He kidnapped an 80-year-old Seaford woman and pushed her off a pier. He now faces life

11 minutes.

That's how long an 80-year-old woman from Seaford managed to survive in the frigid waters of the Wicomico River, with her hands tied and her head bleeding, on a day when the temperature never crested 47 degrees.

When she'd left her home at 10 a.m. on Jan. 13, 2023, a man approached her in her driveway as she walked to her car, according to accounts in court documents and a release from the State’s Attorney for Wicomico County in Maryland.

He beat her with the butt of a gun and used her own car to kidnap her. He robbed her of her jewelry, forced her to provide the PIN to her debit card and drove her to Maryland, where he subjected her to a harrowing sexual assault before pushing her off a Salisbury pier. He tied her hands with her own shoelaces.

When she managed to surface, her attacker flattened himself down on the pier, reached down toward the water and pistol-whipped her again, leaving her head severely lacerated.

He waited until he saw her head go below the surface once more. And then he drove off in her car with her stolen debit card and went on a shopping spree with five of his friends.

But miraculously, she survived.

For more than 11 minutes she fought the bracingly cold waters of the Wicomico River. She managed to free her hands by using her teeth and then swam to shore. She pulled herself up a kayak ramp, walked to nearby Riverside Drive and flagged down a passing motorist.

And late in the day on Thursday, Nov. 16, her attacker, 24-year-old Ralph Harmon Jr. of Salisbury, Maryland, was convicted of attempted first-degree murder and a slew of other charges in Wicomico County Circuit Court.

Initial coverage: Suspect ID'd after 80-year-old woman carjacked, kidnapped in Seaford

'Incomprehensible terror': Assailant may face life in prison after harrowing assault

“This victim is fortunate to be alive," said Wicomico County State’s Attorney Jamie Dykes in a statement Friday after the trial. "She endured incomprehensible terror from the moment Ralph Harmon accosted her in Seaford, Delaware, until she managed to climb from the frigid waters of the Wicomico River nearly two hours later."

After a four-day trial, a jury on Thursday found Harmon guilty of attempted first-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder, first-degree rape, second-degree rape, kidnapping, false imprisonment, armed robbery and related offenses.

Harmon had been living in a halfway house in Delaware before assaulting his victim, Wicomico County officials told news agency The National Desk and had just been evicted for a "rules infraction."

Dykes commended the members of the Maryland State Police, the Salisbury Police Department and the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office for their work in the investigation.

The victim’s vehicle was found on the same day of the attack after she was able to escape her assailant.

Across town along the Salisbury area of East Main Street, officers with the Salisbury Police Department and Maryland State Police were able to locate the vehicle.

Multiple people in the car fled the scene, but police were able to apprehend Harmon after a brief foot chase. He was still in possession of the victim’s debit card.

In Maryland, first-degree attempted murder is punishable by a sentence of up to life in prison.

Kathleen L. Beckstead, chief judge of the Circuit Court for Wicomico County, postponed sentencing to allow for a pre-sentencing investigation to be completed. Harmon will remain in custody pending sentencing.

"Ralph Harmon is the embodiment of evil," said prosecutor Dykes. "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."

Note: This article previously misstated how the victim's hands were tied, and has been corrected.

Matthew Korfhage is a reporter with Delaware Online/The News Journal. Send tips or inquiries to mkorfhage@delawareonline.com.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Ralph Harmon convicted of assault, attempted murder of Seaford woman