, managing to free her hands and used a kayak ramp to climb back up to the pier. She then made her way back to Riverside Drive, where she flagged down motorists who called 911.
Following the assault, the woman was taken to Tidal Health, where she received staples in her head and was treated for various other injuries sustained during her night in Hell.
Meanwhile, Harmon had some fun with his ill-gotten gains.
After leaving the woman for dead in the water, prosecutors say that Harmon went on a spending spree using her stolen debit card after picking up five friends in his victim's vehicle, though his fun was short lived.
Later on Jan. 13, the stolen vehicle was spotted by police in a parking lot on Main Street in Salisbury, and when officers approached, Harmon fled the area before being apprehended - still carrying the woman's debit card.
Harmon was convicted this week of:
- Attempted first-degree murder;
- Attempted second-degree murder;
- First-degree rape;
- Second-degree rape;
- Kidnapping;
- False imprisonment;
- Armed robbery;
- "Related offenses."
He remains in custody pending his sentencing, which has not been scheduled. He could face multiple life sentences.
"This victim is fortunate to be alive. She endured incomprehensible terror from the moment Ralph Harmon accosted her in Seaford, Delaware, until she managed to climb rom the frigid waters of the Wicomico River nearly two hours later," State's Attorney Jamie Dykes said.
"Ralph 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 commitment of the jury, Harmon will be held accountable and I pray that will never again be in the position to prey upon another innocent victim."
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