Man resentenced to life in prison after second conviction in brutal assault of Tulsa nun
- Cherokee 411 Staff
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
Staff Report- Cherokee 411
TULSA, Okla. — A federal judge again sentenced Elga Eugene Harper to life in prison in December 2025 after a jury convicted him for a second time of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a Tulsa nun, closing a case marked by extreme violence, an overturned conviction and a retrial held after the victim’s death.
Chief U.S. District Judge John Heil III imposed two concurrent life sentences for kidnapping and aggravated sexual abuse, along with two concurrent 10-year sentences for assault charges connected to the attack.
Harper, 43, was first convicted and sentenced to life in 2023 for the May 4, 2022 assault of Sister Ellie Finlay, an Episcopalian nun who was 72 at the time. That conviction was overturned in October 2024 by the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which ruled that a letter establishing Harper’s tribal status had been improperly admitted as evidence under federal rules. Prosecutors retried the case, and a jury again found Harper guilty in August 2025.
According to court records, the victim had previously known Harper, who was homeless, and had occasionally paid him to help with household repairs. On the day of the assault, Harper arrived at her Tulsa home unannounced. After being told there was no work available, he asked to use the restroom. She allowed him inside.
Once in the home, Harper attacked the victim in her bedroom. Testimony and evidence presented at trial showed Harper bound the victim’s arms and legs, tied a noose around her neck, and physically and sexually assaulted her for more than four hours. Prosecutors said Harper ransacked the home before leaving with several of the victim’s belongings.
Jurors heard audio from the victim’s 911 call, during which she cried for help and repeatedly identified Harper as her attacker. Body camera footage and photographs documenting her injuries were also shown in court.
Harper was convicted of kidnapping in Indian Country, aggravated sexual abuse by force and threat in Indian Country, assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to do bodily harm in Indian Country, and assault resulting in serious bodily injury in Indian Country. Harper is a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.
Reporting from News on 6 detailed additional evidence presented during the retrial, including testimony that Harper dragged the victim through her home, forced her under scalding hot water in the shower and caused severe injuries that permanently altered her life.
The victim died earlier this year while Harper awaited retrial. During sentencing, a victim impact statement she wrote for the first sentencing hearing was read aloud in court.
“Everyone who knows me knows that I am a practicing Christian,” Finlay wrote. “As such I have an obligation to forgive my enemies, to bless those who curse me and to pray for those who despitefully use me. I am struggling to fulfill this obligation with sincerity.”
She also urged the court to consider public safety.
“My neighbor, most assuredly, is the next woman out there who may well fall prey to Mr. Harper’s horrific propensity for violence if he were to be a free member of society at any point during the remainder of his life,” she wrote. “It is my honest conviction that he should not ever, ever, ever be free again.”
Judge Heil said it was a “miracle” the victim survived the initial assault and noted that her injuries permanently altered her ability to live independently and pursue activities she loved, including playing the piano.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Tulsa Police Department and prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Oklahoma. Harper declined to speak before sentencing and will remain in federal custody.
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